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Nikolay Kononov

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Nikolay Kononov
Kononov in 2021
Born (1980-08-24) August 24, 1980 (age 44)
Moscow, USSR
NationalityRussian
Alma materMoscow State University
Occupation(s)writer, journalist

Nikolay Kononov (Russian: Никола́й Ви́кторович Ко́нонов, 24 August 1980, Moscow) is a Russian writer and journalist. He served as editor-in-chief of The Firm's Secret (2014–2017) and its editorial director until 2018. He is the author of four books: Deux Sine Machina: Stories of 20 crazy persons who made business in Russia from scratch (2011), Durov's Code. The real story of the social network "VKontakte" and its Creator (2012), The Uprising (2019), and The Night We Disappeared (2022).

Biography

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Media career

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Nikolay Kononov graduated in 2002 from the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University, specializing in literary and art criticism. He also studied political philosophy in a joint program of Shaninka and the University of Manchester.[1][2]

He began his journalism career with newspapers Izvestia and Stolichnaya Vechernyaya, then served as a senior reporter of Expert (2004–2005). In 2005, Kononov joined Forbes Russia as a columnist and editor. Between 2010 and 2011, he worked as a senior editor at Slon.ru, and later returned to Forbes to launch its digital platform, Forbes.ru. His reporting included profiles of outstanding entrepreneurs and investigative journalism, covering topics such as oligarchs' ties to the Kremlin,[3][4] coal mine explosions in Kuzbass, the future of Siberia's oil industry,[5] etc.

From 2012 to 2015, Kononov was editor-in-chief of Hopes&Fears, a daily online publication focused on young entrepreneurs. After its merger with The Village, he became editorial director at Look At Media. In 2013, he published a op-ed titled "The Shiver" in Seans magazine, addressing Moscow's anti-Putin protests.[6] In 2014, he also taught writing workshops.[2][7][1][8]

In 2015, Kononov joined The Firm's Secret as editor-in-chief along with several former colleagues from Hopes&Fears.[9] His departure from Look At Media was influenced by management decisions, including merging Hopes&Fears with The Village and closing popular business projects that had attracted 800,000 monthly unique visitors.[9][10][11] By 2017, financial difficulties led to staff cuts at The Firm's Secret, though Kononov remained as editorial director until late 2018, after which he pursued independent projects and teaching journalism and literature.[12][13]

In 2019, Kononov relocated to Berlin with his family, where he pursued writing full-time.[14] From 2022 until autumn 2023, he served as editor-in-chief of Teplitsa Social Technologies (Greenhouse of Social Technologies), expanding its coverage to political and art activism.[15] In April 2023, the NGO was designated a foreign agent by Russian authorities, listing Kononov among affiliated individuals.[16][17]

Kononov has contributed to The New York Times,[18] Colta.ru,[19] Republic.ru, Quartz,[20] and written about the Russo-Ukrainian war for Neue Zürcher Zeitung[21] and Le Temps.[22] He headed the Trigger project at Deutsche Welle's Russian Service, analyzing global political trends,[23] and lectured at Jan Michalski Foundation[23] and the literary project Order of Words.[20]

Literary career

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Nikolay Kononov published his first short story, Specificus and Dieffenbach, in 2003 under the pseudonym Grigory Mikhailov, appearing in the almanac Babylon [ru].[24] His second story, Islands, Dreams, opened the March 2009 issue of Text Only literary magazine.[25]

In 2011, he published his first book Deux Sine Machina: The Stories of 20 Crazy persons who Built Business from Scratch in Russia.[26] The following year, he published Durov’s Code. The Real Story of the Social Network VKontakte and Its Creator. In March 2014, the New York Times featured Kononov's op-ed reviewing the developments surrounding Pavel Durov and his social network VKontakte.[27]

Film adaptation rights to Durov’s Code were acquired by Alexander Rodnyansky's AR Films in 2012, but the initially planned 2014 premiere was postponed.[28][29][30] In 2021, Non-Stop Production and Okko announced plans to adapt the book.[31]

In 2017, Kononov published his third book, Author, Scissors, Paper: How to Write Impressive Texts Quickly. 14 Lessons, a practical guide on writing techniques, primarily for novice journalists.[32] In 2021, he released I am Editor: A Desk Book for Everyone Working in Media, a manual for online media editors.[33]

Kononov's debut novel, The Uprising was published in 2019. It's based on personal and archival documents, exploring the 1953 prisoner revolt at the Norilsk labor camp and the role played by Sergei Solovyov [ru].[34][35] The Uprising as later translated into French and published in Switzerland[36] (La Révolte).[37]

His second novel, The Night We Disappeared, was published in 2022 by Individuum [ru]. The story delves into the experiences of displaced people during World War II and the fate of stateless individuals. Although Kononov mentioned that he had written the book long before the Russian invasion of Ukraine,[14] the publisher faced threats and criticism due to Kononov's political positions.[38][39]

