Ludmila Ulitskaya studied biology at Moscow University and worked at the Institute of Genetics until she was fired for dissident activities. She later became a scriptwriter and repertory director of the Hebrew  Theatre of Moscow. She is the author of fifteen works of fiction, three tales for children and six plays. In 2001 she won the Russian Booker Prize and in 2013 was made an Officier de la Légion d’honneur by the French government.