Valentin Kataev’s Followers (14)

Valentin Kataev

Born

in Odessa, Ukraine

January 28, 1897

Died

April 12, 1986

Genre

Fiction, Young Adult, Memoir

edit data

Valentin Petrovich Kataev (Russian: Валентин Катаев; also spelled Katayev or Kataiev) was a Russian and Soviet novelist and playwright who managed to create penetrating works discussing post-revolutionary social conditions without running afoul of the demands of official Soviet style. Kataev is credited with suggesting the idea for the Twelve Chairs to his brother Yevgeni Petrov and Ilya Ilf. In return, Kataev insisted that the novel be dedicated to him, in all editions and translations. Kataev's relentless imagination, sensitivity, and originality made him one of the most distinguished Soviet writers.

Kataev was born in Odessa (then Russian Empire, now Ukraine) into the family of a teacher and began writing while he was still in gimnaziya ( Valentin Petrovich Kataev (Russian: Валентин Катаев; also spelled Katayev or Kataiev) was a Russian and Soviet novelist and playwright who managed to create penetrating works discussing post-revolutionary social conditions without running afoul of the demands of official Soviet style. Kataev is credited with suggesting the idea for the Twelve Chairs to his brother Yevgeni Petrov and Ilya Ilf. In return, Kataev insisted that the novel be dedicated to him, in all editions and translations. Kataev's relentless imagination, sensitivity, and originality made him one of the most distinguished Soviet writers.

Kataev was born in Odessa (then Russian Empire, now Ukraine) into the family of a teacher and began writing while he was still in gimnaziya (high school). He did not finish the gimnaziya but volunteered for the army in 1915, serving in the artillery. After the October Revolution he was mobilized into the Red Army, where he fought against General Denikin and served in the Russian Telegraph Agency. In 1920, he became a journalist in Odessa; two years later he moved to Moscow, where he worked on the staff of The Whistle (Gudok), where he wrote humorous pieces under various pseudonyms.

His first novel, The Embezzlers (Rastratchiki, 1926), was printed in the journal "Krasnaya Nov". A satire of the new Soviet bureaucracy in the tradition of Gogol, the protagonists are two bureaucrats "who more or less by instinct or by accident conspire to defraud the Soviet state". The novel was well received, and the seminal modernist theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski asked Kataev to adapt it for the stage. It was produced at the world-famous Moscow Art Theatre, opening on 20 April 1928. A cinematic adaptation was filmed in 1931.

His comedy Quadrature of the circle (Kvadratura kruga, 1928) satirizes the effect of the housing shortage on two married couples who share a room.

His novel Time, Forward! (Vremya, vperyod!, 1932) describes workers' attempts to build the huge steel plant at Magnitogorsk in record time. Its title was taken from a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky. its theme is the speeding up of time in the Soviet Union where the historical development of a century must be completed in ten years". The heroes are described as "being unable to trust such a valuable thing as time, to clocks, mere mechanical devices." Kataev adapted it as a screenplay, which filmed in 1965.

A White Sail Gleams (Beleyet parus odinoky, 1936) treats the 1905 revolution and the Potemkin uprising from the viewpoint of two Odessa schoolboys. In 1937, Vladimir Legoshin directed a film version, which became a classic children's adventure. Kataev wrote its screenplay and took an active part in the filming process, finding locations and acting as an historical advisor. Many of his contemporaries considered the novel to be a prose poem. ...more

Combine Editions
Valentin Kataev’s books

Average rating: 3.92 · 1,666 ratings · 159 reviews · 143 distinct works • Similar authors

	Цветик-семицветик by Valentin Kataev, Валентин Катаев 4.17 avg rating — 212 ratings — published 1940 — 60 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Белеет парус одинокий (Волны Черного моря, #1) by Valentin Kataev, Валентин Катаев 4.05 avg rating — 212 ratings — published 1936 — 41 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Сын полка by Valentin Kataev, Валентин Катаев really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 179 ratings — published 1953 — 38 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Алмазный мой венец by Valentin Kataev, Валентин Катаев 4.19 avg rating — 124 ratings — published 1979 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Time, Forward! by Valentin Kataev, Charles Malamuth (Translation), Edward J. Brown (Foreword) 3.12 avg rating — 156 ratings — published 1976 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Grass of Oblivion by Valentin Kataev, Robert Daglish (Translator) 4.08 avg rating — 50 ratings — published 1969 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Embezzlers 3.88 avg rating — 43 ratings — published 1926 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Хуторок в степи really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 29 ratings — published 1976 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Уже написан Вертер really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 23 ratings — published 1980 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Разбитая жизнь, или Волшебный рог Оберона by Valentin Kataev, Валентин Катаев 4.59 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 1976 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Valentin Kataev…

Quotes by Valentin Kataev (?)

“You have never been to Leningrad before?"
"No, never."
"Neither have I been there. But they say it is a famous town. A European centre.”
― Valentin Kataev, The Embezzlers

tags: prospektors

1 likes

“Each person has his own manner of waking in the morning after a drunken orgy, and as nothing is unknown to a Soviet citizen, so there is nothing strange in the fact that one Soviet citizen wakes up in one way, another so, and a third prefers not to awaken, but lies with face to the wall and eyes closed, waiting in vain for the friends who have forgotten to bring him half a vodka and a cucumber.”
― Valentin Kataev, The Embezzlers

tags: own-private-idaho

1 likes

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Goodreads Librari...: Book issues (mostly Russian editions)	956	430	Jun 03, 2020 09:26AM
Goodreads Librari...: (DONE) Book issues (Slavic editions). v.8	972	978	Dec 14, 2022 09:12AM
2025 Reading Chal...: Elena's 60 in 2022	16	69	Dec 30, 2022 11:21PM
Goodreads Librari...: (DONE) Clean up: Children's books	1004	1362	Apr 16, 2024 03:17AM
BACK<<<to the CLA...: Antiques Roadshow (June 2024 challenge)	22	24	Jun 30, 2024 11:15AM
BACK<<<to the CLA...: January - World Snow Day	27	26	Feb 01, 2025 05:04PM
BACK<<<to the CLA...: March - International Day of Happiness	29	20	Apr 29, 2025 09:12AM
BACK<<<to the CLA...: * A-Z characters annual challenge	15	29	Jul 08, 2025 09:55AM

More…

Valentin Kataev’s Followers (14)

Valentin Kataev

Combine EditionsValentin Kataev’s books

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Valentin Kataev’s books