Boris Natanovich Strugatsky was born in Batumi and later moved with his family to Leningrad. During World War II, his father and his older brother left the city, and his father died upon reaching Vologda. In 1950 he graduated from high school and went on to study astronomy at Leningrad State University. In 1955 he graduated and began working as as an astronomer and computer engineer. In 1966 he quit to write full time with his brother Arkady. He died in Saint Petersburg on November 19, 2012.