The Akunin Project: The Mysteries and Histories of Russia's Bestselling Author - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1487508263 ISBN 13: 9781487508265

Publisher: University of Toronto Press, 2021

Synopsis

The Akunin Project is the first book to study the fiction and popular history of Grigorii Chkhartishvili, one of the most successful writers in post-Soviet Russia. In the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Chkhartishvili published over sixty books under the pen names Anatolii Brusnikin, Anna Borisova, Akunin-Chkhartishvili, and, most commonly, Boris Akunin. His series featuring the tsarist secret policeman Erast Fandorin has sold over 15 million books in Russia alone, making Akunin one of the bestselling authors of the post-Soviet era. Combining intertextuality, allusions, pastiche, and other markers of postmodern playfulness, many of Akunin’s works have been translated into English and have also been adapted for film and television. Akunin’s public profile has been further enhanced by his active involvement in mass political protests against Vladimir Putin.

Despite Akunin’s international reputation as a celebrated writer, there is very little critical work on his literary output and his mysterious persona. Bringing together scholars of literature, history, and culture, The Akunin Project fills this gap by exploring the author’s bestselling adventure novels and recent histories of the Russian state. The book includes translations of five short works previously unavailable in English as well as an interview with the author.

About this title

About the Authors

Elena V. Baraban is an associate professor in the Department of German and Slavic Studies at the University of Manitoba.

Stephen M. Norris is the Walter E. Havighurst professor of Russian History and the Director of the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies at Miami University in Ohio.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1487508263
• ISBN 13: 9781487508265
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 372
• Editor: Baraban Elena V., Norris Stephen M.