Ilf and Petrov facts for kids
Ilya Ilf (born Ilya Arnoldovich Feinsilberg, 1897–1937) and Yevgeni Petrov (born Yevgeniy Petrovich Kataev, 1902–1942) were two famous writers from the Soviet Union. They wrote many stories and books together in the 1920s and 1930s. Because they worked so closely, people almost always refer to them as "Ilf and Petrov." Both writers were born in the city of Odessa.
Their Famous Books
Ilf and Petrov became very well-known for two funny novels: The Twelve Chairs (written in 1928) and its follow-up, The Little Golden Calf (written in 1931). These two books share the same main character, Ostap Bender. He is a clever con man who is always searching for hidden riches.
Both books follow the exciting adventures of Ostap Bender and his friends. They look for treasure in the Soviet Union during the 1920s. This time was known as the New Economic Policy, which was a more relaxed period in Soviet history.
Ostap and his group usually try to stay away from the police. Their adventures show how they live outside the usual, organized society. This also gave the authors a chance to look at society and gently make fun of some of its less perfect parts.
These books are among the most widely read and quoted stories in Russian culture. The Twelve Chairs has been made into about twenty movies! These films were made in the USSR, the US (including one by Mel Brooks), and other countries.
From the late 1920s until 1937, Ilf and Petrov also wrote several plays and movie scripts. They wrote many funny short stories and articles for magazines like Krokodil and Ogoniok. They also wrote for newspapers such as Pravda.
When they first started writing together, Ilf and Petrov sometimes used funny fake names, called pseudonyms. One was Tolstoevsky, which combined the names of famous writers Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. Another was Don Busilio, which came from a character in an opera and a Russian word for making noise.
Their Trip to America
The two writers also traveled across the United States during the Great Depression. This was a time when many people in America were struggling financially. Ilf took many pictures during their journey.
They later wrote a photo essay called "American Photographs" for Ogoniok magazine. Soon after, they published a book called Одноэтажная Америка, which means "One-storied America." It was translated into English as Little Golden America. This title was a playful nod to their earlier book, The Little Golden Calf.
Both the photo essay and the book describe their adventures with their usual humor. It is interesting that Ilf and Petrov were not afraid to say good things about many parts of American life in these works.
See also
In Spanish: Ilf y Petrov para niños
