Alexander Markin was born in Moscow in 1974, where he studied literature and linguistics. He then appeared as a writer, translator (of Thomas Bernhard, Alfred Döblin, Theodor Lessing) and literary critic. He has lived in Zurich since 2004 and is currently a lecturer at the University of Zurich and the Zurich University of the Arts. In addition to his comparative and literary-critical articles, he writes diaries, which have already been published in three volumes and have won several awards. Most recently, his essays on Russia were published in the anthology “Im Krieg. Ukraine. Belarus. Russland” (ed. by Gleb Albert, Brigitta Bernet, Svenja Goltermann et al.).