The personality of Anna Borisova has always been surrounded by the same mystery and mystification as her literature. As the writer herself said, she was forced to take a pseudonym, so as not to harm the work of her husband, who did not want the surname to "go into general circulation." Therefore, Anna Borisova took her middle name for the pseudonym. However, immediately after the release of her first book, "There ..." in 2008, rumors began to leak out about a man who was actually hiding under that name.
"Birth" of the writer
The biography of Anna Borisova is hidden by a secret behind seven seals. Even in her only interview, she answered questions via e-mail. To find out what the writer looks like, failed. True, Anna Borisova sent her photo to the post office, stating that her appearance was known only to her family and friends, adding that, they say, "this is enough." And the point here is not the uniqueness or fame of the name, but only the husband’s unwillingness to be heard. This could negatively affect his work. And she, like a loving wife, came up with a new surname, based on the name of her father. This is all official information.
However, all the secret once becomes apparent. Despite all the precautions that Anna Borisova resorted to, after the first book was published, rumors began to leak out immediately. And by the time the third book was released, the real name was officially announced. And this was done by none other than the "father" of the writer - Boris Akunin. More precisely, he himself is Anna Borisova. And her only photograph is the fruit of the “reunion” using the computer of the face of the writer and his wife.
Not Fandorin!
When you are such a famous and popular writer as Boris Akunin, you inevitably become a hostage to your own name. Fans are expecting from you not just detective stories, but to “be sure about Fandorin” and certainly “a literary-Akunin syllable”. And as much as possible and more ...
The famous fiction experimenter Akunin-Chkhartishvili, as an author who truly loves his heroes, did not want to turn Erast Petrovich and sister Pelagia (the series about the nun detective also became popular, though not as much as the saga about the detective with gray temples) in an endless series. The author began to create new projects: “Cinema Novel” (“Death at Brudershaft”), “Genres” (defining the genre of the book by its name: “Spy novel”, “Children's book”, “Fantasy”, “Quest” - a book, in which can be played as a computer game, “Family Saga”, etc.), “The Adventures of the Master” (books about the grandson of the famous Erast Petrovich), “History of the Russian state” (the popularity of this project has been gaining momentum recently). But, despite the fact that these books are re-read with pleasure many times, many readers render the verdict: “Not bad, but still it’s not Fandorin!”
And in fact...
The author decided to make a “knight's move” and created two authors - Anatoly Brusnikin and Anna Borisova, and then, when all the cards were revealed, combined them into the “Authors” project. And if “Brusnikin” writes his books in historical and adventure themes, then “Anna Borisova” creates books in a philosophical manner, on the subject of thoughts about life and death ...
Later in his LiveJournal, Boris Akunin joked that "a writer who does not dream of becoming a writer is uninteresting and boring." However, he approached this issue with all seriousness and did everything to ensure that the idea did not turn into some kind of parody. Changing the subject and style of writing, Chkhartishvili not only signed with a female name, but he thought over from scratch all the nuances of the character of the writer, with all the worries of her daily life. Clearly imagining a mature, wise woman, he deliberately decided that the husband should be well off, and the children should be adults - because she should not turn her literature into a means of earning in order to feed her family. Anna Borisova on the pages of her stories will reflect on life partly from boredom. So its creator decided.
Anna Borisova, “There ...”
In 2008 a book was published with a rather simple plot and an eloquent title - “There ...”. It all starts with the fact that a company of people not familiar with each other gathered in the airport bar, all of them all have one thing in common: instant death from an explosion caused by one of the visitors. However, we do not say goodbye to the characters on this: having crossed the threshold of life and death, everyone is where the soul appears, when the heart stops beating. As a result, the narrator tells us where each of the characters falls. Our heroes will be met by angels and demons, ordeals and the circle of Sansara, as well as Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky. It should only be noted that the characters will not walk this path all together, but each in its own dimension. The main intrigue of the novel is that one person from the aforementioned company remains alive ...
"Creative"
And now, after some time, the writer “publishes” her second book. The first one is connected only with the fact that mysticism also plays a key role here. A certain creature with the appearance of a person wanders through the streets of St. Petersburg, for one day talking with people from different social strata. Despite the small volume, the book has absorbed many life stories and is read, surprisingly, very easily.
Anna Borisova, Seasons (Vremena goda)
Before us is the biggest novel in the series. "Seasons" is the name of the French elite nursing home. Each of the inhabitants has a difficult fate. A connection is established between the main character, who has been in a coma for many years, and a young woman from Russia who has come for an internship. The plot focuses on the life of an elderly woman rich in personal and historical events through the perception of a young nurse, who herself has a congenital disease and is doomed to a quick death ...
The book is richly stocked with historical events and diluted with a light, slightly mystical spirit. According to Boris Akunin, the idea of ​​the novel arose after watching the film "The Suit and the Butterfly" (2007).
Literature is not for the masses
Summing up, we have to admit that the project called “Anna Borisova” (the books were described by us in the article) did not receive such popularity as Fandorin himself. But philosophical literature is not designed for the general reader, it is perceived by a person when he reaches adulthood, which, however, does not always correspond to the numbers in the passport. We can only pick up the next book of our beloved writer and once again make sure the versatility of the talent of its creator ...