Ilya Shtemler was a Soviet and Russian writer. He was born on 18 January 1933 and died on 3 December 2022. He was 89 years.
Following his graduation from from the Baku Industrial Institute in 1957, Ilya worked as an engineer:
- First in the oil industry in the Volga region and then
- On the “Geologorazvedka” factory in Leningrad, city which eventually became his second home.
Ilya’s most popular novels: “Univermag” (“The department store”), “Poezd” (“Train”), and “Utrennee shosse” (“Morning highway”) were a realistic description of life in 1960s, 70s, and 80s Russia.
His first novel “The Grandmaster’s Mark” was published in 1965 in the Yunost literary magazine and brought immediate recognition to its author.
Shtemler was an active campaigner for the protection of Russian historical heritage. In 2006, he became vice-president of the St. Petersburg division of the PEN club.
Shtemler died from COVID-19 on 3 December 2022, at the age of 89.
There is no information about his wife (if he had any) and children (if he had any).