Zakhar Prilepin

Intelligent, imaginative  and talented, Zakhar Prilepin was born near Ryazan (Russia) in 1975 and has built a life out of doing what many people might think to be the unbelievable. Before dedicating himself to writing he studied philology at the university, worked as a labourer,  as a journalist, as a security guard and as a soldier of the Russian Special Forces in the anti-terror campaign in Chechnya. Fuelled by an inherent need to fight for justice, Prilepin is a political activist famous for his extreme national-bolshevism  views and the arranging of The Dissenters’ March in Nizhny Novgorod.
As a product of post-communist Russia, Prilepin’s works cover  such topics as chronic unemployment, the Chechen war, cruelty and rooted violence. However, his actual and up-to-date novels feature such so-called “eternal” themes as happiness, friendship, love, sin, death. Thus, Prilepin ’s book “Sin” explores the reality of our cruel times from the perspective of real values and the possibility of happiness.
Sentimental and impetuous in his literary works, honest and intolerant in his political statements, Zakhar Prilepin is one of  the most welcome guests at prestigious TV talk shows, but prefers living in a Russian province on a lonely lakeside, devoting his time to literature and bringing up his four children.   
Prilepin's combination of lucid prose and social consciousness has made him one of the most popular and acclaimed writers in Russia today and drawn comparisons with the Russian classics. Deeply committed to his writing, Prilepin continues to create works  topping the bestseller lists and acquiring him the most prestigious awards.  Prilepin's books have been translated into numerous foreign languages; regrettably, English-speaking readers have as yet had to acquaint themselves with  his great novels.