Ilf and Petrov

File:Ilf and petrov.jpg

Ilf and Petrov

Ilya Ilf (Ilya Arnoldovich Faynzilberg (Russian: Илья Арнольдович Файнзильберг), 1897–1937) and Evgeny or Yevgeny Petrov (Yevgeniy Petrovich Kataev or Katayev (Russian: Евгений Петрович Катаев), 1903–1942) were two Soviet prose authors of the 1920s and 1930s. They did much of their writing together, and are almost always referred to as "Ilf and Petrov." They became extremely popular for the two their satirical novels: The Twelve Chairs and its sequel, The Little Golden Calf. The two texts are connected by their main character, a con man Ostap Bender out 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 popular films both in the USSR and in the U.S. (by Mel Brooks in the latter).

The two writers also traveled across the Depression-era USA. 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 Одноэтажная Америка; literally: "One-storeyed 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.

Ilf died of tuberculosis shortly after the trip to America; Petrov died in a plane crash in 1942 while he was covering the Great Patriotic War.

Biographies

Ilya Ilf

The biography of Ilya Ilf (pseudonym of Ilya Arnoldovich Fainzilberg) is one of a Jew from Odessa. He was born in 1897, into the family of Arnold Fainzilberg, a bank clerk, who wanted his descendants to realize happiness and material bliss in business. His two older sons, Aleksandr and Mikhail, did not follow their father’s commercial ideals, but instead became artists. Ilya, the third son, graduated from a technical school in 1913, but after trying his hand at a number of professions, including working in an architect’s office, aviation plant and hand grenade factory, as a statistician, and a bookkeeper, he, too, became an artist. He became an editor of a humor magazine “Sindektikon” (in which he published poems under women’s pseudonyms), and a member of an Odessa poets society. Moscow attracted restless Odessa artistic spirits, and Ilya Ilf soon, in 1923, became a journalist for the magazines “Gudok” (“The Whistle”) and “Moriak”, where he published his first works. During his visit to Central Asia, he witnesses a clash between the old customs and the new system, which became one of the central themes of “The Twelve Chairs”.

Evgeny Petrov

Yevgeny Petrov ( younger brother of Valentin Katayev), was also born in Odessa, the son of a history teacher. He graduated in 1920 from a grammar school and started his career as a journalist. In 1921 he became a correspondent for “The Ukrainian Telegraphy.” Before moving to Moscow in 1923, he worked at Odessa Criminal Investigation Department. His very first literary work was published in the form of records, from conducting an investigation regarding the discovery of the body of an unknown man.

“I’m leaving for Moscow… There is a revolver in my pocket. I am a very skinny and proud young man. And provincial… September… You can feel the cold… As a southerner, I am not used to it… I am driving through Moscow in a high, dirty coach. I have come with no conquering goals, and I have made no plans.”

Petrov was appointed sub-editor of the satirical journal “Krasnyi perets” (“Red Paper”), and in 1923, he joined the staff of the newspaper “Gudok”. Originally, Petrov had no ambitions to become a writer. However, his older brother, the novelist Valentin Katayev (1897-1986), encouraged him to compose short stories, a small collection of which was published in 1924. Petrov married in 1929. From 1932 he contributed to both “Pravda” (“Truth”) and “Krokodil” (“The Crocodile”). In 1925, Petrov met Ilf, who also worked for “Gudok.”

Pseudonyms

Ilya Fainzilberg formed his pseudonym by putting together the two first letters of his name and the first letter of his last name. The younger half of the author team also took a pseudonym. Since there were already two talented writers named Katayev—Yevgeny’s older brother Valentin, and popular journalist, Ivan Katayev,—Yevgeny created a pseudonym from to his father’s name Peter.

Teaming up

Sometime in the summer of 1927, Valentin Katayev suggested to Ilf and Petrov (who, by that time, had known each other for two years as associates in the magazine “Gudok”), to start a “creative combine,” for which he would serve as a kind of a Dumas-like father. According to Katayev, Ilya and Yevgeny would write a humoristic novel together, and he would polish it, and give his blessing for printing. On that occasion, Katayev told the two humorists of an idea for a novel about some missing chairs, and the adventures of people in search of them. After discussing it with Katayev, the two writers immediately started writing a novel with the unusual idea.

This moment saw the birth of Soviet humorist team and a novel that would be published later that year and bring its authors worldwide recognition.

REGIONAL CENTRE N.

