Bücher von Ilya Ilf

The Twelve Chairs is a classic satirical picaresque novel by the Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov, published in 1928. Its plot follows characters attempting to obtain jewelry hidden in a chair. A sequel was published in 1931. The novel has been adapted to other media, primarily film.Ilf and Petrov gained a high profile for their two satirical novels: The Twelve Chairs (1928) and its sequel, The Little Golden Calf (1931). The two texts are connected by their main character, Ostap Bender, a con man in pursuit of elusive riches. Both books follow the exploits of Bender and his associates looking for treasure amidst 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 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 Soviet Union (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 Ogoniok magazine.

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.