Nikolai Gordonovich

It’s true that I’m not Russian – but my grandmother was;

and from my earliest days she inspired me with tales from the old land, the land beyond the snow, a land full of mystery , of princes, grandfather frost, of endless dark forests, wolves and magic, both good and evil, but both very real. She captivated me with stories of great hardship and suffering, but also great beauty and endless love.

It’s true she left out the worst bits – or at least she talked around them,

I envy her, that dark dry humour, like rye bread refreshingly honest. And despite great poverty she has filled my childhood and my imagination with sufficient cured meats, boiled cabbage, spicy soups, sugary cakes and deep-fried pastries to feed an entire army.

For me the Rodina is as real as the town where I live.

It’s true that she preferred the olden days - But to say that she misses the Soviet Union is not correct. She misses the 1970s, as do I, the innocence of childhood and the love that surrounded it. She misses a sense of community and looking out for each other more.

She does not miss the Union itself, but something that went with it.

Soyuz.

Increasingly I share her view.

It’s true she died before I was born – but death is no barrier for a Russian Babushka.

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Viktor Nikolai Gordonovich was born in the city of Bath in the early seventies to a very international family with military connections. His father in particular inspired his love of both writing and travel and his bookshop in Bath is the origin of most of Nikolai's adventures.

Nikolai has written a significant number of screen plays, comedies and novels over the years, some of which are now finished, including ones set in Germany where he lived for 5 years. He has worked briefly for both the BBC and ITV and won several awards for his student television work.

"Ataman - The Dog Prince" is his first novel for children, followed by "The Music Box"

and "The Bookseller" is his first novel for adults.

The "Cuckoo Series" is his series of detective novels set in 1970s Moscow and currently consists of:

- The Nightingale Concerto

- The Karelian Egg

- The Berlin Night Butterfly

- The Black Volga

- The Seven Sisters

- The Kharkov Girl

Other books

Nikolai speaks German & Russian as well as English. He lives with his wife and two dogs in Buckinghamshire.

Find out more at:

www.nikolaigordonovich.com