Nikolay Viktorovich Svechin (real name: Nikolay Viktorovich Inkin; born in Gorky) is a Nizhny Novgorod writer working in the genre of historical detective fiction. He has published under the pen name Nikolay Svechin since 2005.[1]

Biography and Path to Literature

Inkin graduated from Lobachevsky University. From 1981 he worked as a production scheduler at a factory, then as an instructor at the city executive committee; alongside this, he developed a passion for local history. In 1991, as the country transitioned to a market economy, he moved into business, working for several banks and financial companies.[1]

He wrote his first novella, "Zaveshchaniye Avvakuma" ("Avvakum's Testament"), in 2001, during a period of forced unemployment. For a long time the text existed only as a manuscript read by the author's friends. The Nizhny Novgorod publishing house Litera agreed to publish the book, providing editorial work free of charge; the printing costs were covered by the author's twin brother, Alexander Inkin. The first book, combining the novellas "Avvakum's Testament" and "Okhota na tsarya" ("Hunting the Tsar"), was published in Nizhny Novgorod in 2005 in a print run of 2,000 copies, with illustrations by Elena Konstantinova. The publication initially went unnoticed in the wider press and among the "cultural establishment."[1]

The turning point came at the end of 2006, when Nizhny Novgorod bookseller Ivan Besedin took notice of the series. That same year, Besedin brought Svechin's books to the autumn book fair in Moscow, where the publishing house Eksmo showed unexpected interest in the provincial author; in 2007, contracts were signed for the sale of the rights to the first two books in the series.[2] By 2012, three novellas and a short story collection had appeared with several publishers, with a combined print run of more than 36,000 copies. By the time the novel "Uzel" ("The Knot") was published in 2018, the series "Detective Alexey Lykov and His Friends" comprised 21 books about Lykov.[2][1]

Recognition and Awards

In 2020, Nikolay Inkin received the "TOP 50. The Most Famous People of Nizhny Novgorod" award from Sobaka.ru magazine, and also became the first laureate of the All-Russian Police Association's award in the field of literature.[1]

In 2021, he won the "Russkiy Detektiv" ("Russian Detective") prize in two categories simultaneously: his novel "Vzaperti" ("Locked Up") was named the best in the "Detective of the Year" category, and the author himself received the title of "Author of the Year" for "Kubanskiy ogon" ("Kuban Fire") (2020).[1]

In 2024, Svechin won the same prize in the "Historical and Military-Historical Detective" category (novel "V otsutstviye nachalstva" — "In the Absence of Management") and was a finalist in the "Documentary Detective" category (book "Ural'skoye ekho" — "Ural Echo"). Also in 2024, the publishing house Eksmo released his novel "Ledyanoy veter Suomi" ("The Icy Wind of Suomi"), another entry in the series "Nikolay Svechin's Historical Detectives," set in Finland in August 1913.[3][1]

Family

He is married; his wife Tatyana is a child psychologist. They have two sons — Alexey and Alexander.[1]

Channel One acquired the rights to all the books about detective Lykov, including those yet to be written; screenplays were in development based on the novels "Avvakum's Testament," "Mezhdu Amurom i Nevoy" ("Between the Amur and the Neva"), and "Pulya s Kavkaza" ("A Bullet from the Caucasus"). Filming of the series was planned in Nizhny Novgorod under director Oleg Pogodin.[4]

Sources

  1. svechin.ru — About the Author — Nikolay Svechin
  2. rus.delfi.lv — Nikolay Svechin. Uzel — In 2006, Nizhny Novgorod bookseller Ivan Besedin brought Svechin's books to the autumn book fair in Moscow, where the publishing house Eksmo showed unexpected interest in the provincial…
  3. cbs-inta.ru — Svechin Nikolay Viktorovich. Ledyanoy veter Suomi [16+] — Centralized Library System of the City of Inta — In 2024, the publishing house Eksmo released the novel "Ledyanoy veter Suomi"…
  4. dubanovadasha1991.wixsite.com — Book trailer for Svechin's books — Mysite 1 — Channel One acquired the rights to all the books about detective Lykov, including those yet to be written; screenplays were in development based on the novels "Avvakum's Testament," "Between the Amur and the Neva," and…