Boris Akunin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Boris Akunin
Akunin in 2018
Born	Grigory Chkhartishvili (1956-05-20) 20 May 1956 (age 69) Zestaponi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Pen name	Anatoly Brusnikin, Anna Borisova, Akunin-Chkhartishvili
Occupation	Writer, journalist, translator
Citizenship	Russia
Alma mater	Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University
Period	1980s–present
Genre	detective and historical fiction
Notable works	Erast Fandorin series

Grigory Chkhartishvili (Russian: Григорий Шалвович Чхартишвили; Georgian: გრიგორი ჩხარტიშვილი), known by his writing name Boris Akunin (Russian: Борис Акунин, born May 20, 1956), is a writer from Georgia and Russia. He currently lives in the United Kingdom. He is famous for his historical fiction books, especially his Erast Fandorin detective novels.

He is also an essay writer and a translator of books. Grigory Chkhartishvili has used other writing names like Anatoly Brusnikin, Anna Borisova, and Akunin-Chkhartishvili. Some of his popular characters are Erast Fandorin, Nicholas Fandorin, and Sister Pelagia.

Early Life and Education

Grigory Chkhartishvili was born on May 20, 1956, in Zestaponi, Georgia. His father was Georgian and his mother was Jewish. In 1958, his family moved to Moscow, which was then part of the Soviet Union.

He studied at the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University. He became an expert on Japan, influenced by Japanese kabuki theater.

Writing Career

Moscow International Book Fair 2013

Before becoming a full-time writer, Chkhartishvili worked as an assistant editor for a magazine called Foreign Literature. He left this job in October 2000 to focus on writing his own stories.

He translated many books from Japanese and English into Russian. Some Japanese authors he translated include Yukio Mishima and Kōbō Abe. He also translated works by American and English writers like T. C. Boyle.

Under his real name, Grigory Chkhartishvili, he was the chief editor of a large 20-volume collection called Anthology of Japanese Literature. He also wrote literary reviews and translated books from Japanese, American, and English literature.

Becoming Boris Akunin

Since 1998, he has written fiction under the name "B. Akunin." The "B" stands for "Boris." The name "Akunin" (悪人) is a Japanese word that means "great bad man." In one of his novels, The Diamond Chariot, he explains that an "akunin" is a powerful person who makes their own rules.

As Boris Akunin, he has written many popular books. His most famous series are The Adventures of Erast Fandorin, The Adventures of Sister Pelagia, and The Adventures of the Master (which follows Nicholas Fandorin, Erast's grandson). He also wrote the Roman-Kino series, which is set during World War I.

Akunin is known for his historical mystery novels, which are often set in Imperial Russia. People only found out that "B. Akunin" was Grigory Chkhartishvili after his first Fandorin books became very popular.

Akunin lived in Moscow until 2014. Since then, he has lived in Britain, France, and Spain. As of 2024, he lives in London.

Public Recognition

Many people consider Chkhartishvili, writing as Boris Akunin, to be a leading author of Russian crime fiction. His books are enjoyed by many readers and have been translated into many different languages.

In 2000, Akunin was nominated for the Smirnoff-Booker Prize. In September 2000, he was named Russian Writer of the Year and won the "Antibooker" prize for his Erast Fandorin novel Coronation, or the last of the Romanovs.

In 2003, his novel The Winter Queen was shortlisted for the Dagger Award in Fiction by the British Crime Writers' Association. In 2004, he was a judge at the 26th Moscow International Film Festival.

In 2009, he received an award from the Japan Foundation for helping to develop cultural ties between Russia and Japan. He also won the Noma Prize in 2007 for his excellent translations of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima's works.

Political Views and Challenges

Akunin at a rally in support of Alexei Navalny during his 2013 mayoral campaign

Boris Akunin has expressed his opinions about political events. He has supported people facing legal issues in Russia.

In December 2023, recordings were released where Akunin expressed support for Ukraine. Because of his views, many of his books were no longer sold in Russia, and some people spoke out against him. The Russian government added his name to a list, linking him to certain activities. He also faced legal investigations related to his comments about the Russian army.

In January 2024, the Russian Ministry of Justice labeled Akunin a "foreign agent." This means he must identify himself as such in his publications and follow strict financial reporting rules. Later that month, his name was put on a wanted list by Russia's Interior Ministry.

In February 2024, a Moscow court ordered his arrest while he was not in the country. After the death of Alexei Navalny, Akunin commented that "There is nothing more the dictator [Putin] can do to Navalny. Navalny is dead and has become immortal."

