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Andrei Valentinovich Shmal'ko [Andrei Valentinov] , b. 1958

Andrei Valentinov is a penname of Andrei Valentinovich Shmal'ko, a Ukrainian Russian-speaking writer for young adults, historian (Ancient Greece and Rome) and archeologist, PhD (History; thesis title Roman Policy in the Southern Black Sea Region in the 1st Century BC), Senior Lecturer of Kharkiv State University. For many years Valentinov participated in excavations of Chersonesus, an ancient Greek colony founded in the 7th century B.C. in the south-western part of the Crimean Peninsula. (This experience is reflected in his autobiographical novel Canis Major [Созвездье пса, 2002]). 

Valentinov wrote several novels in co-authorship with Henry Lion Oldie (Oleg Gromov and Dmitry Ladyzhensky, for biographies see the entry A Hero Must Be Alone). 

The main genre of Valentinov’s novels is alternative history, specifically, fictional (alternative) versions of historical events with strong element of fantastic and supernatural. Examples are The Eye of Power ([Око силы, 1996–2011], fictional history of 20th century Russia), The Angel of Spartacus ([Ангел Спартака, 2006], fictional history of late Republican and early Imperial Rome), A Cleric of Auvergne ([Овернский клирик, 1997], France, the 12th century) and Triumphant Heavens ([Небеса ликуют, 2000], Italy and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the 17th century). 

All his novels are characterized by elaborate presentation of relevant historical background, including culture-specific elements of day-to-day reality. The idea of cultural relativity lies in the very structure of Valentinov’s world. According to Valentinov’s fantastic cosmology, adopted also by H. L. Oldie and fully explained in their coauthored novel We Have No Other Place to Live [Нам здесь жить, 1999], the Universe is discrete – it consists of mutually isolated nomoi, the inhabitants of each of which see the world in their own way. For example, for ancient Greeks centaurs were real, but we would see the same creatures as men riding their horses.

The reading of Valentinov’s novels can be considered both as entertainment and as educational activity for young adults. It is telling that in his fan-club in the Internet one can find discussions on serious historical problems, betraying rather broad and profound erudition of participants. 


Sources: 

Profile at the fantlab.ru (accessed: February 16, 2018).

Profile at the odrozd.narod.ru (accessed: February 16, 2018).

Profile at the Wikipedia website (accessed: February 16, 2018).

Valentinov-uk.livejournal.com (accessed: February 16, 2018).

Rusfforum.org (accessed: February 16, 2018).

Profile at the Vk.com (accessed: February 16, 2018).

 


Bio prepared by Zoia Barzakh, Bar-Ilan University, zoia_barzakh@mail.ru

Records in database:

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Male portrait

Andrei Valentinovich Shmal'ko [Andrei Valentinov]

Andrei Valentinov is a penname of Andrei Valentinovich Shmal'ko, a Ukrainian Russian-speaking writer for young adults, historian (Ancient Greece and Rome) and archeologist, PhD (History; thesis title Roman Policy in the Southern Black Sea Region in the 1st Century BC), Senior Lecturer of Kharkiv State University. For many years Valentinov participated in excavations of Chersonesus, an ancient Greek colony founded in the 7th century B.C. in the south-western part of the Crimean Peninsula. (This experience is reflected in his autobiographical novel Canis Major [Созвездье пса, 2002]). 

Valentinov wrote several novels in co-authorship with Henry Lion Oldie (Oleg Gromov and Dmitry Ladyzhensky, for biographies see the entry A Hero Must Be Alone). 

The main genre of Valentinov’s novels is alternative history, specifically, fictional (alternative) versions of historical events with strong element of fantastic and supernatural. Examples are The Eye of Power ([Око силы, 1996–2011], fictional history of 20th century Russia), The Angel of Spartacus ([Ангел Спартака, 2006], fictional history of late Republican and early Imperial Rome), A Cleric of Auvergne ([Овернский клирик, 1997], France, the 12th century) and Triumphant Heavens ([Небеса ликуют, 2000], Italy and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the 17th century). 

All his novels are characterized by elaborate presentation of relevant historical background, including culture-specific elements of day-to-day reality. The idea of cultural relativity lies in the very structure of Valentinov’s world. According to Valentinov’s fantastic cosmology, adopted also by H. L. Oldie and fully explained in their coauthored novel We Have No Other Place to Live [Нам здесь жить, 1999], the Universe is discrete – it consists of mutually isolated nomoi, the inhabitants of each of which see the world in their own way. For example, for ancient Greeks centaurs were real, but we would see the same creatures as men riding their horses.

The reading of Valentinov’s novels can be considered both as entertainment and as educational activity for young adults. It is telling that in his fan-club in the Internet one can find discussions on serious historical problems, betraying rather broad and profound erudition of participants. 


Sources: 

Profile at the fantlab.ru (accessed: February 16, 2018).

Profile at the odrozd.narod.ru (accessed: February 16, 2018).

Profile at the Wikipedia website (accessed: February 16, 2018).

Valentinov-uk.livejournal.com (accessed: February 16, 2018).

Rusfforum.org (accessed: February 16, 2018).

Profile at the Vk.com (accessed: February 16, 2018).

 


Bio prepared by Zoia Barzakh, Bar-Ilan University, zoia_barzakh@mail.ru

Records in database:

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