Aleksej Salnikov

Alexei Salnikov (born 1978, in Tartu, Estonia) is a prominent  writer, poet, and literary critic. He grew up in Sverdlovsk region and has lived in Yekaterinburg since 2005.

Salnikov started his literary career as a poet, with his works published in renowned journals like Literary Gazette and Ural. His poetry blends absurdism, dark humor, and surrealism. His first poetry collection, Anthology of Contemporary Ural Poetry (2003), was followed by others like Poems (2004) and Snowman’s Diary (2013).

His transition to prose brought greater recognition. His debut novel Nizhny Tagil (2011) explored absurdism with a touch of magical realism. His subsequent works, such as The Department (2015), Petrovs in the Flu and Around It (2016), Indirectly (2018), and Occulttreger (2022), further solidified his reputation. Petrovs in the Flu and Around It won the National Bestseller Prize in 2018 and was adapted into a critically acclaimed film.

Salnikov’s writing is known for its exploration of absurdity, grotesque, and surreal themes, drawing comparisons to authors like Andrei Platonov and Daniil Kharms. He continues to be a significant figure in Russian literature.