Ilya Arnoldovich Fainzilberg, who married in 1923, was a considerate husband. Even so, during the work on the novel “The Twelve Chairs” he came home in the early hours, sometimes shortly before daybreak. Neighbors might have thought that this journalist is, in fact, most diligently visiting Moscow bars. However, colleagues from “Gudok” knew that Ilf and Petrov were staying late at night in the editor’s office to write a novel, or were walking around Moscow, discussing individual situations, characters and the style of writing. Ilf and Petrov felt that the beginning sentence, exquisite, brilliant, capable of introducing the reader into the atmosphere of the novel, is floating somewhere, very near, within their pen’s reach, but still stays elusive. The first phrase escaped them for a long time. The character of the stupid and clumsy Vorobyaninov, had already been sketched, it had been decided to name the mother-in-law madam Pjetuhova, and to name the funeral home “Do-Us-the-Honor.” But, the first sentence they just couldn’t find. They renounced many possibilities, until finally Ilf’s “simple and old-fashioned” words were accepted:

“There were many hairdressing establishments and funeral homes in the regional centre of N. …”

This was just the beginning of a very amusing sentence about many hairdressing establishments and funeral homes in the regional centre N., where, as it appeared,

“people were born merely in order to have a shave, get their hair cut, freshen up their heads with toilet water, and then die.”

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

Ilf and Petrov returned from the United States of America richened with experience, and a substantial material which was soon shaped into the book “Little Golden America” (1936) and the short story “Tonya” (1937). But, during their stay in America, Ilf became seriously ill. Ilya’s otherwise fragile health lost what little resistance it had during a rather tiring two-month trip across the country, in a gray Ford. One evening, in New Orleans, Ilf said to Petrov:

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this Zenya. I feel very bad. For ten days now I’ve been having chest pains. It hurts constantly, day and night. I can’t fight it. And today, while we were walking the cemetery, I coughed, and saw blood. After that, blood went during the whole day…”

Sickness crawled into Ilf’s days, menacingly threatening… The same sickness that extinguished the brief life of Antoine Pavlovich Chekhov. Tuberculosis… Ilf’s life was rapidly coming to an end. According to Petrov’s writings, the patient knew he was dying. Of his illness, Ilya Arnoldovich spoke reluctantly. Almost nothing changed in his conversations with friends. As always, he was tactful and shrewdly ironic, with a high measure of wittiness. Although sometimes, very rarely, a bitter word would escape him. A word of a man who senses that his days are numbered. On the thirteenth of April 1937, fifteen months after that conversation in New Orleans, a great Soviet humorist and satirist, Ilya Ilf, died.

On that occasion, a friend approached Yevgeny Petrov:

“I feel like you are being buried today as well”

. The answer was affirmative and serene:

“Yes, this is my funeral, too.”

After Ilf’s death, it was very hard for Petrov to get used to the idea that Ilysha was gone, that there wouldn’t be work in two’s anymore, throughout the constant exchange of suggestions and remarks. For the rest of his life, Yevgeny couldn’t completely come to tearms with that thought. He couldn’t get over that irreparable loss. Completely naturally, Petrov thought of it as his obligation, as for the memory of Ilf, so for the readers, to write an extensive book on Ilya. A book which would widely, many-sidedly and truly light up his character and the process of creation of the celebrated writer Ilf-Petrov… No one else could, even by far, imagine taking on himself such an enterprise. But, even for Petrov, the thought of the book “My friend Ilf“ created great difficulties: through Ilf’s psychological profile it was to be shown, in full extent, a unique union of inner beauty, intellectual strength, reserved wittiness. Faced with the complexity of the issue and the material for the book “My friend Ilf “, too engaged in other quests, probably followed by a thought that exactly that deep, irrepairable pain sets the highest standards for the literary solution, Yevgeny Petrov couldn’t realize his purpose. He didn’t write a comprehensive literary work about Ilya Ilf.

