Background
Zharkovskiy was born on April 29, 1968 in Volzhskiy (Volgograd region), Russia.
Zharkovskiy was born on April 29, 1968 in Volzhskiy (Volgograd region), Russia.
The writer's first published work is a short story "Mirror", published in 1983 in Volgograd regional newspaper "Neftyanik" ("Oil Worker"). In 1990 he wrote a story "The Night After An Exhausting Day" (also known as "Waiting for the Beast, or the Year 1988"). Zharkovskiy wrote two novels under the pen name S. Antonov (one of them - in collaboration with Andrey Shiryaev). "Me The Hobo" has been cited among 20 best Russian fiction books published from 1987 to 2007.
His books often have unconventional language, ideas and style, they've been often called "too quirky to become bestsellers".
Quotations: "No matter how unlikely a certain event may be, it will happen if enough people believe it to be a potential catastrophe. The universal wisdom 'you shall have what you're afraid of" takes effect directly." (quoted from "Me The Hobo")
Zharkovskiy's LiveJournal is as unconventional as his books, with lots of allusions, word play and roundabout cynicism. Lately he's decided not to update it anymore.