Dmitry Glukhovsky

Dmitry Alekseyevich Glukhovsky (, born 12 June 1979) is a Russian and Israeli author, best known for the science fiction novel Metro 2033 and its sequels. As a journalist, Glukhovsky has worked for Euronews, RT in its early years, and others. Aside from his native Moscow, Glukhovsky has also lived in Israel, Germany, and France. He lives outside Russia after being labelled a foreign agent and sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for violating censorship laws relating to the invasion of Ukraine.

Biography Personal life and activism Dmitry Glukhovsky was born and raised in Moscow. His Jewish father Alexei worked as an editor for Gosteleradio, an agency that ran television and radio programming in the USSR, while his Russian mother Larisa worked as a photo editor for TASS agency. He graduated from a school in Arbat District, and having already decided to become a writer, conceived the idea for the post-apocalyptic novel Metro 2033 at the age of 15. While living in Israel, he learned Hebrew and earned a university degree in Journalism and International Relations at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He completed this degree in Hebrew, no differently to native-language Israeli students most of whom were five years older than him. On vDud, Glukhovsky revealed he and Elena divorced earlier in 2020.

In 2021, Glukhovsky publicly denounced the arrest of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny and demanded his release in an online video. In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Glukhovsky has shown support to Ukraine, including a public statement aired on Arte. On 7 June 2022, Glukhovsky revealed he was placed on the Russian federal wanted list; he wrote on his Telegram channel that he was accused of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces due to a post he made on Instagram. After a Moscow district court ordered Glukhovsky's arrest in absentia, he faces up to 10 or 15 years in prison. The arrest in absentia was issued on 13 May. In October, Glukhovsky was added to the list of foreign agents by the Russian justice ministry. On 7 August 2023, Glukhovsky was handed an 8-year prison sentence.

Career

2005–2009: early literary career and first success Glukhovsky gained wide recognition with Metro 2033, a post-apocalyptic novel set in the Moscow Metro after a nuclear war. According to Kommersant/Ogonyok, he first published the novel online in 2002 after receiving rejections from publishers, and the book was later released by Eksmo in 2005. The novel became his breakthrough work and established the fictional world that later developed into the wider Metro series and video game franchise.

In 2009, Glukhovsky returned to the Metro setting with Metro 2034, published in Moscow by AST. The novel continued the post-apocalyptic world introduced in Metro 2033, but focused on a different group of characters, including Hunter, Homer and Sasha. Its plot centres on the station Sevastopolskaya, an isolated underground community whose survival is threatened after contact with the wider Metro is disrupted.

The same year, the Metro 2033 video game was released, bringing Glukhovsky’s fictional universe into the international video game market. The game was based on his novel, and Glukhovsky was credited for the story together with Andrew Prokhorov and Vyacheslav Aristov. It also received recognition from the games industry: at the 2011 D.I.C.E. Awards, it was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering and Outstanding Achievement in Story.

In 2013, Glukhovsky published Futu.re (Будущее), a dystopian science-fiction novel set in a future Europe where humanity has achieved biological immortality. The novel explores the social and moral consequences of eternal life, especially the conflict between immortality and the right to have children. Glukhovsky described the book as an experimental work that differed strongly from his earlier Metro novels. The French edition later won the Prix Libr’à Nous in the “Imaginaire” category in 2016, and the Polish edition received the Lubimyczytać.pl Book of the Year 2015 title in the science-fiction category.

Also in 2013, Glukhovsky continued his work with the video game franchise through Metro: Last Light, the sequel to Metro 2033. The game was based on the world of Metro 2033 and continued the story of the Metro universe as a narrative-driven post-apocalyptic shooter. Glukhovsky was credited as a script writer for the game, and MobyGames also notes that he contributed to its story and dialogue. The game was nominated for Best Shooter at the 2013 VGX Awards.

In 2015, Glukhovsky published Metro 2035, the final novel of the main Metro trilogy. Kommersant/Ogonyok described it as the completion of the trilogy, while Glukhovsky said in the same interview that the novel was intended not only as post-apocalyptic fiction but also as a book about Russian society.

2017–2021: Expansion into film, theatre, television and audio fiction In 2017, Glukhovsky published Text (Текст), which was presented on release as his first realist novel and marked a move away from the science-fiction and dystopian settings associated with his earlier work. The novel received attention from Russian literary critics, including Pavel Basinsky in God Literatury and Galina Yuzefovich in Meduza, who discussed it as a significant new work in contemporary Russian prose. Text was included in the longlist and later the shortlist of the 2017 NOS Literary Prize.

In 2018, Text was adapted for the stage by director Maxim Didenko at the Yermolova Theatre in Moscow. The production was presented as a stage version of Glukhovsky’s novel about technology, identity and digital communication, with the smartphone becoming an important dramatic element.

Also in 2019, the Metro video game franchise continued with Metro Exodus, developed by 4A Games and published by Deep Silver. Deep Silver describes Glukhovsky as the creator of the expanded Metro universe, including the video games developed by 4A Games, and states that the story of Metro Exodus was co-developed in close collaboration with him. The game received major international industry recognition: it was nominated for Best Action Game at The Game Awards 2019, for Outstanding Technical Achievement at the 23rd D.I.C.E. Awards, and for Technical Achievement at the 2020 BAFTA Games Awards.

The same year, Text was adapted into a feature film directed by Klim Shipenko, with Glukhovsky writing the screenplay based on his own novel. The film starred Alexander Petrov, Ivan Yankovsky and Kristina Asmus. The series starred Ivan Yankovsky, Tikhon Zhiznevsky, Anastasia Krylova, Katerina Shpitsa and Sofia Volodchinskaya.

2023–present: International theatre, political writing and VR projects In 2023, Glukhovsky wrote The White Factory, an English-language play staged at London’s Marylebone Theatre and directed by Maxim Didenko. The production was presented as the world premiere of a collaboration between Ukrainian, Russian and British creatives, with Glukhovsky credited as writer and Didenko as director. The play is centred on the Łódź ghetto during the Holocaust and examines moral compromise, survival and responsibility under occupation. The Guardian gave the production a five-star review, describing it as a “superb play” and praising its writing, performance and production. The book therefore marked a later phase of Glukhovsky’s career focused on political commentary and documentary-style reflection.

Also in 2024, the Metro franchise expanded into virtual reality with Metro Awakening, developed by Vertigo Games. The game was presented as a story-driven VR title and an origin story from Metro creator Dmitry Glukhovsky, bringing the franchise into a new format outside the mainline 4A Games series. Metro Awakening received international games-industry recognition: it was nominated for Best VR/AR Game at The Game Awards 2024 and won VR Game of the Year at the 2024 Steam Awards.

In 2026, 4A Games and Deep Silver announced Metro 2039, the next mainline game in the Metro video game series. Unlike Metro Awakening, which was a VR prequel, Metro 2039 was presented as a new mainline entry with an original story developed by 4A Games in collaboration with Glukhovsky. 4A Games stated that the new story had been created together with him and shaped by shared themes of freedom and truth.