Viktor Astafyev was born on May 1, 1924 in Ovsyanka, Krasnoyarsk Uyezd, Yeniseysk Governorate, RSFSR, USSR [now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia]. He was a writer, known for
Tayozhnaya povest (1979),
Zvezdopad (1981) and
Dvazhdy rozhdyonnyy (1984). He was married to Maria Semenowna Koryakina. He died on November 29, 2001 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.