Vsevolod Vladimirovich Ovchinnikov is an international journalist and writer who worked in China, Japan, and England for many years. His name is associated with a new direction in domestic journalism—creating a psychological portrait of foreign society. The author’s creative credo: "Convince the reader that you cannot measure someone else’s life by your own measure; you cannot rely on the familiar system of values and criteria, because they are by no means universal—just like the grammatical norms of our native language." In 1985, for these works, the author was awarded the State Prize of the USSR. In 2010, the President of the Russian Federation presented Vsevolod Ovchinnikov with the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" (fourth degree).
"The Branch of Sakura" and "The Roots of an Oak" were—and remain—true masterpieces of Russian publicist writing. The striking brightness and imagery of the language, the amazing depth of insight into the distinctive world of English and Japanese national culture, draw in the reader and serve as a key to understanding foreign reality. In Japan, "The Branch of Sakura" became a bestseller, and English readers—skeptical of foreigners’ attempts to understand their national character—welcomed "The Roots of an Oak" very favorably.