About me

Childhood and Family

The renowned Russian-Belarusian writer Denis Saven (later adopting the pseudonym DeniSaven) was born in Minsk, Belarus, on May 16, 1980. Denis’ father, Ivan Saven, was a professor who taught foreign literature at the Belarusian State University, and his mother was a history teacher at one of the schools in Minsk. The literary environment in his parents’ home undoubtedly left a lasting impression on the famous writer’s life.

From his memories:

“I will never forget those Sunday evenings when, as a tradition, my father’s colleagues and friends from the university would come to our house. Their conversations about life, stories of outstanding people, writers, and books. I listened to these conversations with great interest, absorbing everything like a sponge. It was then, from the adults’ conversations, that I first learned the names of such geniuses as Ernest Hemingway, Brodsky, and Dickens. I later devoured their great works under the covers with a flashlight until morning. Those are my happiest childhood memories.”

Education

In 1987, DeniSaven graduated from General Education School No. 31, a humanities-focused school in the center of Minsk. After school, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and enrolled in the Belarusian State University’s Faculty of Literary Studies. The talented student quickly caught the attention of his professors in the beginning of his third year and was invited to work as an assistant at the Department of Ancient Literature. However, by that time, Denis had already started to become disillusioned with his fundamental humanities education, so he left the university.

From his memories:

“It was a difficult step for me, and a great disappointment for my father. Even though he tried to hide his feelings, I knew for sure. However, I am very grateful to my parents for supporting me in my first responsible decision. During that period, I realized that it was my first adult act. Many years later, I can say with certainty that it was the right step. If I could go back, I would do the same thing. It gave me an important push that had an impact on my creative work.”

Beginning of the Creative Journey

From 1991 to 1993, DeniSaven served in the army in the land forces. The exact location is unknown, but according to rumors, his unit was stationed in the Gomel region. It was during this period that the young writer started his writing career. Inspired by the military routine, he wrote his first collection of stories called “Quiet Night,” followed by the collection of essays “Dubrava,” which brought him his first recognition.

After serving for 2 years in the army, DeniSaven moved to Moscow at the invitation of a friend.

Period in Moscow

Having moved to Moscow in 1995 with no money or connections, DeniSaven took on any job he could find: waiter in a restaurant, warehouse worker in a store – he had to take whatever was offered in order to survive. In his free time, the writer continued to work on his new novel “On the Way Home.” The novel became an outlet and a confession for the writer, as the first years of his life in Moscow were a true test of his spirit.

In 1997, at one of the literary gatherings, DeniSaven met editor Mikhail Beloborodov, who, together with literary critic Petr Samsonov, established their own publishing house, “Preambula,” in 1998. For the new publishing house, Saven translated and prepared “The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club” and later “Oliver Twist” by the English classic Charles Dickens. Denis developed strong friendships and professional relationships with Beloborodov and Samsonov, which later greatly helped the career of the aspiring writer.

From 1997 to 2000, Saven worked as a staff correspondent for the magazines “Zerkalo” and “Vzglyad.” In 1997, his story “Double-Edged” was published in “Zerkalo,” marking his literary debut. In 1999, “Vzglyad” published six of his stories, including “At the Dacha” and “The Life of Ivan Borisych.”

Finally, in 2000, luck truly smiled upon DeniSaven. His novel “On the Way Home” landed in the hands of the renowned literary critic Boris Kaverzny, who liked the novel so much that he showed it to the chief editor of the largest publishing house, “Enlighteners.” After a few months, the novel was published in a small edition, which quickly sold out. In 2001, a large edition of “On the Way Home” was released, and in 2005, the novel made it to the top 5 best-selling books in Russia in the 2000s and became a cult classic.

“The Golden Period”

From 2004 to 2014, there was the so-called “golden period” of DeniSaven’s creativity. The author created and published his best works during this time, including “The Lozgunov Family,” “The Abandoned Generation,” “Fedka,” “The House of the Insane,” and several others.

In 2004, Saven was accepted into the Union of Journalists of Russia.

In 2005, his first collection of short stories, “Traffic Light,” was initially unnoticed by critics, but three years later, it won him the Minor Booker Prize.

In 2007, his work “The Big Lie” made it to the shortlist of the national literary prize “The Big Book.”

In 2009, the book “And the Sun Rose” received the “E-Book” award in the category of “Prose of the Year.”

For the collection of essays “My City,” the writer received the Apollo Grigoriev Prize in 2011.

Depression and Creative Crisis

Since 2014, Denis’s life has entered a dark period. A series of difficult events led him into a prolonged state of depression that lasted for several years. His wife died in a car accident, and a year later, after a prolonged illness, his father, with whom the writer had maintained a warm relationship throughout his life, passed away. From 2015 to 2017, not a single work was created. During this period, the writer experienced a creative crisis.

From his memoirs:

“Previously, I often heard that during depression, it is even difficult for a person to get out of bed. I never thought that I would feel this phrase myself. Those were the darkest days of my life, during which I didn’t leave my apartment for weeks. The deaths of close loved ones had a profound impact on me. Many writers’ personal tragedies translate into bursts of creativity and their best works, but I fell into such a depression that I didn’t even have the thought of sitting down to write a book. The fact that I managed to return to a normal life is thanks to my close friends and good specialists.

Travel and Emigration

After emerging from a long period of depression, DeniSaven decided to leave Russia. He first embarked on a long journey through Asia, living on Samui Island for almost a year. He visited Singapore, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

In Nepal, Aven lived for a whole two years, from 2019 to 2021. The culture and religion of this country captivated the writer so much that in 2021, DeniSaven embraced Buddhism there.

During this period, the writer experienced a creative resurgence. It was in Nepal in 2020 that the author wrote his cult novel “Sunset.” The book is considered autobiographical, as the author was able to express his state during the crisis and depression within its pages. The novel was well received by critics and the public, becoming a bestseller and entering the top 10 bestselling books of the year in 2022.

Since 2023, Aven has moved to Berlin, where he currently resides.