Dmitry Bykov
the perfect introduction to the Russian intellectual experience: a complex, changeable giant, witty and erudite, passionate and sorrowful. When you've talked to Bykov, you know you've had a real conversation. - Nick Harkaway
Dmitry Bykov was born in Moscow in 1967. He studied at Moscow State University's Faculty of Journalism, and journalism is something he remains engaged with: he regularly produces articles, essays and reviews for the leading Russian newspapers and magazines. He has senior editorial positions in various publications, hosts a weekly radio show and appears regularly on Russian TV.
Bykov's literary output is voluminous. He has published eight novels, biographies of Pasternak and Bulat Okudjava, several collections of short stories, three volumes of essays and eight collections of poetry. His biography of Pasternak won the National Bestseller Prize and the 2007 Big Book Prize and was a critical and commercial hit, enjoying three print runs. Commenting on this success, Bykov remarked that ‘Boris Leonidovich [Pasternak] has completely renovated my dacha'.
Bykov's novel 'ЖД' (published in Russia in 2007 and recently translated into English as Living Souls) has become a bombshell. Its title is an abbreviation that evokes many meanings, primarily standing for Living Souls, an association with Gogol's Dead Souls. One critic described Bykov's novel as "a futuristic anti-utopia about imminent ethnic conflicts and the inevitable crisis of democracy and liberalism as we know them today." The novel is set in the not so distant future but the events described are drawn from the present day, especially life in the army. Bykov himself describes his novel as politically incorrect. He says: "It's the best book I've ever written - actually it's the best book that can possibly be written today, and it's very funny."
Bykov's latest novel, ‘Списанные' (‘List) is the first installment of a grotesque fantasy trilogy. The protagonist, a young TV script writer, suddenly finds himself on a secret list which includes, in addition to him, 180 other Muscovites aged 16 to 60. Nobody knows who, or what, has put them on this list. Fear, humiliation, hopes, rumours and the ghosts of the noughties - all find their way into this novel, part-thriller, part-fable and part-political satire.
Provocative, flamboyant and with his fingers in dozens of pies, Dmitry Bykov revels in controversy. Though his literary versatility and verbal violence mark him out among contemporary Russian writers, he remains relatively unknown in the West.
Published works
Spisanniye (The List)
2008
Zh.D. (Living Souls)
2006.
Pravda (Truth)
2005
Kak Putin stal prezidentom S.Sh.A: Novie Russkie Rasskazy (How Putin Became President of the U.S.A: New Russian Stories) A collection of satirical miniatures.
2005
V mire zhivotnikov. Detskaya kniga dlya vzroslikh, vzroslaya kniga dlya detei. (The Animal World. A Children’s Book for Adults, an Adult’s Book for Children.)
2005 (with Irina Lukianova)
Boris Pasternak
2005
Orfografia (Orthography)
2003
Opravdenie (Justification)
2001
Prizes and awards
2007: A. and B. Strugatsky International Literature Prize for Living Souls
2007 - The Big Book Prize for his book on Boris Pasternak
2006: National Bestseller Prize for his book on Boris Pasternak
2004: A. and B. Strugatsky International Literature Prize for Orthography
