Cornell literature professor Sophie Pinkham has won the 2026 Pushkin House Book Prize for a history that uses Russia’s forests to examine empire, culture and war.
Her book, “The Oak and the Larch: A Forest History of Russia and its Empires,” was published this year, according to Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences. Pinkham is a professor of the practice in comparative literature at the university.
The book follows forests through episodes including the conquest of Siberia, the experiences of Russia’s Indigenous peoples and Stalin’s “Great Plan for the Transformation of Nature.”
It also considers mythological figures, writers and political leaders, connecting the natural landscape with ideas about power and identity.
Forests shape the account of empire and war
Imperialism is a central theme. Pinkham examines the Russian conquest of Chechnya, including the destruction of forests that sheltered guerrillas, and the continuing war in Ukraine.
In Ukraine, the book describes how swampy forests have slowed tanks and evergreen plantations have provided cover from drones.
Pinkham said beginning in the woods rather than centering the account on Moscow or St. Petersburg allowed her to explore places, peoples and ideas that receive less attention in popular histories of Russia.
Laurie Bristow, chair of the book prize judging panel and affiliated with the University of Cambridge, praised the way Pinkham connects environmental and cultural perspectives. He said the book moves among history, literature, ideology, folk culture, empire and climate change while remaining attentive to people’s experiences of forests.
Prize recognizes English-language nonfiction
Pushkin House, an arts and cultural organization in London, created the prize in 2013 to recognize nonfiction books published in English that examine Russian culture, history, politics and related subjects.
Its scope extends beyond modern Russia to countries, nations and communities affected by the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation.
Past winners include Benjamin Nathans’ “To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement,” which later won a Pulitzer Prize.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
