Background
Sergei Vinogradov was born in Kurgan, Kurgan Oblast, Russian SFSR in 1958. In 1960, however, he moved to Moscow with his family as his father was promoted to a new position there.
Sergei Vinogradov was born in Kurgan, Kurgan Oblast, Russian SFSR in 1958. In 1960, however, he moved to Moscow with his family as his father was promoted to a new position there.
He attended school from 1965 to 1975 and was involved in school bands during his senior years (playing the guitar). From 1975 to 1980, Sergey Vinogradov studied international journalism at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
He worked for the United Nations from 1986 until his death. Upon graduation, he received a job at the International Life (Mezhdunarodnaya Zhizn) magazine. Apart from writing articles for the magazine, Vinogradov also wrote short stories which remained unpublished, however (partially due to their critical tone towards the Soviet authorities).
In 1985, he was able to get enrolled in the United Nations translation courses.
Upon completion, he passed the final exams and became a United Nations translator in New York City. Soon after his arrival to New York City, he was nearly killed in a car accident (as a passenger).
However, upon his recovery, he resumed his work as a translator. In 1997, he briefly returned to Moscow to work for the local United Nations Information Center.
In December 1997, he came back to New New York
In 1999, he became an Information Officer for the UNMIK and lived in Pristina for three years. In 2002, he moved to the United Nations Office at Geneva, where he once again became a translator (translating from English to Russian). During his tenure at the United Nations, Sergey Vinogradov continued writing short stories and also started writing longer novels.
One of the novels, Sealed-up Hell (Запломбированный Ад), along with several short stories, was published in 2006.
He wrote another novel, Heavenly Seedlings (Райская Рассада), but it remained unpublished. He began working on a third novel, provisionally titled A History of Time Travel, but it remained unfinished.
In June 2010, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and began a course of chemotherapy, which was ultimately unsuccessfully, as the cancer had metastasized to his liver. He died on December 16, 2010 in Carouge, Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1990, he was transferred to the Department of Political and Security Council Affairs as a Political Affairs Officer and in 1991 began writing for the United Nations Chronicle (as a member of the Department of Public Information).