Zachary Karabashliev is a contemporary Bulgarian writer and playwright. Born on April 14, 1968, in Varna, Bulgaria, he has established himself as an influential author with his novels, short stories, and screenplays that have been adapted into movies and plays both in Bulgaria and internationally.

Karabashliev's debut novel, 18% GRAY, was published in 2008, quickly becoming a bestselling title in Bulgaria. It gained international attention and was published in countries such as the United States, France, Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, and Croatia. This novel earned him the prestigious Novel of the Year Award in Bulgaria and was adapted into a film in 2020 as an international co-production.

His novel HAVRA (meaning something akin to Heath or Wastelands) was released in 2017 and received two of the most prestigious national literary awards: the Novel of the Year 2017 and the H.G. Danov Award.

Karabashliev's short stories are featured in collections like A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AIRPLANE and SIMMETRY, and they have been translated into several languages, further cementing his reputation as a versatile and impactful writer.