The Russian government has added novelist, essayist, and translator Boris Akunin to its list of terrorists and opened a criminal case against him, the Associated Press reports.
Akunin, whose real name is Grigory Chkhartishvil, is charged with “discrediting the army” of Russia and is now on the register of “extremists” maintained by Rosfinmonitoring, the country’s federal financial intelligence service.
Akunin was born and raised in Russia and now lives in London. He is the author of more than 25 historical mystery novels, many featuring Erast Fandorin, a Russian detective in the late 19th century, and Nicholas Fandorin, Erast’s grandson. Akunin’s books include Murder on the Leviathan, The Death of Achilles, and The State Counsellor, all translated by Andrew Bromfield. Kirkus recently named him one of “13 Mystery Writers Who Are Transforming the Genre.”
He has been a frequent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s war against Ukraine. Earlier this month, the large Russian publisher AST announced that because of his opposition to the war it would no longer print or sell his books.
The Guardian reports that Akunin posted his reaction to the charge on his website: “A seemingly minor event, the banning of books, the declaration of some writer as a terrorist, is actually an important milestone. Books have not been banned in Russia since Soviet times. Writers have not been accused of terrorism since the Great Terror. This is not a bad dream, this is happening to Russia in reality.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
