Tony Vilgotsky

Tony was born on June 14, 1980, in the Southern Russian city Rostov-on-Don. He spent some time studying journalism at a local university and then started to work as a correspondent in a local daily newspaper.[http://vilgotsky.narod.ru/index/0-20 Career of successful fantasy writer had its roots in Evening Rostov]

Since his adolescence, he admired the horror genre, which inspired him to begin writing horror stories himself. Two issues of his dark fantasy saga, The Chronicles of Skharn (Russian: Хроники Схарны), were published by Armada Publishing House in December 2008 and May 2009. The first of these novels landed on 7th position in Top 100 bestselling books of this publishing house of several years. Such success of debut novel was unexpected even for author himself.[https://www.litmir.me/a/?id=29943 Tony Vilgotsky on Litmir.me] This book was nominated for prestigious Russian fiction award Roscon.[http://www.convent.ru/roscon/2009/spisok2009.html List of Roscon-2009 nominees] The novel Evil Never Sleeps was nominated for one of the main awards of the fiction festival Star Bridge.[http://www.star-bridge.org/?section=history&subsection=nominations_2009 List of Star Bridge-2009 nominees] Vilgotsky's next novel Little Shop of Horrors became one of the most anticipated Russian books of the following decade.[http://vilgotsky.narod.ru/index/0-24 Waiting for the computer horrors] His books were widely pirated[https://www.technograd.com/atic/1771 Rostov's writer became a victim of piracy] and in 2010 somebody even hacked Vilgotsky's PC with intention to steal his new texts before their official release.[http://pisali.ru/dimitrios/32519/ Tony Vilgotsky talks hacking incident]

The novels Eye of Satan, Suburban Necromancer and The Charmed Roads were released in 2012 by company Litres which is a department of biggest Russian publishing house Eksmo.[http://fantlab.ru/autor7131 Official author's biography]

During very long period Vilgotsky was the main author of Russian metal magazine Dark City. During this period he interviewed such bands like Amon Amarth, Das Ich, Crematory,[http://vilgotsky.narod.ru/index/0-8 Crematory: a band number one] Sopor Aeternus and the Ensemble of Shadows,Tony Vilgotsky, interview with Sopor Aeternus, Dark City # 62 (2011), pages 8–10 Suicide Commando[http://vilgotsky.narod.ru/index/0-12 Welcome to Hell... again. An interview with Suicide Commando], and many more.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}} For some time he was a literary editor of Russian horror webzine The Darkness (Тьма)[https://knigogid.ru/authors/12828-vilgockiy-anton-viktorovich Tony Vilgotsky on Knigogid] and continued to write for its successor, Darker magazine.[http://darkermagazine.ru/written_by/%D0%90%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BD%20%D0%92%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%86%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9 Tony Vilgotsky on Darker] Also, despite Vilgotsky is not a gay himself, his articles about different gay musicians often can be noticed in Russian LGBT-magazine Kvir.[http://www.kvir.ru/author/anton-vilgockiy/ Tony Vilgotsky on Kvir] Also he works as translator and music observer in Russian version of Classic Rock magazine.

File:TonyDasIch.jpg]]

He was the first Russian journalist who interviewed American musician and actor Ari Lehman (the first portrayer of Jason Voorhees in the first "Friday the 13th" movie), and famous movie composer Harry Manfredini who scored most of the "Friday" movies. The latter interview was published in Mir Fantastiki[http://www.forbiddenmusics.ru/page/anton-vilgockij-o-horrore-i-ne-tolko Valery Galatinov. Tony Vilgotsky speaks about horror and not only] Later Vilgotsky interviewed many horror celebrities, including Tom Savini, Felissa Rose, Scott Derrickson, Brian Paulin, Matt Farnsworth, Dieter Laser, Victor Brooke Miller and more.

Since 2012, Vilgotsky began to collaborate with Hollywood horror magazine Gore Noir.[http://soulo666.livejournal.com/272247.html Tony Vilgotsky, "Cheers from the other bank"] Also he was noticed among authors of Australian horror magazine Midnight Echo.[http://midnightechomagazine.com/about/ About Midnight Echo Magazine]

