The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress would like to congratulate the team behind the publishing of the Jewish book review magazine “People of the Book in the World of Books,” which has been published for over a dozen and a half years in Saint Petersburg, on their 100th anniversary issue.

The editorial article at the beginning of the anniversary issue profoundly analyzes all 100 issues. At the time of publication, 251 edition (books, collections, almanachs, special issues of magazines) had been reviewed. 121 of these reviews were complementary or at least positive, 106 reviews were negative or even devastatingly critical, and 24 editions had neutral reviews.

The editorial article is full of self-irony, but this does not impede the editorial collective from frankly stating its credo: independence and an outright refusal of any compromises. Indeed, the style in which most of the reviews are presented – an uncomplimentary style that refuses any compromise – has long become a visiting card of the magazine. “The People of the Book” publishes not only various bibliographic and reference information, but exhaustive reviews, articles that bring up problematic issues, and acute remarks, making acerbic fun of the mistakes and incongruities so often found in today's publishing.

Last year the “People of the Book in the World of Books” has become available online.

At one point, the editor-in-chief of the “People of the Book” book review, Alexander Frenkel, summarized the mission of the magazine as “to clear the literary air,” and this mission is obviously shared by the principal active authors – ethnographer and translator Valeriy Dymshytz, historian Maksim Meltzin, scholar of literature Boris Frezinsky, poet and essay writer Igor Bulatovsky, and others.

The EAJC wishes our long-standing colleagues and friends, the publishers and writers of “People of the Book in the World of Books,” led by Alexander Frenkel, strength and courage, which will no doubt be necessary for their continuing mission, new colorful and acute publications to the benefit and pleasure of the readers, and, of course, more and more anniversaries! Mazal tov!