Arkady Strugatsky (1925–1991) and Boris Strugatsky (1933–2012) are Russia's most acclaimed and popular science-fiction writers. Their unique style – at once hilarious and pitch black – encompassed a remarkable variety of different genres: from space opera to alien invasion, from locked-room mystery to dystopian apocalypse. While their initial output was uncritical of Soviet life, over time their work became much more subversive – science fiction being the perfect vehicle to hide their critiques from censors. In 1981 they shared the Aelita Award, Russia's most prestigious science-fiction prize. Arkady Strugatsky (1925–1991) and Boris Strugatsky (1933–2012) are Russia's most acclaimed and popular science-fiction writers. Their unique style – at once hilarious and pitch black – encompassed a remarkable variety of different genres: from space opera to alien invasion, from locked-room mystery to dystopian apocalypse. While their initial output was uncritical of Soviet life, over time their work became much more subversive – science fiction being the perfect vehicle to hide their critiques from censors. In 1981 they shared the Aelita Award, Russia's most prestigious science-fiction prize.

One of the Strugatsky brothers is descended from Gogol and the other from Chekhov, but nobody is sure which is which ... A beautiful book