Vladimir Medvedev was born in the Zabaikal region of Siberia but was brought up in Tajikistan, where he has spent most of his life. He has worked as a fitter, a newspaper correspondent, a photo reporter, a teacher in a village school, a laborer in a geological research group, and a literary editor. Medvedev is the author of numerous essays, novellas, and short stories published in literary magazines and in collections. The most recent book of short stories, A Good Brother Is a Dead Brother, was published by Alpina NF Prose in 2024.

Medvedev’s recognition as a prose writer came with his novel Zahhak, published in 2017, that was shortlisted for The Yasnaya Polyana Award, The New Literature Award and The Russian Booker Prize, and received a positive critical acclaim. The novel was translated into eight languages, including English, French and German.