I’m Nicholas Kotar. I write epic fantasy and science fiction inspired by Slavic fairy tales. You can find my books on Waystone Press, an independent publisher that partners with award-winning illustrators to craft artisanal books for lovers of fairy tales new and old.
Fairy tales, particularly Russian fairy tales, have profound, even spiritual meaning that makes them worth reading again and again. Russian philosopher Ivan Ilyin suggests in his wonderful lecture “The Spiritual Meaning of Stories” that they are indispensable for those of us who have lost our ability to see and appreciate the beautiful and transcendent in life.
I write for readers who love classic fantasy like The Lord of the Rings, but who aren’t afraid of a little darkness and honesty about the human condition. I also write for seekers after truth and beauty (like myself), and for those who feel trapped by modernity, with a fresh take on traditional values and storytelling.
Bio
I come from a family of Russian immigrants who moved from Russia after the Revolution, and I grew up in what was essentially a Russian ghetto in San Francisco. I spoke Russian before I spoke English.
My fascination with fantasy goes way back to the days when my friends and I created an alternate version of Narnia, called Wreathlea (I don’t know? It had a lot of wreaths maybe?), with a Stone Witch instead of a White Witch, and an enchanted princess who had been turned into a Golden Evergreen.
Instead of playing with toys, we would go outside and look for cloud formations in the shape of lions. Except in our version, he was called Seaze, not Aslan. I can only imagine what the neighbors were thinking, watching us standing outside, staring at the sky, screaming “Seaze! Where are you?” with all our might…
My sister and I were homeschooled until a bright and sunny day when my mom had had enough of cat-herding. So she decided to open a school (thinking it would be less of a hassle, I suppose?), which she and my dad then administered for the next twenty years of their life (without taking a penny for it). This school, St. John of San Francisco Orthodox Academy, is a shining light of classical education in the Orthodox Christian community.
After graduating from UC Berkeley (yes, I studied Russian Literature, how did you guess?), I came back to teach at St. John’s for seven years. Those years were formative for me and for many of the teachers, because of the talent of the faculty. There were poets, philosophers, politicians, and musicians among my colleagues, and our regular tea-fueled conversations by the fireplace had something of the Inklings about them.
Conquering Time
Eventually, a few of us teachers joined up to form a storytelling troupe, of sorts, called Conquering Time. We were an ensemble of performance and visual artists that staged original works of storytelling and traditional music. We also published some original poetry and prose.
My collaboration with Conquering Time produced four semi-staged musical pieces that we performed on both coasts of the US, France, and Russia. It also inspired me to write a novel called Raven Son, which was the kernel that eventually became The Song of the Sirin, my first completed novel.
Travels
I have always loved to travel, and have been to every continent except Antarctica (and I’d love to go there). Some of my travels were missionary trips to build houses for the poor or to instruct local Christian communities in the rudiments of the faith. Some were for my own edification, such as a summer in London studying theater (I met Ralph Fiennes. Lovely man!) I even spent a month and a half in a remote island monastery in the north of Russia (yes, in winter).
Seminary
Finally, I decided to enter Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, NY, which I completed in May 2014. My family and I are still based in Jordanville, where I serve as a deacon, conduct the male choir, teach music, and pretend to be a homesteader. Our house in cow country is the best place from which to write.
Music
I conduct Russian sacred music and am an occasional tenor soloist. I am the resident conductor of the Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary Men’s Choir in Jordanville, NY. Previously, I conducted the St. John of San Francisco Men’s Chorale (see our recordings here) and the St. Cyrill and Methodius Youth Choir in the Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco, CA.
As a soloist, I have performed in several Classical works, including Stravinsky’s Les Noces, Handel’s Messiah, J.S. Bach’s The Passion according to St. John, and Brahms’s Zigeunerlieder. I am also a featured soloist on Ensemble Cherubim’s recent recording of Bortniansky’s concertos (purchase here).
You can hear an example of my solo work here.
Projects
At the core of all of my work is a fervent belief that telling, writing, watching, listening to, and reading good stories may be the most important thing you do with your life. To that end, I have authored 7 award-winning fantasy books, 3 non-fiction books, a TV script that is being looked at by Netflix, and a full-length classical music libretto.
Current projects include three new books, writing courses designed to inspire budding creatives, new translations of Slavic fairy tales, speaking events across the U.S., and regular podcasts reviewing and sharing great stories.
If you’d like to contact me with any questions or comments, please do: