Petr Aleshkovsky
Genres
Contemporary Fiction
Biography
Petr Aleshkovsky was born in 1957, and credits his richly diverse origins with 'providing him an opportunity to feel the uniqueness of every culture and tradition, to take them and not to speak bluntly, blaming the Germans, Dutch, Belgian, a Frenchman, and so on.' Some two decades later he graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in Archaeological Studies, which gave him the opportunity to travel the length and breadth of the Soviet Union. He worked on digs in Central Asia for several year, and says 'Tajikistan not only helped write the book Fish, but forever endeared the simple and hospitable Muslims; so similar to Russian peasants, and so not similar.' He went on to work as a historical preservationist in the Russian North before turning full-time to literature in the mid-1990s.
He attained literary success with his collection of stories Stargorod, followed by his novels Seagull, Skunk: A Life (translated into English by Glas), Vladimir Chigrintsev and, most recently, The Institute of Dreams. 'Aleshkovsky's is an important voice... in contemporary Russian fiction. He makes use of Gogolean satire, the folk tale, the chronicle, and even the saint's life.' (The Times Literary Supplement)
Aleshkovsky's style is decidedly in the realistic tradition, but that does not stop him from investigating the mystical and miraculous in everyday life. His works are richly descriptive and evocative of the uniquely Russian worldview, while at the same time tapping into universal human emotions and experiences. Two of his books have been translated (Skunk, A Life, and Fish: A History of One Migration) and several of his articles have been translated into English. He has thrice been shortlisted for Russia's most prestigious book award, the Russian Booker.
Prizes and awards
| 1994 | Russian Booker prize, shortlisted (Skunk: A Life / Жизнеописание хорка) |
| 1996 | Russian Booker prize, shortlisted (Vladimir Chirgintsev / Владимир Чигринцев) |
| 2008 | Russian Booker prize, shortlisted (Fish: A History of One Migration / Рыба. История одной миграции) |
Books
- The Other Side of the Moon / Обратная сторона Луны, 2010
- The Institute of Dreams / Институт сновидений, 2009
- From Moscow: Letters of a Russian Traveler / От Москвы..., New Literary Review (Новое литературное обозрение), 2009
- Fish: A History of One Migration / Рыба. История одной миграции, Vremya, 2006
- Seagulls / Чайки: Повести, Tekst, 2003
- Rudl and Burdl / Руда и Бурдл, NLO, 2003
- The Seventh Little Suitcase / Седьмой чемоданчик: Повести и рассказы, Vagrius, 1999
- Vladimir Chirgintsev / Владимир Чигринцев, Vagrius, 1997
- Harlequin or the Life of Vasily Trediakovsky / Арлекин или Жизнеописание Василия Тредиаковского, Radiks, 1996
- Stargorod: Voices from the Choir / Старгород; Голоса из хора, Sabashnikovykh, 1995
- Skunk: A Life / Жизнеописание хорка, Sabashnikovykh, 1993
- How the Novgorodians Got to Yurga: A Story About the Brave Novogorod Sailors of the 12th Century / Как новгородцы на Югру ходили: Рассказ о новгородцах отважных мореплавателях XII в., Malysh Books, 1989