Boris Akunin

Boris Akunin is the pen name of Grigori Tschchartishvili, a Russian philologist, literary scholar, translator and writer of Georgian descent, born in 1956. He published his first crime novels in 1998 and quickly became one of Russia’s most widely read authors. He is best known for the historical crime series featuring Erast Fandorin, which includes Fandorin, The Turkish Gambit and The Death of Achilles. In 2001, he was named Writer of the Year in Russia, and his books have been translated into numerous languages. By his own account, he wrote his first three crime novels for relaxation and had previously been an enthusiastic player of card and strategy games.