Yuri Olesha (, February 19, 1899 – May 10, 1960) was a Russian novelist. He is considered to have been one of the greatest Russian novelists of the 20th-century, one of the few to have succeeded in writing works of lasting artistic value despite the stifling censorship of the era. His works are delicate balancing acts that superficially send pro-Communist messages but reveal far greater subtlety and richness upon a deeper reading. Sometimes, he is grouped with his friends Ilf and Petrov, Isaac Babel, and Sigismund Krzhizhanovsky into Odessa School of Writers.

Olesha was brought up in Odessa and studied in the University of Novorossiya in 1916-18. Three authors that influenced him most were HG Wells, Robert Stevenson, and Leo Tolstoy. In Russia, Olesha's name is familiar for the fairy tale Three Fat Men (1924), which Aleksey Batalov made into a movie in 1967. In English-speaking countries, he has been known for two books of short-stories that have appeared in English, Love and Other Stories and The Cherrystone - both concerned with dreams of adolescence. But his artistic reputation rests primarily upon his 1927 novel Envy.

As Soviet literary policy became more and more rigid, the ambiguity in Olesha's work became unacceptable. Less than a decade after the publication of Envy, he was condemned by the literary establishment, and fearing arrest he ceased writing anything of literary value. Olesha died in 1960, too early to benefit from the later loosening of censorship. His remarkable diaries were published posthumously under the title No Day without a Line.

More on [ Yury Olesha ]

NPR Topics: Authors

Welsh Awards Snafu Leaves Red Faces
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:41:00 -0400
Welsh Assembly Culture Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas has apologized for naming the wrong person winner of the Wales Book of the Year. He named Tom Bullough, who briefly thought he had won. Dannie Abse was the actual winner. Thomas apologized to both.
Who Wrote Shakespeare's Plays? Debate Goes On
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:01:00 -0400
Centuries later, doubts persist that William Shakespeare penned the works that bear his name. Skeptics include not only scholars but also famous folks, ranging from Orson Welles to Mark Twain.
'Netherland' Flirts With Greatness Of 'Gatsby'
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:53:00 -0400
With plenty of nods to The Great Gatsby Joseph O'Neill's Netherland explores dreams and ambition in post-Sept. 11 New York City. Maureen Corrigan calls the novel "marvelous."
The Twisted Journey Of 'Napoleon's Privates'
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:22:00 -0400
How did Napoleon's penis end up in New Jersey? Tony Perrottet, the author of the new book, Napoleon's Privates: 2,500 Years of History Unzipped, outlines the route the emperor's organ took from the island of St. Helena in 1821 to a briefcase under the bed of a New Jersey urologist.
Rival Actors Sparked Fatal 'Shakespeare Riots'
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:40:00 -0400
Shakespeare's works inspire strong emotions both on stage and off. Author Nigel Cliff talks about his book The Shakespeare Riots: Revenge, Drama and Death in 19th-Century America, which tells the story of an argument between two actors that led to a deadly riot.
1960: A Pivotal Year For The Olympics
Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:00:00 -0400
The 1960 Rome Olympics were the first commercially televised games, saw the first doping scandal and the first commercial endorsement. David Maraniss, author of "Rome 1960: The Olympics that Changed the World," calls the year pivotal for the games.

Subscribe to Authors RSS feed