Alexander Karasyov

Alexander Karasyov (Russian — Александр Владимирович Карасёв, transl. Alexandr Vladimirovich Karasev) is a Russian writer living in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Biography
Alexander Karasyov was born in Krasnodar, Russia, in 1971. He received degrees in history and law from the Kuban State University and worked as a mechanic, engineer, teacher, and legal advisor. He served in the army, taking part in the fights in Chechnya.

Since 2003 he has been published in literary journals. He was awarded the Bunin Prize (2008) and the Second O. Henry Prize "Dary Volhvov" (The Gift of the Magi) (New York, 2010). He is the author of the books "The Chechen Stories" (Chechenskye Rasskazy) and "Traitor" (Predatel').

Alexander Karasyov, like Arkady Babchenko and Zakhar Prilepin, is considered a representative of the Russian "New Realism" movement of the 21st century, continuing the tradition of the "lieutenant prose" of the 1960s and 1970s and military prose of the 1990s.

Books

 * Сhechen Stories (Russian — Чеченские рассказы, transl. Chechenskiye Rasskazy). — Moscow: Literary Russia, 2008. ISBN 978-5-7809-0114-3.
 * Traitor (Russian — Предатель, transl. Predatel'). — Ufa: Vagant, 2011. ISBN 978-5-9635-0344-7.

In his Chechen Stories and Traitor, which are regarded as examples of modern Russian War Prose, Alexander Karasyov gives insights into life in the Russian army during the Second Chechen War. Presenting a modern war and modern warfare, the author does not rely on second hand information but on his own experience. The short stories are often as tragicomical as the Russian army itself and show Karasyov's characters not only in the war but also in their lives outside the war in their civilian life, or their so-called "life in peace" (“мирная жизнь”).

Literary magazines
Alexander Karasyov's stories and essays have been published in the following Russian literary magazines: Novy mir (Новый мир), Oktyabr' (Октябрь), Friendship of Peoples (Дружба народов), Kontinent (Континент), Neva (Нева), Ural (Урал), Nash sovremennik (Наш cовремменик), Belskie prostory (Бельские просторы).

Summary in English

 * Friendship of Peoples (ALEXANDER KARASEV. Chechen Stories. The author knows what he is writing about not by hearsay and his short stories are as tragicomical as the army life itself in this Russian "hot spot").
 * Novy mir (Essays: Writers about writers. “Vonnegut's Transformations" by Vladimir Berezin, "An Orthodox Rebellious" by Oleg Yermakov about Paul Bowles, "The Testament of Lieutenant Kuprin” by Alexander Karasyov and "Reider's Usurpation of Days Gone By, and Legend Founded" by Sergey Soloukh about Jaroslav Hašek.)

Publications in anthologies

 * Современная литература народов России (Modern Literature of the Peoples of Russia) (2005). Moscow: Pik. ISBN 978-5-7358-0288-4
 * Народ мой — большая семья: Литература наших дней. (My People — A Big Family. Literature of Our Days) (2007). Moscow: Literaturnaya Rossiya. ISBN 978-5-7809-0111-2
 * Четыре шага от войны (Four Steps from War) (2010). Sankt Saint Petersburg: Limbus Press. ISBN 978-5-8370-0538-1
 * Дары волхвов 2.0 (The Gift of the Magi) (2012). New York.

Author
in English

in Russian
 * Alexander Karasyov in Новая литературная карта России (New literary map of Russia).

Publications

 * Журнальный зал (Society of Russian Literary Magazines).
 * Megalit (Eurasian Portal of Literary Magazines).
 * Сетевая словесность (Setevaya slovesnost').
 * Russian journal (Русский журнал).

Interviews (in Russian)

 * Нужна основательная встряска. (Interview with Andrej Rudalyov)
 * Критик — это как в армии замполит. (Interview with Zakhar Prilepin)
 * Армия дала мне самые острые эмоции. (Interview with Roman Senchin)
 * От объяснительной к рассказу. (Interview with Michail Boyko)