Author: Lazar Lagin
Lazar Lagin is a pen name of Lazar Iosifovich Ginzburg who was born in the Belarusian town of Vitebsk. Lagin was born into a poor family with many children. His grandfather rafted timber down the Dvina River to the Baltic Sea and his father worked as a salesperson in a hardware store. Lazar's education consisted just of 4 years at school before he participated in the Civil War at the age of 15. He also participated in action during WWII, serving on Black Sea Fleet and finishing the war with Russian marines liberating countries of Eastern Europe along the Danube River. He was several times decorated for bravery. Lagin worked for most of his life in different magazines and publishing houses, but also wrote a few novels and several short stories, all in the science fiction genre.