Vilgotsky is also the first Russian author who created a full biography of Ayn Rand. This book was highly praised by the critics and became a national bestseller in Russia and Ukraine. All copies of the book were sold out during the first month after its release.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}[http://expert.ru/expert/2018/09/zhizn-na-amfetaminah/ Vyacheslav Surikov. Life on amphetamines] The novel Shepherd of the Dead was listed among best new fiction books of the year just a week after its release. [http://goncharovsergey.ru/sergey-goncharov-o-literature/luchshie-fantasticheskie-knigi-2018/ Best new fiction books of 2018] Talking on this book the critics compared Vilgotsky's style to that of Clive Barker.[http://horrorzone.ru/page/otzyv-o-romane-antona-vilgockogo-pastyr-mertvecov Peter Perminov. Review of Tony Vilgotsky's Shepherd of the Dead] The novel also became a bestseller in Estonia, where all the copies of the book were sold out during one night after their delivery from Russia. By the end of the year 2018 novel Shepherd of the Dead became a national bestseller in Russia too.[http://www.knor.ru/mistika-17/novinki/str-2 Russian Horror Bestsellers List, December 2018]{{Unreliable source?|date=April 2023}} In biggest Russian online book store, Ozon, the book was completely sold out during few months since its release.[https://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/146189327/ Shepherd of the Dead is sold out] This book also went to become a bestseller in Armenia. Vilgotsky's novel Warriors of the Church was cited in the list of foreign books recommended to Americans who are interested in non-American horror literature.[https://zombiesalmonthehorrorcontinues.wordpress.com/2019/04/01/horror-as-a-second-language-fresh-new-horror-from-other-places-cultures/ KC Regging-Gonzalez, Horror as a Second Language (Fresh New Horror From Other Places & Cultures)]{{Unreliable source?|date=April 2023}}

File:Tony Vilgotsky 2.jpg

In 2017 Tony released a new non-fiction book Self-Defence by Materials at Hand[http://vkrylov.ru/detail.php?seriaID=1286196652&bookID=989&type= Self-defence by materials at hand][http://www.1rnd.ru/news/1552425 Lifehacks for girls] with illustrations drawn by himself.[https://sampapa.ru/11134-rostovchanin-napisal-knigu-o-samozashchite Rostov's resident wrote a book about self-defence] This book is intended mostly for a female audience.[http://www.rostov.aif.ru/view/society/details/2207835?key=24d204c28d3c656cd12e08392173ab86 Which items may help a woman to protect herself]

In the years 2009–2014 Tony Vilgotsky was active on dark electro scene as a leader of horror electro project [https://soundcloud.com/soul-cancer Soul Cancer]. They released several web albums and then disbanded. In one of the tracks the group collaborated with iconic B-movie actor Dieter Laser.[http://bloodsexcult.org/page/diter-lazer-v-pesne-soul-cancer Dieter Laser takes part in Soul Cancer's song] After the end of Soul Cancer's career Tony as musician and composer focused primarily on film and game soundtrack work.

On July 2025 Vilgotsky released his first complete album "Entering Universe" on streaming services via the Russian label YourTunes.

In recent years Tony has quit journalism as his day job, with a goal to focus on his literature works and also to try himself in a world of business. For a year he worked as brand manager and press secretary in one of the largest Russian modeling agencies, Image-Elite,[http://mediaspress.ru/articles/ledi-pressa-17-let-spustya Results of Lady Press 2015 beauty contest] than migrated into video game industry. As it's known, he was a member of at least two game development teams – Aurum Dust and Redox Entertainment, which produced, respectively, such games as Ash of Gods: Redemption (Tactical RPG) and Cows VS Vikings (tower defense). Also he provided music soundtracks for several indie games.

In December 2016, Vilgotsky announced that he wants to try himself as game designer and that he started to develop his first video game. Details of this project weren't revealed yet.[https://life.ru/t/%D0%B8%D0%B3%D1%80%D1%8B/952595/liubitieli_vidieoighr_smoghut_nabit_mordu_arkadiiu_babchienko Tony Vilgotsky's interview to Life.Ru portal] Due to Vilgotsky's popularity over Post-Soviet space, the news about his first game project were widely spread by many sources of the region.[https://politros.com/politic/24403/ Politros.com][http://v-sety.ru/blog/43243751733/ZHURNALISTU-BABCHENKO-OSKORBIVSHEGO-ZHERTV-TU-154-OBESCHAYUT-%C2%ABNA?tmd=1 V-Sety.ru][http://1smiru.ru/v-rossii-vypustyat-igru-v-kotoroj-mozhno-budet-ubit-oppozicionnogo-zhurnalista-babchenko/ 1Smiru.ru][http://replyua.net/putin/50081-v-rossii-vypustyat-igru-v-kotoroy-mozhno-budet-ubit-oppozicionnogo-zhurnalista-babchenko.html Replayua.net]

