Andrey Valentinov and his work

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Who doesn't love secret stories? Surely every person is attracted by mystery and intrigue. Especially when it comes to historical facts. The books of the writer Andrey Valentinov reflect the real history of mankind, in which magical powers, mighty warriors and incredible assumptions are ornately woven.

Childhood and school

Andrey Valentinovich Shmalko (Andrey Valentinov is the creative pseudonym of the writer) was born on March 18, 1958 in the city of Kharkov, in a family of teachers. At the age of 7 he went to school. According to the author, he decided that he would not be different at school - he would be neither the last nor the first. He attended a rocket modeling club at the Palace of Pioneers, was fond of swimming and skiing. He loved literature and chemistry. Andrei wrote his first composition in the fourth grade, in the eighth he wrote a fantasy novel. He wrote poems that his few readers liked.

The teacher of literature, noticing a literary talent in the boy, advised Andrei to enter the Faculty of Philology. But a special place was occupied by history. He dreamed of going on an archaeological expedition. Once, during a vacation in the Crimea, Andrey Valentinov caughtexpedition to Chersonese. I went and looked at how archaeologists work. And in the soul of a teenager a dream arose - to get into a real expedition. And so the goal was outlined - to study historical or archaeological.

Student years

Immediately after school, he enters Kharkov University. In the first year I chose the Department of the Ancient World and Archeology. The topic of the course work was Ancient Rome. After the first course, he went on an expedition to the city of Zmiev, where in 1180 Prince Igor founded several settlements. After 2 years, also not far from Kharkov, they dug the burial mounds of the Royal Scythians. After the 3rd year, the museum practice began. From the outside, this may seem like a rather boring activity, but in fact, the students went on expeditions.

It was interesting to study, great teachers advised their students to read literature in German and English, Spanish and Italian. And after graduation, students inexplicably "acquired" the ability to languages. In one of the interviews, the writer Andrey Valentinov said that he was very lucky to learn from talented teachers. They knew their business down to the finer points, truly loved it and taught it to their students.

In 1980, Andrei graduated from the university with honors and, according to the distribution, went to the first job in his life - to school. As the author recalls, he "lasted" there only a year and a half and decided to study further. And in January 1982, the writer Andrei Valentinov was already in graduate school. He again plunged into science, and the years spent in graduate school,remembered him as the most interesting in life. In 1985 he defended his PhD, after which he taught at the Institute of Arts.

The beginning of the creative path

Wrote stories and poems in his spare time. Of the written light, only one story saw the light - "The Resurrection of Latunin." Despite the circumstances, Andrei was on the expedition every year, kept diaries and compiled reports, which formed the basis of the books “Constellation of the Dog” and “Sphere”. There was enough material for a number of scientific articles. In 1991, Valentinov wrote the novel Phlegeton, in 1992 - The Eye of Power. In 1995, the novel "Criminals" was published.

Within two years (1996-1997), almost all of the author's books that had lain for many years in the desk were published. Andrey Valentinov says that from that moment the real writing life began. He attends conventions, receives literary awards, among which he most appreciates "Start" - an award for the Eye of Power trilogy.

The work of Andrey Valentinov

The writer, explaining the term "cryptohistory", says that he did not actually create a new genre or method. And didn't try. He does not argue with history, but clarifies how everything happened, and follows logic and fantasy, since it is full of "blank spots". A wonderful historian, he surprises the reader with unusual facts of the past, throws up incredible assumptions and facts.

But Andrey Valentinov's books are good not only for cunning and intricate intrigues. Unusual images of real historical figures, conspiracy theories, many secrets draw readers in. The author raises the difficult problems of man. Mysticism and history are so intertwined that it is rather difficult to understand. The plots of the novels are woven into intricate patterns, replete with "delicious" episodes and captivate the reader.

The Eye of Power Cycle

In a stunning, seemingly fantastic epic, the 20th century is reimagined. The events of the novel frighten with their realism, make you think: “Perhaps the author is right? Perhaps the madness that gripped the people during the Civil War and Stalin's repressions lies not only in sociological problems? Maybe there really was an experiment on a whole people? This monumental cycle is a secret, hidden history of the 20th century: 1920 - class struggle and revolution, 1937 - death reigning in the country, 1991 - tragic events near the walls of the White House, 1923 - the Leader's illness and the expectation of change.

Spartacus cycle

Almost documentary, the first book "Spartacus" evenly and dispassionately reveals historical facts to the reader. And it makes it possible to “feel” every statement of the author. History is full of speculation. In the second book of the "Angel of Spartacus" cycle, it develops into a fascinating plot. The author leads the reader from episode to episode of the biography of the protagonist, and involuntarily admires the leader of the slaves.

The Mycenaean cycle conveys the mystery and beauty of Ancient Greece. The heroes of myths and fairy tales appear before the reader as people with a fate that they did not want. But they were able to resist it. The cycle "Oriya" will tell about the bloodystruggle in the era of the Great Migration of Nations. Andrey Valentinov's books are a great example of historical fiction, thickly mixed with real events.