Andrei Kurkov, born in St. Petersburg in 1961, lived in Kiev since childhood and writes in Russian. He studied foreign languages, was a newspaper editor and a prison guard during his military service. Afterwards he wrote numerous screenplays. Since his novel 'Picnic on Ice', he is considered one of the most important contemporary Ukrainian authors. His work is published in 42 languages. Kurkov lives as a freelance writer with his family in Ukraine. / "Samson und Nadjeschda"