PETROV WITHOUT ILF

Out of thirty-nine years of Yevgeny Petrov’s life, the decade he spent with Ilf was the most beautiful one. Not only did it manifest creative and personal friendship, but was also the richest in aspirations, conceptions. When their cooperation was interrupted by Ilf’s death, Petrov was forced to answer a question: which way to go without Ilf? The contours of Petrov’s answer started to portray gradually. He makes sketches of a fictitious novel, but soon, along with journalism, film starts to take over Yevgeny Petrov’s interests. In the period from Ilf’s death, up until Hitler’s attack on Soviet Union, Petrov offers the national film four scripts: “The Air Coachman”, “A Musical Event”, “Antoan Ivanovich is fuming” and “A Restless Character”. While he wrote the first script independently, the other three resulted from his collaboration with the author Gregory Munblit . All the scripts, except the last one, were filmed. Petrov also expressed himself in the dramatic literature domain. In 1940, under the influence of the events in France of that period, and the bombing of England, he writes a satirical novel “The Island of Peace”. In 1941, the war subject completely takes over his work. He becomes a war correspondent. From the very beginning of Hitler’s invasion, Yevgeny visits fronts, crossing thousands of miles under difficult conditions, very often, exposing himself to the same peril as the fighters. His heart is not in perfect health, but he doesn’t know of fatigue- or, more accurately, he never says he is tired. Petrov’s newspaper stories“Moscow is behind us”, “The Commandant and the Commissar”, “Birds of Mayor Zacayev”, “Katya”, and many others, date from that period, thus making an impressive war journal. Petrov continued his literary work, writing for the newspaper “Literaturnaya gazeta" (“Literary Gazette”) and the magazine ”Ogonyok” (“Little Light”). In the latter part of June 1942, Petrov is getting prepared for a dangerous flight to Crimea, Sevastopol, which is being held under siege by fascist troupes. On the eve of the departure, he asks Konstantine Simonov, a writter, to borrow his overcote. He tries it on, and with a smile says to Simonov:

“If you guarantee me safety, I’ll guarantee the same to your overcoat. Therefore, it is left up you to, either wait for no one, or for’ both’ of us.”

The next day he left, never to return again. He died on 2nd July, 1942, on his way back from the town under siege.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

The satiric activity of Ilf and Petrov didn’t come across an adequate recognition in their country. On the contrary, the authors had many difficulties publishing thttp://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/button_link.png Internal linkheir work. “The Twelve Chairs” received a well-deserved applause abroad, but the Soviet critique remained silent. Ilf and Petrov were considered light humorists, who deserve to have their work published only in humor magazines, or even as unwanted “destroyers of the system.” Years of domination of the writers’ organization RAPP put a stamp on the fate of satire. Ilf and Petrov were, naturally, affected. Thanks to Maxim Gorky’s intervention, “The Little Golden Calf“ was approved for printing. Otherwise, it would have never been published. Out of all the literary works they published subsequently, only “One-storied America” aka “Little Golden America,” in 1936, received recognition. A novel which criticized American capitalistic nature, fought against race discrimination and took a stand for a fairer status of the black and the poor. The series of stories and feuilletons “How Robinson Was Created” and “A Rejoiceful Individual”, didn’t appeal to the critics. The scripts and the comedies of the two writers weren’t spared either. “Under the Circus Tent” suffered many alterations until it was finally realized in the film “The Circus”. “Once During the Summer” (1932) suffered the same fate, and the comedy “The Rich Bride” (1936) was never performed. During those years, dark clouds appeared in the sky of the Soviet literature. Except in the paper “Pravda,” which, among other things, ensured them two great trips abroad (to Europe 1933-1934, and to America 1935-1936), the two writers came across numerous obstacles almost everywhere. At the moment of Ilf’s death, the fate of the Soviet satire was already sealed. Later works of Yevgeny Petrov show that in the years that followed only satire against capitalism and fascism was allowed. In the forties, Stalin’s politics ended Ilf and Petrov’s situation during RAPP. Attacks and lack of understanding were replaced by not being published at all. They were not written about, nor spoken of. Only after Stalin’s death, the studying of literary works of these prominent humorists started again. Today they rightfully occupy a prominent position, and are well-known all over the world

Bibliography

• The Twelve Chairs (1928, Двенадцать стульев)
• The Little Golden Calf (1931, Золотой теленок)
• Одноэтажная Америка (literally: "One-storeyed America")
  • Translation: Little Golden America (1937, reprint 1974: ISBN 0-405-05461-0)
• Ilf and Petrov's American Road Trip (Cabinet Magazine and Princeton Architectural Press, 2006). This is a translation of "American Photographs" published in Ogonyok.

Bibliography

• The Twelve Chairs (1928, Двенадцать стульев)
• The Little Golden Calf (1931, Золотой теленок)
• Одноэтажная Америка (literally: "One-storeyed America")
  • Translation: Ilf, Ilya, Evgeny Petrov. 1974. Little Golden America. New York, NY: Beaufort Books. ISBN 0-405-05461-0.
• Ilf, Ilya, Evgeny Petrov, Erika Wolf, ed. 2006. Ilf and Petrov's American Road Trip: The 1935 Travelogue of Two Soviet Writers. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 1568986009.

External links

• Ilf and Petrov's American Road Trip:The 1935 Travelogue of Two Soviet Writers. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
• American Photographs: The Road First chapter of American Photographs translated and published in Cabinet magazine, no. 14. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
• Soviet Writers, American Images: Ilf and Petrov tour the United States. Retrieved September 28, 2007.

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