Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Polytechnic students can be not only highly skilled engineers but also excellent writers. Irina Butorina is an example of just such a versatile specialist. Irina Viktorovna is the recipient of several literary awards. In 2025, her novel "To Odessa for the May Holidays: A Non-Resort Novel" won the annual national "Book of the Year" competition, established by the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media of the Russian Federation.
Irina Butorina is a professor at the Higher School of Physics and Materials Science at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. She is a metallurgist and specialist in the ecology of metallurgical production. She has published 200 scientific papers. She taught at the Priazovsky State Technical University in Mariupol for 30 years, and has recently worked at SPbPU. She is also a member of the Writers' Union of Russia and the author of 12 published works of fiction, including the trilogy "Caucasian Novel," about the complex relations between Russians and Chechens and the armed conflict between them in the 1990s, as well as a trilogy about the civil war in Ukraine: "To Odessa for the May Holidays," "Blown Up Donbass," and "The Mariupol Tragedy."
Irina Butorina also wrote three lyrical works: "Farewell to an Era," "Hello, It's You," and "Handsome," as well as the novel "Ecological Poem" about the difficult life of an ecologist in an industrial city. She also published travelogues: "Noah's Ark of the 21st Century," about sea cruises, and "Along the Roads of Dreams," about traveling across Europe.
We met with Irina Viktorovna and learned how she manages to combine two seemingly completely different tasks, and much more.
Your novel, "To Odessa for the May Holidays: A Non-Resort Novel," won "Book of the Year" this year in the "Heroes of Our Time" category. Do you remember the moment you learned of the win? What did you feel then—joy, surprise, relief?
"The novel has been working toward this award for 10 long years. I wrote it for the anniversary of the events in Odessa. The first 300 copies of the novel were published by Avtor Publishing House in 2015, and then in 2019, another 200 copies were printed on the Politekh-Press platform by order of Rector Andrey Rudsky. Furthermore, in 2023, the novel was published in the Bashkir republican magazine Vatandash."
Over the years, the novel won two literary competitions. And so, one of the country's most renowned publishing houses, AST, decided to publish 3,000 copies, albeit in a slightly abridged version. AST submitted the novel to the "Book of the Year" literary competition in the "Russian Reconquista" series, where it was among the winners in the "Heroes of Our Time" category.
Of course, every time a novel was published, or when it won a competition, I felt both satisfaction and genuine joy from the recognition of my work.
After success, do you feel like taking a break, or do you dive straight into new writing? What's on your mind and in your heart right now—what are you working on?
"Over the past twenty years, I've written 12 literary works, taking a maximum of two months' break between them, though with a change of subject. After war novels, I write about love or travel, to unwind from the weight of war."
I'm currently working on a collection of lyrical stories called "Listen to Your Heart." I don't know yet where I'll publish it.
Quite a bit of time has passed since the book was published. Has your perspective changed? Do you now view the events and people you wrote about differently?
"The novel about the tragic events in Odessa was written over ten years ago. Its sequels, "Blown Up Donbas" and "The Mariupol Tragedy," have already been published. In them, I not only describe the ongoing clash between the Russian and Ukrainian peoples but also attempt to explain it. The key sentiment I conveyed to my characters is: "War with a now-Nazi Ukraine was inevitable."
The only thing that has changed is that if before I rejoiced at our victories in the North-Eastern Military District, now I watch with pain as the cities that were built before my eyes are destroyed, and the deaths of people who could have lived, created, and loved.
The events in Donbas remain a sore subject for many. How do you view everything that's happening there today? Has your personal attitude changed over the years?
— I can only add one thing to what has been said above: before, like all our people, I believed in a quick victory for Russia, but now, watching how they have been unable to liberate Donbass for almost four years, I do not believe that the war will end soon.
You combine seemingly incompatible fields—technical science and literature. How do the engineer and writer within you coexist? Which wins out more often—logic or inspiration?
Without logic and inspiration, you can't write a scientific article, a textbook, a novel, or a lyrical story. The only difference is that the language must be different. One is understandable to specialists, while another is interesting and accessible to the general public. Readers praise my books for their ease of reading.
I understand that I am not Dostoevsky and I write simply, having inherited the writing style of Remarque and Hemingway, my favorite writers.
— And finally: what would you say to those (perhaps our students) who dream of starting something new—writing a book, changing their field of work or study, taking a risk—but are afraid to take the first step?
"I believe that if you've achieved success in your profession, you should serve it to the end. If not, find the strength to change it."
If you can combine your profession with your passion, then by all means, do it—or at least try it. I dreamed of writing fiction since my youth, even keeping diaries. However, I only found the time and energy to pursue my dream and write about what moved and amazed me outside of my profession after I reached the pinnacle of my metallurgy career and became a doctor of science. That's how my first works of fiction came to be. I love them as much as my scientific papers and articles. In them, I express my personal identity and my perspective on the reality around me.
So, if you have something to say to the world, go ahead! Write and publish it.
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