Boris Akunin: “What kind of books I write. And Why and How”

The world famous author Mr. Boris Akunin will talk on “What kind of books I write. And Why and How”

A talk for about thirty minutes followed by a long question and answer session.
Boris Akunin is the nom de plume of Mr. Grigory Chkhartishvili, son of a Georgian soldier Father and Jewish Mother, who is probably the most popular and widely read author of detective stories in the world today. Over 18 million copies of his amazing novels have been sold in Russia alone. Worldwide (including Russia) the total is reckoned to be 30 million. His books, which specialise in fascinating depictions of 19th century characters have been translated into many foreign languages. His main hero is the detective Erast Fandorin, his main female detective Sister Pelagia. Four Fandorin novels, The Winter Queen, The Turkish Gambit, The State Counsellor and The Decorator were made into big budget Russian films.

Boris Akunin – born May 20th 1956 in Zestaponi Georgia, lived in Moscow from 1958 until 2014, but now divides much of his time between Britain, France and Spain. He is also an expert on Japan. He serves as editor-in-chief of the 20 volume Anthology of Japanese Literature. He is also an essayist and literary translator. In 2013 he announced that he would no longer write detective novels, instead he would spend time on a series of books on the history of the Russian State.

Boris Akunin has been compared to Gogol, Tolstoy and to Arthur Conan Doyle. He has his best ideas in the morning when he first wakes up – when he might think of a new predicament in which to ensnare his popular hero Erast Fandorin.