Born in Uelen, a village in the Chukotka region of Siberia, Yuri Rytkheu has sailed the Bering Sea, worked on Arctic geological expeditions, and hunted whale in Arctic waters, in addition to authoring over ten novels and collections of stories. Read More In the late 1950s Yuri Rytkheu emerged as not only a writer of considerable literary talent, but as the unique voice of a small national minority-the Chukchi people. His novels and short stories about Chukotka introduced generations of readers to the history and mythology of those who call one of the most majestic and inhospitable environments on earth their home. Bestsellers in Germany and Switzerland, Rytkheu's works are also well-loved in Japan, Finland, Denmark, and France.