Aleksei Ivanov was born in 1969 in Gorky (today Nizhny Novgorod). He grew up in Perm in the Urals. In 1996 he graduated from the University of Ekaterinburg with a degree in art history. He then worked as a caretaker, laboratory assistant, tourist guide, teacher, journalist and lecturer. His first publication in a magazine in 1990 was a fantasy novel. His first book publication was the mystical-historical novel „Heart of Parma“ 2003. 11 novels and 7 non-fiction books by him are now available with a total circulation of over 1.5 million. 5 books have been filmed, 5 more are currently being filmed. Aleksei Ivanov lives in Perm.
Ivanov is at home in different genres. But he is always interested in those times, places and events in Russian culture where a transition from one cultural system to another takes place. Be it in Russian history, where new times replace the old ones, thematized in his historical and contemporary novels. Be it the collision of parallel systems, as in his mystical thrillers. His books are all explicitly plot driven, which is why almost all of them have become movies. Because they are easy to read and follow the rules of the genre, they are always aimed at a broad audience. But even on the surface one senses, without having to consciously perceive it, the authentic saturation and great closeness to life of his novels.
Because only one layer deeper Ivanov’s books are full of documentary facts, socio-historical descriptions and witty references. This way, even a more intellectual reader will get his money’s worth and on top of that a good deal of horror, suspense or historical-exotic entertainment.
There is, in all his novels, a density of sights and sounds which make for an astoundingly atmospheric, engrossing read. His worlds feel vivid, hefty, utterly believable – there is flesh and bone and wood and stone and blood woven into a rich tapestry one falls into as if inside a dream.
AWARDS:
- 2021 Audiobook of the Year
- 2006 Yasnaya Polyana Award
- 2006 Big Book Award
- 2006 Strannik Prize
- 2004 Book of the Year
- 2004 Bazhov Prize
- 2003 Mamin-Sibiryak Award
«“Ivanov is the Russian Stephen King… Like him, he has written an honest genre novel without postmodern quirks or superfluous winking with the reader.»
AFISHA
