Valentin Kataev

Valentin Kataev
BornValentin Petrovich Kataev
(1897-01-28)28 January 1897
Odessa, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire
Died12 April 1986(1986-04-12) (aged 89)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Resting placeNovodevichy Cemetery
OccupationWriter, dramatist, poet, editor, journalist, screenwriter
NationalityRussian
Literary movementSocialist realism
Modernism
RelativesYevgeny Petrov (brother)

Valentin Petrovich Kataev (Russian: Валенти́н Петро́вич Ката́ев; also spelled Katayev or Kataiev; 28 January [O.S. 16 January] 1897 – 12 April 1986) was a Soviet writer and editor 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 Yevgeny Petrov and Ilya Ilf. In return, Kataev insisted that the novel be dedicated to him, in all editions and translations.[1] Kataev's relentless imagination, sensitivity, and originality made him one of the most distinguished Soviet writers.

  1. ^ As related in Kataev's volume of memoirs My Emerald Crown.