Boris Akunin (real name Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili) (born 1956) is a Russian writer, playwright, Japanese scholar, literary critic, translator and public figure. Also published under the pseudonyms Anna Borisova and Anatoly Brusnikin.
There are many interesting facts in the biography of Akunin, which we will touch upon in this article.
So, before you is a short biography of Boris Akunin.
Biography of Akunin
Grigory Chkhartishvili (better known as Boris Akunin) was born on May 20, 1956 in the Georgian city of Zestafoni.
The writer's father, Shalva Noevich, was a soldier and holder of the Order of the Red Star. Mother, Berta Isaakovna, worked as a teacher of Russian language and literature.
Childhood and youth
When Boris was barely 2 years old, he and his family moved to Moscow. It was there that he began attending the 1st grade.
Parents sent their son to school with an English bias. Having received a school certificate, the 17-year-old boy entered the Institute of Asian and African Countries at the Department of History and Philology.
Akunin was distinguished by his sociability and high intelligence, as a result of which he had many friends.
An interesting fact is that at that time in his biography, Boris Akunin had such a magnificent head of hair that he was called Angela Davis, by analogy with the American human rights activist.
After becoming a certified specialist, Akunin started translating books, fluent in Japanese and English.
Books
In the period 1994-2000. Boris served as deputy editor-in-chief of the Foreign Literature publishing house. At the same time, he was the chief editor of the Anthology of Japanese Literature, which consists of 20 volumes.
Later, Boris Akunin was entrusted with the post of chairman of a large project - "Pushkin Library" (Soros Foundation).
In 1998, the writer began publishing fiction under the name “B. Akunin ". An interesting fact is that the word "Akunin" is derived from Japanese hieroglyphs. In the book "Diamond Chariot", this word is translated as "villain" or "villain" on an especially large scale.
It is important to note that under the pseudonym "Boris Akunin" the writer publishes exclusively works of fiction, while he publishes documentary works under his real name.
The series of detective stories "The Adventures of Erast Fandorin" brought Akunin worldwide fame and recognition. At the same time, the author constantly experiments with different types of detective stories.
In one case, a book, for example, can be presented as a hermetic detective (that is, all events take place in a confined space, with a limited number of suspects).
Thus, Akunin's novels can be conspiratorial, high society, political and many others. Thanks to this, the reader is able to intuitively understand in which plane the actions will develop.
By the way, Erast Fandorin comes from an impoverished noble family. He works in the detective department, while not possessing phenomenal mental abilities.
However, Fandorin is distinguished by his extraordinary observation, thanks to which his thoughts become understandable and interesting for the reader. By nature, Erast is a gambling and brave man, able to find a way out of even the most difficult situation.
Later Boris Akunin presented a series of serials: "Provincial Detective", "Genres", "The Adventures of a Master" and "Cure for Boredom".
In 2000, the writer was nominated for the Booker - Smirnoff prize, but he never made it to the final. In the same year, Akunin won the Antibooker Prize.
In early 2012, it became known that the author of popular historical books - "The Ninth Savior", "Bellona", "A Hero of Another Time" and others, is the same Boris Akunin. The writer published his works under the pseudonym Anatoly Brusnikin.
Many films have been shot based on Akunin's works, including such popular films as "Azazel", "Turkish Gambit" and "State Councilor".
Today Boris Akunin is considered the most widely read writer of modern Russia. According to the authoritative magazine Forbes, in the period 2004-2005. the writer earned $ 2 million.
In 2013, Akunin presented the book “History of the Russian State”. This work helps a person learn about the history of Russia in a simple and accessible form of narration.
While writing the book, Boris Akunin researched many authoritative sources, trying to get rid of any unreliable information. A few months after the publication of "History of the Russian State", the author was awarded the "Paragraph" anti-prize, which is awarded to the worst works in the book publishing business of the Russian Federation.
Personal life
Akunin's first wife was a Japanese woman. The couple met in their student years.
Initially, young people were interested in each other. The guy gladly absorbed information about Japan from his wife, while the girl learned with curiosity about Russia and its people.
However, after several years of marriage, the couple decided to leave.
Erika Ernestovna, who worked as a proofreader and translator, became the second woman in the biography of Boris Akunin. The wife helps her husband solve problems related to the publication of his books, and also participates in the editing of the works of the husband.
It is worth noting that Akunin has no children from any of the marriages.
Boris Akunin today
Akunin continues to be engaged in writing. At the moment, he lives with his family in London.
The writer is known for his public criticism of the current Russian government. In an interview with a French newspaper, he compared Vladimir Putin to Caligula, "who wanted to be more feared than loved."
Boris Akunin has repeatedly stated that modern power will lead the state to ruin. According to him, today the Russian leadership is doing everything possible to arouse disgust towards itself and the state from the rest of the world.
During the 2018 presidential elections, Akunin supported the candidacy of Alexei Navalny.
Akunin Photos
