Aleksandr Skorobogatov

(Belarus, 1963) lives and works since the nineties in Antwerp. He studied in Minsk, Paris and Moscow. At 18, he decided to devote himself fully to writing; however, in the late Soviet era, Belarus had only one (state) publishing house and one literary magazine. The editor informed him that his texts were too "different," ideologically unacceptable and politically incorrect. His high-profile debut novel Sergeant Bertrand (1991) has since become a classic and reached millions of readers worldwide. In addition to stories, essays, a play, and more texts, Skorobogatov has published six novels: the already mentioned Sergeant Bertrand (two versions, 1991 and 2004), Audiëntie bij de vorst (Audience with the Monarch, 1994), Aarde zonder water (Earth Without Water; 2002), Cocaïne (2017), Portret van een onbekend meisje (Portrait of an Unknown Girl, 2015) and De wasbeer (The Raccoon, 2020).