Boris Akunin

Boris Akunin is the pen name of Grigory Chkhartishvili (born 1956), a Russian philologist, literary scholar, critic, essayist, translator, and Japanologist of Georgian descent. He published his first crime novels in 1998 and became one of Russia’s most widely read authors. His notable works include the novels featuring detective Erast Fandorin, among them “Fandorin,” “The Turkish Gambit,” and “Murder on the Leviathan.” In 2001, he was named Writer of the Year in Russia, and his books were translated into numerous languages. By his own account, he wrote his first three crime novels for relaxation, after previously playing cards and strategy computer games.