In 2025, Kononov's short story The Fugitive appeared in an anti-war anthology Nein! published by the Hamburg-based Rowohlt Verlag.[40]

Awards

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Journalism awards
  • 2017 — independent journalist award Redkollegia for a best story in Russian for multimedia longread Archipelago FSIN: How does Russian prison system work.[41]
  • 2014 — Piatigorsky Philosophical Prize, nomination.[42]
  • 2015 — "Journalist of the Year" in the GQ Man of the Year 2015 award[43]
  • 2015 — PwC media rating among the best in the "Online Media" category.[44]
  • 2022 — scholarship from the Berlin Senate Department of Culture as a foreign author.[2]
Literary awards
  • 2012 — NOS Award, shortlist, Deux Sine Machina: The Stories of 20 Crazy Persons Who Made Business in Russia From Scratch.[45]
  • 2013 — the Runet Prize, shortlist, The Durov's Code[46]
  • 2020 — NOS Award, shortlist, The Uprising[47][48]

At various times, his works have been longlisted for awards such as the National Bestseller (2014, 2019), Yasnaya Polyana (2019), Big Book (2019), and NOS (2014).

Books

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  • Kononov, Nikolay V. (2011). Бог без машины: Истории 20 сумасшедших, сделавших в России бизнес с нуля [Deux Sine Machina: The Stories of 20 Crazy persons Who Made Business in Russia From Scratch] (in Russian). Moscow: Alpina Business Books. p. 231. ISBN 978-5-904522-96-4. Archived from the original on 2013-04-16.
  • Kononov, Nikolay V. (2012). Код Дурова. Реальная история соцсети "ВКонтакте" и её создателя [Durov’s Code. The Real Story of the Social Network "VKontakte" and its Creator] (in Russian). Moscow: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber. pp. 208. ISBN 978-5-91657-546-0.
  • Kononov, Nikolay V. (2017). Автор, ножницы, бумага. Как быстро писать впечатляющие тексты. 14 уроков [Author, scissors, paper. How to write impressive texts quickly. 14 lessons] (in Russian). Moscow: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber. p. 272. ISBN 978-5-00100-651-0.
  • Kononov, Nikolay V. (2019). Восстание. Документальный роман [The Uprising. Documentary novel] (in Russian). Moscow: New Publishing House. p. 310. ISBN 978-5-98379-233-3.
  • Kononov, Nikolay V. (2022). Ночь, когда мы исчезли [The Night We Disappeared] (in Russian). Moscow: Individuum Books. p. 432. ISBN 978-5-6048006-4-5.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Аналитическая программа "Рунетология": Николай Кононов, главный редактор делового издания "Секрет фирмы"" [Analytical program 'Runetology': Nikolay Kononov, editor-in-chief of the business edition of The Firm's Secret] (in Russian). Runetologia. 2015-05-13. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  2. ^ a b c "Nikolay Kononov". Berlin: Literarisches Colloquium Berlin. 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  3. ^ Nikolay Kononov, Timofey Dzyadko, Ilya Zhegulev (2012-03-04). "Михаил Прохоров. Политика, ложь и миллиарды" [Mikhail Prokhorov. Politics, lies and billions] (in Russian). Kommersant. Retrieved 2020-07-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Nikolay Kon; Maya Kucherskayaonov (2011-10-21). "Олег Дерипаска — заложник амбиций" [Oleg Deripaska is a hostage of ambitions] (in Russian). Kommersant. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  5. ^ Nikolay Kononov (2010-02-13). "Авария — дочь метана" [The accident is the daughter of methane]. Forbes (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  6. ^ Nikolay Kononov (2013-05-06). "Дрожь" [The Shiver] (in Russian). Seans. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  7. ^ Kononov, Nikolay (2003-10-05). "Чеченский выбор" [Chechen choice]. Izvestia.
  8. ^ Николай Кононов (2014-07-08). "FAQ: Как и почему объединяются Hopes & Fears и The Village" [FAQ: How and why Hopes & Fears and The Village unite] (in Russian). The Village. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  9. ^ a b Екатерина БрызгаловаVedomosti, Елена Морозова (2015-01-15). ""Секрет фирмы" пополнит список изданий, отказавшихся от бумажной версии" [The Firm's Secret will add to the list of publications that have refused the paper version] (in Russian). Vedomosti. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  10. ^ Никита Лихачёв (2015-02-20). "Гость TJ: Николай Кононов" [Guest TJ: Nikolay Kononov] (in Russian). TJournal. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  11. ^ ""Секрет фирмы" перезапустился. Николай Кононов рассказал о новом курсе СФ — остаёмся рисковать" [The Firm's Secret restarted. Nikolay Kononov spoke about the new course of this media - to risk] (in Russian). Roem.ru. 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  12. ^ Fedunenko, Evgeniy. "В «Секрете фирмы» сократится штат и сменится главред". Коммерсантъ. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  13. ^ "Николай Кононов покинул «Секрет фирмы»". Sostav.ru. 29 October 2025. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Nikolay Kononov: "Emigration – A Way to Live Another Life"". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 22 January 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  15. ^ "Nikolay Kononov". BookSpeaker. 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Russian Ministry of Justice Designates Max Pokrovsky and 'Real Russia' as Foreign Agents". RBK. