Max Sonin

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Maxim (Max) Sonin is a Russian writer born on March 15, 1998, in Moscow. He writes novels for adults and young adults, often exploring LGBTQ+ themes and violence.

His debut novel, The Letters till Midnight, is a young adult drama about two high school girls in Moscow, each telling part of the story. It was notable for being one of the first major Russian-language books from a large publisher to highlight an LGBTQ relationship in its announcement. The book faced heavy media attention and, in 2022, was removed from a major Russian digital bookstore as part of a government crackdown on LGBTQ+ topics.

Sonin earned a BA from Haverford College in the United States in 2019 and an MA from the University of Chicago in 2022.

He is also known for the Mishka Mironova trilogy: The Double, The Hunt, and The Abode, published by Popcorn Books between 2021 and 2022. The series follows Mishka (Miriam) Mironova, a sixteen-year-old high school student with a talent for solving violent crimes. The trilogy has been well received as a standout example of young adult crime fiction in Russia and was republished in one volume in 2024 under the title Mishka Mironova.

In 2022, AST (a publisher) released The Elephant’s Steps, a loosely connected sequel to The Letters till Midnight. Set in St. Petersburg, it deals with radical feminism and features commentary on transgender and feminist themes in contemporary Russian literature. Critics have noted the author’s clear sense of his audience and his willingness to tackle timely social issues.

Beyond novels, Sonin has worked in film and literary criticism. He co-wrote the script for Konstantin Fam’s film The Meyerhold’s Biomechanics, which was planned for release in 2022, and has contributed literary reviews to major Russian media outlets.