You can’t judge a book by its cover, they say. But in fact you can, if you know the name of the author.

Vladimir Nabokov’s final, unfinished novel “The Original of Laura” has become probably the most talked-about book at the 11th “Non/Fiction” book fair in Moscow.

“The Original of Laura” by Vladimir Nabokov

The rough copy of the novel has been stored for nearly three decades on 138 index cards, kept at a Swiss bank strongbox, and was never meant to be published, in accordance with Nabokov’s will. However, his relatives didn’t dare to follow the great writer’s guidelines urging the destruction of his last work.

Nabokov’s fans now have an opportunity to choose between two “Lauras” – a plain copy and the facsimile one which reproduces Nabokov’s signature index cards.

Speaking of effective ways of reaching potential readers, two British publishers – Jeremy Ettinghausen and Kirsty Dunseath – will give a lecture on the subject matter.

Digital Publisher at the UK’s Penguin, Jeremy Ettinghausen has been responsible for a number of high-profile digital initiatives, including the launch of Penguin's first list of e-books, the Penguin Remix competition, the collaborative wikinovel “A Million Penguins”, the acclaimed Penguin Blog, and the award-winning Penguin Podcast . He also launched the so-called “We Tell Stories” exercise in digital storytelling, which won the SXSW Interactive Best in Show award.

Kirsty Dunseath is Publishing Director of fiction at Weidenfeld & Nicolson, a champion of literature in translation, whose authors include Bernhard Schlink, Jostein Gaarder, Boris Akunin, Vikram Seth and Michel Houellebecq. It was also the first UK publisher of the works of Vladimir Nabokov.

Among other events arranged by the British Council in Moscow is a meeting with an award-winning British writer and poet, Adam Foulds, whose novel “The Quickening Maze” was short-listed for the 2009 Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

Another interesting name on the list at “Non/Fiction” is a Sri Lankan-born artist and writer living in Britain, Roma Tearne.

She is the author of several novels, such as “Mosquito”, “Bone China” and “Brixton Beach” as well as “The Swimmer”, which will be published in the UK next spring. Roma is also known as a painter. Back in 1998, the Royal Academy of Arts even chose one of her paintings for its Summer Exhibition. Since them her name has become familiar in the UK.

On December 4, Roma will host a creative writing and drawing session with those interested in art.

In fact, books are not the be-all and end-all at the book fair. Cinema lovers will also have something to look forward to, such as the much-talked-about Russian-Japanese anime “First Squad”, about Soviet pioneer-superheroes.

A highly-anticipated event is the Russian premiere of the nine-and-a-half hour documentary about the Holocaust, “Shoah”, by the French filmmaker Claude Lanzmann.

The 84-year-old director will personally present his famous film, which features no historical footage, rather interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses.

Valeria Paikova, RT