Vladimir Dmitriyevich Dudintsev
Vladimir Dmitriyevich Dudintsev was a notable Ukrainian-born Russian writer, born on July 29, 1918, in Kupyansk. His early life was marked by tragedy, as his father, a member of the gentry, was executed during the Bolshevik regime. After graduating from the Moscow Law Institute in 1940, he served in World War II, where he was wounded and subsequently worked in a military prosecutor's office in Siberia. Post-war, Dudintsev became a journalist for Komsomolskaya Pravda, gathering stories from across the country.
His literary career began with the 1953 publication of his story collection, "U Semi Bogatyrei." However, it was his controversial 1957 novel "Ne khlebom yedinim" (Not By Bread Alone) that gained significant attention, critiquing Soviet bureaucracy through the challenges faced by an inventor. The novel sparked condemnation from Soviet authorities, including Nikita Khrushchev, while receiving acclaim from Western critics for its exploration of political and economic themes. Dudintsev also ventured into science fiction with "Novogodnyaya skazka" in 1960, and addressed genetic research in his 1987 novel "Belye odezhdy." He passed away near Moscow on July 23, 1998, leaving behind a legacy that continues to prompt discussion about Soviet society and literature.
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Vladimir Dmitriyevich Dudintsev
Author
- Born: July 29, 1918
- Birthplace: Dupiansk, Ukraine
- Died: July 23, 1998
Biography
Vladimir Dmitriyevich Dudintsev was born on July 29, 1918, in Kupyansk, Ukraine. His father was a member of the gentry and was executed by the Bolsheviks. Dudintsev graduated from the Moscow Law Institute in 1940. He fought as a soldier in World War II and was wounded near Leningrad. He spent the rest of the war working in a military prosecutor’s office in Siberia.
Dudintsev worked for the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda after the war. He traveled the country interviewing people and gathering material for his stories. His first story collection, U Semi Bogatyrei (among seven Bogatyrs), was published in 1953. His controversial 1957 novel Ne khlebom yedinim (Not By Bread Alone) caused a sensation when it was first published in serial format in the literary journal Novy Mir in the mid-1950’s. The government, including Khrushchev himself, condemned the novel, which presented a critique of Soviet bureaucracy in its portrayal of an inventor who encounters resistance and miles of red tape in his attempts to aid the Soviet economy. Western outlets lauded the book’s negative portrayal of the Soviet political and economic system.
Novogodnyaya skazka (A New Year’s Fairy Tale), his only work of pure science fiction, was published in 1960. The novel is set on a distant planet where half the people live in complete darkness and half live in light. His novel Belye odezhdy (white robes), whose plot centers on the issue of genetic research, was published in 1987. Dudintsev wrote the screenplay for the movie version of Belye odezhdy, which was released in 1992. He was awarded a State Prize in 1988. He died on July 23, 1998, near Moscow.