Russian humorist and satirist. His sketches and short stories, written in the language
of an uneducated Soviet citizen, contrasted the ideals with the reality of Soviet life.
His gibes at bureaucracy, vulgarity, and petty-mindedness often brought him into
conflict with officialdom. Although he was an extremely popular writer, he was
attacked by the Communist Party secretary Zhdanov in 1946 for ‘cosmopolitan’
views, and ceased to write. His stories include ‘Bania/The Bathhouse’ and
‘Prikliucheniia obeziana/Adventures of a Monkey ‘ 1946.