The Ministry of Labor of Russia has developed a professional standard for the profession of a writer

The Russian Ministry of Labor published for discussion the professional standard of the profession of writers, poets and writers. The document is published on the website of draft normative legal acts. One of the authors, it follows from the explanatory note, is a member of the State Duma, head of the Association of Unions of Writers and Publishers, Sergey Shargunov.

According to the professional standard, a writer, novelist, poet or dramatist must have a higher education, be able to “use the stylistic and lexical wealth of the Russian or native language”, know the history, folklore of the peoples of Russia and the world, and the peculiarities of the modern literary process.

The search and definition of the idea of ​​a work, the ability to find interesting topics and develop them into small and large-scale works of art, and the use of knowledge of literary theory and dramaturgical techniques are also indicated as necessary skills for professions.

The Ministry of Labor acts as the coordinator of the development of professional standards, a representative of the department explained to the newspaper “Vedomosti”. The developers of the standard are listed in the document as the Moscow Literary Institute, two Russian Writers’ Unions, Writers’ Unions of Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the Russian Book Union.

In the explanatory note to the project, Shargunov writes that the approval of the professional standard will be “a reflection of the steady tendency to increase the significance of normative regulation of relations in the sphere of literary activity” and will help “to form cultural and moral perception and solve everyday issues.”

• In March 2024, the writers’ movement “Soyuz 24 February” was formed in Russia. It included 25 Russian writers, mostly those who supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They proposed to develop a public document with a list of tasks facing the literature. In September, they appealed to the Minister of Defense Andrey Belousov with a request to bring Russian literature under the authority of the Ministry of Defense. There was no public response from the ministry.