Later was announced that Vilgotsky is planning to release another game before the one that was announced earlier. The name of the game is "Воины Церкви: отстрел нечисти" (Evil Spirit Shootdown) and it is based on his own novel Warriors of the Church.[https://m.games.mail.ru/pc/news/2017-03-21/pervaja_pravoslavnaja_igra_skoro_postupit_v_prodazhu/ The first Orthodox video game will be on sale soon]

As Tony admitted in one of his interviews, he is an enthusiastic gamer who began to play videogames from the early childhood. Among his favorite games he lists such titles as Witcher, Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2, Hellgate: London and Assassin's Creed.[https://www.technograd.com/atic/1717 Triumph of the Rostov's writer] He's a fan of ambient and world music (because, as he admits, he was tired of extreme metal during his metal observer career).[http://horrorzone.ru/page/polubog-intervju-s-antonom-vilgockim The Demigod. Interview with Tony Vilgotsky]

He is also a fan of Twin Peaks and other movies by David Lynch.[https://vk.com/twinpeaks_forever?w=wall-6510290_10812%2Fall Interview with Tony Vilgotsky]

Novels

• Chosen by the Pentacle (fantasy novel) – 2008 (Armada publishing house, Moscow)[http://wap.armada.ru/vuh812.htm Armada publishing house release schedule for December 2008]
• Evil Never Sleeps (fantasy novel) – 2009 (Armada publishing house, Moscow)[http://www.armada.ru/vuh905.htm Armada publishing house release schedule for May 2009]
• The Charmed Roads (fantasy novel) – 2012 (LitRes, Moscow)
• Suburban Necromacer (dark fantasy and horror novel) – 2012 (LitRes, Moscow)
• Eye of Satan aka Warriors of the Church (action fiction and horror novel) – 2012 (LitRes, Moscow)
• Little Shop of Horrors (book of horror stories) – 2012 (LitRes, Moscow)
• Shepherd of the Dead (dark fantasy and horror novel) – 2018 (Eksmo, Moscow)[https://eksmo.ru/series/russkiy-khorror-ITD4459/ The Russian Horror Book Series release schedule][https://book24.ru/product/pastyr-mertvetsov-2690155/?partnerId=792674 Tony Vilgotsky's Shepherd of the Dead is on sale from June 09 2018]
• Day Z (zombie horror action novel) – 2022 (Author Today, Moscow)
• The Ripper of Petrograd (detective fiction) – TBA

Short stories

• The Entomologists – 2003 (Donskaya Kultura, Rostov-on-Don)
• [http://bloody-mess.net/?p=1264 Trevor] – 2013 (Bloody-Mess.net, UK)

Non-fiction

• Who is Ayn Rand? – 2015 (AST, Moscow)
• Self-defence by materials at hand – 2016 (Krylov, St. Petersburg)

Scientific researches

• Russian Fields of Mysteries – 2013 (Midnight Echo, Australia)[http://hellnotes.com/midnight-echo-the-magazine-of-the-australian-horror-writers-association-issue-9-myths-and-legends-magazine-review Review on Hellnotes.com ]

• Varnid (2010)
• Evil Spirits Shutdown (2017)
• Scary Forest (2018)[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stg.horror_runner Scary Forest game]
• Broadcast Project (2019)
• Space Arcade (2020)
• Radiostalker (2020)
• Pirates: Golden Tits (2020)
• Voiders (2021)
• Ilias (2021)
• Eggs in Corn (2021)
• Redemption (2021)
• Galaxy Runner (2021)
• Veliri (2021)
• Business Angels (2021)
• Kingdom's Life (2021)
• Edge of the World (2021)
• Forbidden Fruit (2021)
• Frequency: Chernobyl (2022)
• Ratten Reich (2022)
• W.I.N.T.E.R. (2022)
• Rustlords (2023)
• SeeYa (2023)
• Fight for Power (2023)
• Risk of Pain (2023)
• Intown Nightmares (2023)
• Gamer's Reward (2024)
• Sabrina Spy (2024)
• Office Party (2024)
• Dominator Survival (2024)
• Age of Gunfighters (TBA)
• Deadwest (TBA)

{{Reflist|2}}

• [http://vilgotsky.narod2.ru/ Tony Vilgotsky's official site]
• [https://www.facebook.com/vilgotsky Facebook official page]
• [https://twitter.com/TonyVilgotsky Tony Vilgotsky on Twitter]
• {{IMDb name|6172227}}
• [https://soundcloud.com/vilgotsky Tony Vilgotsky's music on SoundCloud]

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Category:Living people

Category:Russian horror writers

Category:Russian fantasy writers

Category:1980 births

Category:Russian film score composers

Category:21st-century Russian composers