Ilya Ilf, pseudonym of Iehiel-Leyb (Ilya) Arnoldovich Faynzilberg was a popular Soviet journalist and writer of Jewish origin who usually worked in collaboration with Yevgeni Petrov during the 1920s and 1930s. Their duo was known simply as Ilf and Petrov. Together they published two popular comedy novels The Twelve Chairs (1928) and The Little Golden Calf (1931), as well as a satirical book One-storied America (often translated as Little Golden America) that documented their journey through the United States between 1935 and 1936.
Ilf and Petrov became extremely popular for their two satirical novels: The Twelve Chairs and its sequel, The Little Golden Calf. The two texts are connected by their main character, Ostap Bender, a con man in pursuit of elusive riches. Both books follow exploits of Bender and his associates looking for treasure amidst the contemporary Soviet reality. They were written and are set in the relatively liberal era in Soviet history, the New Economic Policy of the 1920s. The main characters generally avoid contact with the apparently lax law enforcement. Their position outside the organized, goal-driven, productive Soviet society is emphasized. It also gives the authors a convenient platform from which to look at this society and to make fun of its less attractive and less Socialist aspects. These are among the most widely read and quoted books in Russian culture. The Twelve Chairs was adapted for ca. twenty movies, in the USSR (by Leonid Gaidai and by Mark Zakharov), in the US (in particular by Mel Brooks), and in other countries.
The two writers also traveled across the Great Depression-era United States. Ilf took many pictures throughout the journey, and the authors produced a photo essay entitled "American Photographs", published in Ogonyok magazine. Shortly after that they published the book 袨写薪芯褝褌邪卸薪邪褟 袗屑械褉懈泻邪 (literally: "One-storied America"), translated as Little Golden America (an allusion to The Little Golden Calf). The first edition of the book did not include Ilf's photographs. Both the photo essay and the book document their adventures with their characteristic humor and playfulness. Notably, Ilf and Petrov were not afraid to praise many aspects of the American lifestyle in these works. The title comes from the following description.
America is primarily a one-and two-story country. The majority of the American population lives in small towns of three thousand, maybe five, nine, or fifteen thousand inhabitants.
Once upon a time my father was nearly expelled from the Komsomol - a youth communist organization in the USSR, for choosing Ostap Bender - a charming thief, polygamist and swindler from "Twelve Chairs" and "The Golden Calf" as the subject of "My favorite literary character" composition. At the time when his classmates wrote about famous historic and military leaders, fictional revolutionary characters and classic rebels like Eugene Onegin and Chatsky, daddy decided to be honest and got himself into big trouble. He took his revenge by growing up and getting his only daughter (me) hooked on the profoundly astute and hilariously funny novels by Ilf and Petrov, as soon as she was old enough to read and understand the humor.
Ostap Bender is an anti-hero: he wants easy money, he wants to live in Rio De Janeiro, and he doesn't burden himself with scruples. At the same time, he is not entirely careless when choosing the means for obtaining his goals: nearly everything he does (save for his propensity for polygamy) is within the rule of law, which he himself claims to honor and obey, and he is unfailingly honest about the fact that he is a charming, irresistibly charismatic and unapologetic scoundrel. Besides, most of his "victims" are worse than Ostap himself and have a lot less regard for the law than he does, so in the end, you have trouble feeling bad about them.
Ilf and Petrov's Ostap Bender duo of novels, as well as just about everything written by Mikhail Bulgakov, contains some of the best satire of the pro-Soviet era preceding World War II. Definitely, a fantastic read, but if you are not a native speaker find a good translation and a Russian-speaking friend to help you out with some of the finer aspects.
Sen jau biju ap艈膿musies izlas墨t 拧o gr膩matu, jo v膿l no b膿rn墨bas atceros, ka vec膩ki un m膩sa m膿dza cit膿t fr膩zes no t膩s un st膩st墨ja, cik 膩rk膩rt墨gi smiekl墨gi "Divpadsmit Kr膿sli" ir. Tom膿r augst膩s cer墨bas gr膩matas sakar膩 salikum膩 ar faktu, ka daudzas atsauces uz Padomju Savien墨bas nej膿dz墨b膩m, gr膩mata tom膿r man nelik膩s tik izcili smiekl墨ga, lai ar墨 reiz膿m pie姆膿ru sevi v膿lamies da啪as rindkopas nolas墨t k膩dam priek拧膩, lai padal墨tos ar ko tik smiekl墨gu. Autoru ironija br墨啪iem sprauc膩s 膩r膩 starp rindi艈膩m, un t膩 ar墨, manupr膩t, ir gr膩matas lielisk膩k膩 da募a. Beigas t膩das negaid墨tas. Pat ne mekl膿to d膩rglietu sakar膩 (lai ar墨 tur es paredz膿ju mazliet cit膩du izn膩kumu), bet gan taj膩, k膩ds izv膿rt膩s da啪u d膩rglietu mednieku s奴rais liktenis.
Kuulasin venekeelset audioraamtut. M玫ni 眉ksik asi on sealpool ka h盲sti 玫nnestunud l盲bi ajaloo, nt satiirikirjandus muu n玫meduse varjus. 脛kki on oodata uut lainet praeguse 鈥渞盲igelt haige korra鈥� ajal?
Dom膩ju, ka katram, kur拧 kaut vai nedaudz ir las墨jis, 拧墨 gr膩mata ir paz墨stama. Ja ne pati gr膩mata, tad t膩s varo艈u v膩rdi un izteikumi gan. "Benz墨ns j奴su, idejas m奴su", "Par膩di komand膿拧u es!", "Man nav sp膩rnu, bet es cienu krimin膩lkodeksu. T膩 ir mana v膩j墨ba", "Vi艈拧 pats man atnes墨s naudu uz 拧姆墨v墨拧a ar zilu mali艈u", "Es esmu Turcijas pavalstnieka d膿ls" 鈥� ikdien膩 no rom膩na Zelta te募拧 ieviesu拧ies gan 拧ie, gan daudzi citi izteicieni, bet pats rom膩ns ar墨 拧odien nav zaud膿jis savu aktualit膩ti un noz墨m墨gumu... Iesaku izlas墨t visiem...