In June 2024, an online library of Boris Akunin's works was blocked in Russia. This happened because the library was distributing a book by another author, Vladimir Sorokin, called The Heritage.

Book Adaptations

Many of Akunin's novels have been turned into movies and TV shows:

• Two Fandorin novels, The Turkish Gambit and The State Counsellor, were made into big Russian movies.
• Azazel was adapted for television twice. First as The Winter Queen, and later as Fandorin. Azazel.
• An English remake of The Winter Queen was planned but delayed.
• Pelagia and the White Bulldog became a TV mini-series in 2009.
• The Spy Novel was released as a movie called Spy in 2012.

List of Works

Boris Akunin is known for writing in different styles and under various names.

Erast Fandorin Series

This series follows the adventures of a detective named Erast Fandorin in historical Russia. Each book is a different type of mystery:

• The Winter Queen (1998): A conspiracy mystery where young Fandorin uncovers a plot for world control.
• The Turkish Gambit (1998): A spy mystery set during the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-1878.
• Murder on the Leviathan (1998): A closed-room mystery on a steamship traveling to India.
• The Death of Achilles (1998): A hired assassin mystery in Moscow.
• Special Assignments:
  • The Jack of Spades (1999): A novella about clever swindlers.
  • The Decorator (1999): A novella about a maniac, similar to Jack the Ripper, in Moscow.
• The State Counsellor (1999): A political mystery about revolutionary groups in Russia.
• The Coronation (2000): A high society mystery involving blackmail during the time of Tsar Nicholas II.
• She Lover of Death (2001): A mystery with a focus on a decadent society.
• He Lover of Death (2001): A mystery set in the slums of Moscow, similar to a Dickensian story.
• The Diamond Chariot (2003): An ethnographic mystery set during the Russo-Japanese War and Fandorin's time in Japan.
• Ying and Yan (2006): A play about Erast Fandorin.
• The Jade Rosary (2006): A collection of short stories and novellas that fill in gaps in Fandorin's life.
• All the World's a Stage (2009): A theatrical mystery where Fandorin investigates strange events in a Moscow theater.
• The Black City (2012): Fandorin pursues a terrorist in Baku, Azerbaijan.
• Planet Water (2015): Three novellas, including a treasure hunt and a murder investigation.
• Not Saying Goodbye (2018): Fandorin's final adventure during the Russian Civil War.
• Erast Fandorin's Dao (2023): Three short stories.
• Tamba's Lessons (2023): A novella.
• Frog Bashō (2023): An interactive detective story.

Masahiro Shibata Series

These books follow Masahiro Shibata after Fandorin's adventures:

• Just Masa (2020): A new adventure for Masahiro Shibata.
• Yama (2023): Memories of Masahiro Shibata.

Sister Pelagia Series

This series is about a crime-solving nun in Russia around the year 1900:

• Pelagia and the White Bulldog (2000): Sister Pelagia investigates mysterious deaths of dogs.
• Pelagia and the Black Monk (2001): Mysterious events in a monastery lead to more tragedy.
• Pelagia and the Red Rooster (2003): A stranger starting a new group becomes the focus of dangerous plots.

Nicholas Fandorin Series

These books are about Erast Fandorin's grandson, Nicholas, who is a modern-day British historian:

• Altyn Tolobas (2000): Nicholas visits Russia to find artifacts left by his ancestor.
• Extracurricular Reading (2002): Nicholas's adventures in Moscow are mixed with a story from the time of Catherine the Great.
• F.M. (2006): Nicholas searches for a lost manuscript by Dostoevsky.
• The Falcon and the Swallow (2009): Nicholas looks for treasure in the Caribbean.

The Genres Project

These novels are written in different fiction styles, with the title often reflecting the genre:

• Children's Book (2006): Erast Fandorin Jr. goes on a time-traveling adventure.
• Spy Novel (2005): Set just before World War II, about a German spy.
• Science Fiction (2006): Two young men gain superpowers in the last days of the Soviet Union.
• Quest (2008): A novel that feels like a computer game, with a second part set during Napoleon's invasion of Russia.
• Children's Book For Girls (2012): Angelina Fandorina, Erast Jr.'s twin sister, goes on her own time-traveling quest.
• Fairy Tales from Around the World (2021)

Brüderschaft with Death Series

This series is like a "cinematic novel" with ten novellas, focusing on Russian and German intelligence during World War I. Each novella is written in a different movie genre. The main characters are Alexei Romanov and Sepp von Theofels.

