Hi.

Welcome to the English part of my personal website. 

My name is Konstantin Asimonov, and I write books. I started my first novel during Covid, liked it, and since then I have been trying to write more. In 2022, I’ve decided to gradually transition from Russian to English. I began by translating some of the already-written short stories and novels. Now, I am writing in English as well. 

My first novel is called “Black Tower of Ostkreuz,” and it is a post-apocalyptic horror-fantasy taking place in modern Berlin. It is quite fun and fast-paced. You can fully read it in Russian here. I have translated it to English, and am currently looking for representation.

My second novel is called “A Grain of Salt,” and it is about scientific discovery, academic life and ghosts. I have translated it to English and am currently looking for representation.

My third novel is currently being written. 

I was born in Russia, lived most of my life in Israel, and a few years ago moved to Europe. I am a chemist by profession, phlegmatic by temperament, and generally quite boring in real life. I enjoy books by Karel Čapek, movies by the Coen brothers, and silence instead of music. 

I love dogs, but not exclusively. 

If you would like to contact me, you can use the comment section below, my substack Tap Water Sommelier, or the email me(strudel)asimonov.me. If you are a literary agent or an editor, please use the third option.

navigation & Useful links

English:

Substack:

                   Tap Water Sommelier

Publications:

                    The Old Testament: A Review, The Republic of Letters, Sep 15, 2025

                    This Writer Is Not Underestimated, The Republic of Letters, Oct 14, 2025

Anthologies:

                      Forbidden Fruit (The Curious Post, Band 1) 

Short stories:

                     Fowl, a story about flying in an anti-utopian pseudo-Soviet society

                     Canadian Spy, an absurdist memoir

                     Check and…, a story of two desperate people stranded on a desert island

                     Concerto for Elevator and Orchestra, a multi-voice retelling fo a tragedy

                     Mathematics, a story of calculations and love

                     Paradigms of Choice, a satirical view of democratic systems

Translations and essays:

                  The Great Russian Novel, an annotated list of my candidates for the title

                How to address a Russian: a comprehensive guide, if you ever got lsot in Russian names, read this

                The unluckiest sci-fi writer in history, a harrowing story of Alexander Belyaev

                 24 More Tales of Hodja Nasreddin, a collection of famous trickster tales that I translated from an obscure book

                  For You, Descendants, a collection of short notes from a journal of Anatoly Mariengof, a Soviet writer

                  The desperate madness of Daniil Kharms, my summary of the biography of Daniil Kharms, one of the most famous Soviet absurdist poets and writers, with translations of several of his shorter humorous vignettes

                    Letters to the Roman Friend, my full-rhyme, full-rhythm translation of one of Joseph Brodsky’s most famous poems

Russian:

Black Tower of Ostkreuz (novel)

Short stories