Ilʹi︠a︡ Ilʹf

Evgeniĭ Petrov

Rasskzy fel'etony, sta'i, rechi (1932-1937) Volevili i Kinoot͡senarii

Sobranie sochineniĭ

The Twelve Chairs

This brand new translation of the famous satirical sequel to The Twelve Chairs resurrects the con man Ostap Bender, the smooth operator, and follows him and his three hapless co-conspirators on a hilarious romp through the Soviet Russia and Central Asia of 1930. Bender says he has "very serious differences of opinion with Soviet power. It wants to build socialism, and I don't." The smooth operator wants to emigrate to Rio de Janeiro, so he and his crew set off in pursuit of an underground millionaire, who, Bender is certain, will bring me his money himself, on a little saucer with a sky-blue rim. One of the greatest works of Russian satire of the 20th century (the 1932 American translation billed it as "The book that's too funny to be published in Russia!"), this lively new translation (the first since 1961) by Anne O. Fisher is copiously annotated (nearly 300 footnotes), and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book s two co-authors. So many quotations from The Little Golden Calf have entered everyday Russian speech that it stands alongside the works of Griboyedov, Pushkin, and Gogol for its profound effect on Russian language and culture. The tale overflows with legendary literary episodes, offering a portrait of Russian life that is as funny and true today as it was when the novel was first published (this edition is the first unabridged, uncensored English translation, and is 100% true to the original serial publication). For decades, foreigners trying to understand Russia have been advised to read the adventures of Ostap. This new translation makes them more enjoyable than ever.

The Little Golden Calf

Ilya Ilf

The satirical novel's main character, Ostap Bender, also appeared in a previous novel by the authors called The Twelve Chairs. The title alludes to the "golden calf" of the Bible; another possible rendering of it in English, less literal but better tuned to the air of the novel, would be "The Gilded Calf". It continues the theme of the denunciation of money-grubbing, philistine stupidity, and bureaucracy, which began in “The Twelve Chairs”.

A Satiric Novel

Aleksandra I. Ilʹf

Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petro, who were the foremost comic novelists of the Soviet Union, traveled through America in the mid-1930's and wrote a series of articles about what they saw.

Evgeniĭ Petrov

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