• The Infant and the Devil (2007): A comedy about a German spy and a young student.
• The Torment of a Broken Heart (2007): A melodrama about a Russian intelligence operation in Switzerland.
• The Flying Elephant (2008): An adventure about sabotaging a heavy bomber.
• Children of the Moon (2008): A story about a spy infiltrating a society of young people.
• The Wandering Man (2009): A mystical story where a spy tries to discredit a Russian intelligence head.
• Let the Thunder of Victory Rumble! (2009): An adventure at the front lines during the war.
• Mariya, Maria... (2010): A sea tale about sabotaging a Russian battleship.
• Nothing Sacred (2010): A story where the German spy plans to assassinate the Czar.
• Operation Transit (2011): A story about helping a political leader return to Russia during political unrest.
• The Angels Battalion (2011): An apocalyptic story about a women's battalion during the war.

History of the Russian State Series

This series includes non-fiction books about Russian history and fictional stories set in those times.

• A Part of Europe - From the beginnings to the Mongol Conquest (2013): History from the 9th century to the 13th century.
• The Fiery Finger (2013): Three historical novellas from the 9th to 13th centuries.
• A Part of Asia - The Horde Period (2014): History under Mongol rule (13th to 15th centuries).
• Bosch and Schelm (2014): Two historical novels, one about the Mongol invasion and one about a clever swindler.
• Between Asia and Europe - From Ivan III to Boris Godunov (2015): History from Ivan III to Boris Godunov (15th to 17th centuries).
• Widow's card (2016): Two historical novels set during the times of Ivan III and Ivan IV.
• Between Europe and Asia - The Seventeenth Century (2016): Russia's recovery from a difficult period and the early Romanovs.
• Sennight of the Three-Eyed (2017): A historical detective novel and a play about Peter the Great.
• Asiatic Europeization - Czar Peter Alexeyevich (2017): The reign of Peter the Great and the start of the Russian Empire.
• Nutshell Buddha (2018): A novel about a Japanese monk and a Russian orphan in Peter the Great's Russia.
• Eurasian Empire - The Era of Czarinas (2018): 18th-century Russia, including the reign of Catherine the Great.
• Goodventures and Ruminations of Lucius Katin (2019): A novel about an idealistic young man in the 18th century.
• The First Superpower - Alexander the Blessed and Nicholas the Unforgettable (2019): Russia's rise and fall as a European power.
• Peace and War (2020)
• Medicine for the empire. The Liberator Tsar and the Peacemaker Tsar (2021)
• Road to Kitezh (2021)
• As he walked away, he asked (2022)

Non-Series Books

• The Seagull (2000): A mystery version of Anton Chekhov's play Seagull.
• Comedy/Tragedy (2000): Two plays.
• Fairy Tales for Idiots (2000): A collection of short stories.
• Screenplays (2006): Original movie scripts written by Akunin for his novels.
• Photos as Haiku (2011): A collection of stories from readers of Akunin's blog.
• The Most Frightening Villain and other stories (2012): A collection of blog posts.
• A Real Princess and other stories (2013): Another collection of blog posts.
• The most mysterious secret and other stories (2014): A third collection of blog posts.
• The Northern sentry and other stories (2015): A fourth collection of blog posts.

As Grigory Chkhartishvili

• Cemetery Tales (2004): This book has essays about cemeteries around the world, each with a short story. One story features Erast Fandorin.

As Boris Akunin-Chkhartishvili

These books are considered "serious literature" by Akunin, exploring deeper themes:

• Aristonomia (2012): Set during the Russian Revolutions and Civil War, it explores ideas about human dignity.
• Another Way (2015): Set in 1927, it explores themes of love and intimacy.
• Happy Russia (2017): The story continues in 1937, about a secret society of thinkers.
• Tresorium (2019): Explores a theory of education and a young Soviet officer's journey.

Anatoly Brusnikin

In 2007, Akunin started writing historical novels without a mystery part, using the name Anatoly Brusnikin. He wanted to try a different way of looking at Russian history. The name "A. O. Brusnikin" is an anagram of "Boris Akunin." He later revealed that he was indeed this author.

• The Ninth Savior (2007): Set at the start of Peter the Great's reign, following three friends and a Romanov family member.
• A Hero of A Different Time (2010): A tribute to another famous Russian novel, set during the Caucasus War.
• Bellona (2012): The main subject is the Crimean War.

Anna Borisova

Around the same time, Akunin also started writing under the name Anna Borisova. He wanted to try writing from a woman's perspective and explore different types of fiction, not just detective or adventure stories.

• There... (2007): People who experience a terrorist attack have different afterlife experiences based on their beliefs.
• The Idea-Man (2009): A mysterious stranger tells fascinating stories in Saint Petersburg.
• Vremena goda (2011): Set in a French retirement home for Russian speakers.

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