Yuri Rytkheu, whose original name was given to him in Chukchi which means 'unknown', was born on March 8, 1930, in Uelen, a village in the Far Eastern Territory of the Soviet Union, now known as the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. He was born into a family of a hunter-gatherer and had a shaman as his grandfather. Due to the Soviet institutions not recognizing Chukchi names, Rytkheu took on a Russian name and patronymic, with 'Rytkheu' becoming his last name. He attended a seven-year school in Uelen and later moved to Leningrad to study at the Institute of the Peoples of the North, but he was not accepted due to his age. Therefore, he took on various jobs, including being a sailor, working on a geological expedition, and participating in hunting games, to earn money for his travel and living expenses.
Rytkheu eventually graduated from the literary faculty of Leningrad State University from 1949 to 1954. He became a published author during his student days, with his stories appearing in various magazines and almanacs. His first collection of short stories in Russian, 'People of Our Coast,' was published in 1953 by the publishing house 'Young Guard.' During his time at the university, Rytkheu was also actively involved in translation activities, translating works from Russian to Chukchi. He was admitted to the Writers' Union of the USSR in 1954, and two years later, his collection of stories 'The Chukotka Saga' was published, bringing him recognition not only in the Soviet Union but also abroad.
Yuri Rytkheu is a Chukchi author best known for his literary fiction novels. He is considered the father of Chukchi literature, having written both in Chukchi and Russian. After studying at Leningrad State University, he had some of his works published in periodicals. However, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the former Soviet states stopped publishing his works as he was a member of the Communist Party. He considered moving to the U.S., but the Swiss publisher Unionsverlag signed Rytkheu, introducing his works to various countries in Europe and Asia. Rytkheu passed away in 2008 from myeloma and is buried next to his wife. He is renowned for his "Seedbank" series of novels and his bestselling novel "A Dream in Polar Fog," which won the Notable Book Pacific Rim Prize in 2006. During the 1950s, Rytkheu became one of the most popular literary talents and the voice of the Chukchi people, a small national minority that needed a voice. He is a unique voice for the almost disappearing community that lives in one of the most inhospitable yet majestic environments on the planet.