Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky was a renowned Soviet and Russian science fiction author, born on August 28, 1925 in Batumi. He spent much of his career collaborating with his brother, Boris Strugatsky. The family eventually moved to Leningrad, where they experienced the Siege of Leningrad during World War II. In January 1942, Arkady and his father were evacuated, but sadly, his father died upon reaching Vologda, leaving Arkady as the sole survivor in his train car.

In 1943, Arkady was drafted into the Soviet army. He initially trained at the artillery school in Aktyubinsk and later at the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow. He graduated in 1949 as an interpreter of English and Japanese. Beyond his writing career, Arkady worked as a teacher and interpreter.