HSE University to Host Total Dictation for Tenth Time
On April 8, HSE University in Moscow will welcome participants of the 2023 Total Dictation, an open annual educational event that was first held in 2004. Since then, it has become a major event for anyone interested in writing and speaking Russian properly. This year at HSE University, it will be held at 11 Pokrovsky Bulvar, the Shabolovka building and, for the first time, the HSE Cultural Centre.
The university has been a venue for the dictation since 2013 and became one of its strategic partners in 2019. The HSE campus on Staraya Basmannaya Ulitsa is home to the city headquarters of the event, while all the submissions from Moscow will be checked in the building on Shabolovka in the week following the dictation.
Last year, 780,500 people from 108 countries and 600 cities took part. Anyone can take part regardless of age, nationality, level of education or social status. Total Dictation highlights the importance of literacy and demonstrates that while the Russian language may not be easy, it can be fun and useful.
The 2023 text was written by author Vasily Avchenko, finalist of the Big Book, National Bestseller, and NOS literary awards. His works include the novel Правый руль (‘Right-Hand Drive’), the collection of stories Кристалл в прозрачной оправе (‘Crystal in a See-Through Setting’), the fantasy story Vladivostok 3000—which he co-authored with the musician Ilya Lagutenko of the band Mumiy Troll—and a biography of the writer Alexander Fadeev for the series The Life of Remarkable People.
The dictation can be taken online or in person at an event venue. Those interested in taking part must register in advance.
HSE University venues
HSE Cultural Centre
11 Pokrovsky Bulvar, Bldg 6, Entrance No. 4, Big Hall
The text will be dictated by actor, director and producer Alexander Strizhenov.
Pokrovsky Building
11 Pokrovsky Building, Bldg 4, Entrance No. 3, Room R404
The text will be dictated by theatre and film actress, TV presenter, producer and director Yulia Menshova.
Shabolovka Building
26 Ulitsa Shabolovka, Room K9
The text will be dictated by theatre and film actress Svetlana Kamynina.
The Total Dictation will begin at 2 pm on April 8. The organisers request that all participants arrive early and bring their passports with them.
Those interested in taking part at an HSE University venue can sign up on the official website of the Total Dictation (in Russian).
See also:
‘Proper Grammar Is Trending’: HSE University Holds Total Dictation Event
On April 8, 2023, this year’s Total Dictation event took place all over the world. More than 900 people came to HSE University to take part in it. Since 2019, the university has been one of the partners of this annual educational campaign.
Join Russian Fridays and Compete in the Worldwide Total Dictation
On February 21, 2020, those who wish to compete in the worldwide Total Dictation can start taking prep classes offered by HSE at its complex located on Staraya Basmannaya. The classes will give students a chance to bone up on their Russian, or, as the writer Ivan Turgenev once called it, the ‘great and mighty’ Russian language.
Total Dictation 2014 at the HSE
On April 12, 2014, Total Dictation took place at the HSE – an all-Russian event to check literacy. Those interested in checking their level of Russian grammar skills participated in 350 cities spread over 45 countries. HSE campuses were among some of the venues used for this dictation.