Writers, let’s talk about Russian patronyms in your stories!
If you’re setting your story in a Russian-speaking environment, here’s a heads-up to avoid a common mistake. I recently read a novel about the Siberian GULAG—quite plausible, until the author tripped over Russian patronyms. The main character’s father was named Ilya, and the writer, following a “formal” rule, gave her the patronym Ilyanovna. Nope! It’s Ilyinichna.
Here’s the deal: when a male name ends in a vowel (like Ilya or Nikita), the patronym for daughters ends in -ichna and for sons in -ich. For example:
Ilya → Anna Ilyinichna, Vladimir Ilyich
Nikita → Maria Nikitichna, Alexei Nikitich
I’m not shocked the author missed this—Russian naming conventions can be tricky! But I am surprised the editors at the publishing house didn’t catch this rookie error.
So, if you’re writing about Russia, double-check those patronyms to keep your story authentic.