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  17. ^ ""Teplitsa Social Technologies" Listed in Foreign Agents Register". RNKWEB. 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  18. ^ "The Kremlin's Social Media Takeover". The New York Times. 10 March 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  19. ^ "To a Riga Friend". COLTA. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Nikolay V. Kononov and Nikita Eliseev: "Researchers Replace Witnesses: How to Write About Soviet Terror, War, and 21st-Century Disasters"". Order of Words Project. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  21. ^ "A Conspiracy Theory Becomes State Doctrine: Historical Consciousness Under Putinism". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Russia is Condemned to a Long Moral Therapy". Le Temps. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Thursday in Residence with Nikolay Kononov". Jan Michalski Foundation for Writing and Literature. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  24. ^ Kononov, Nikolay (2003). Специфилиус и дифенбахий [Specificus and Dieffenbach] (in Russian). Moscow: Вавилон: Вестник молодой литературы. p. 284. ISBN 5-94128-081-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)5-94128-081-5
  25. ^ Nikolay Kononov (2009-03-30). "Острова и сны" [Islands and dreams] (in Russian). Text Only. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  26. ^ The literary award "NOS"
  27. ^ "The Kremlin's Social Media Takeover". New York Times. 11 March 2014. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  28. ^ Makarova, Elizaveta (1 June 2015). "«Код Дурова» не поддался продюсерам". Коммерсантъ. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  29. ^ "«Ведомости»: Роднянский снимет фильм об основателе соцсети «ВКонтакте» Павле Дурове". Газета.ру. 21 December 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  30. ^ Nikolay Kononov (2014-03-11). "The Kremlin's Social Media Takeover". New York Times. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  31. ^ "Сериал по роману «Код Дурова» планируют снять в России". Газета.ру. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  32. ^ Екатерина Брызгалова, Елена Морозова (2017-04-13). "Книга Николая Кононова "Автор, ножницы, бумага" – полезный учебник для начинающих журналистов" [Nikolai Kononov's book "Author, scissors, paper" is a useful textbook for novice journalists] (in Russian). Ведомости. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  33. ^ "New Releases Exhibition: January". National Library of S.G. Chavaina of the Republic of Mari El. 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  34. ^ Галина Юзефович (2019-01-31). "Журналист Николай Кононов написал биографию одного из лидеров Норильского восстания. Получился отличный документальный роман" [Journalist Nikolai Kononov wrote a biography of one of the leaders of the Norilsk uprising. It turned out a great documentary novel] (in Russian). Meduza. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  35. ^ Yuzefovich, Galina (31 January 2019). "Журналист Николай Кононов написал биографию одного из лидеров Норильского восстания. Получился отличный документальный роман". Meduza. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  36. ^ Sikorskaya, Nadezhda (4 March 2025). "Николай Кононов: «Всегда ставить ценности во главу угла»". Наша Газета. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  37. ^ Sikorskaya, Nadezhda (17 March 2025). "La Révolte". Noir sur Blanc. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  38. ^ Konstantinova, Alla (14 April 2023). "Кто обитает на дне. В России сотни «профессиональных» доносчиков — «Медиазона» поговорила с несколькими из них". Медиазона. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  39. ^ Андрей Мягков (2022-10-04). "«Ночь, когда мы исчезли»: роман о прошлом, который многое говорит о настоящем" [The Night We Disappeared: a novel about the past that says a lot about the present] (in Russian). AfishaDaily. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  40. ^ "В немецком издательстве выходит сборник, составленный из текстов антивоенных россиян". Слова вне себя. 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  41. ^ "Архипелаг ФСИН. Как устроена экономика тюремной системы России". Редколегия. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  42. ^ "Философскую литпремию имени Пятигорского не присудят никому". Газета.ру. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  43. ^ "Все победители премии «GQ Человек года 2015»". GQ. 19 February 2015. Archived from the original on 29 April 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  44. ^ "Рейтинг молодых медиаменеджеров России — 2015". Секрет фирмы. 2015. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  45. ^ "Лауреатом литературной премии НОС стал Лев Рубинштейн". Газета.ру. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  46. ^ "В Москве состоится вручение Книжной премии Рунета". Газета.ру. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  47. ^ "Литературная премия НОС". Фонд Михаила Прохорова. 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  48. ^ Лев Оборин (10 November 2019). "Нобелевская премия в московском метро". Горький. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
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