Deniska's Stories

Viktor Yuzefovich Dragunsky (1913-1972) was born in New York City to immigrant parents from Russia. Soon, the parents returned to their homeland in Gomel, and in 1925, the family moved to Moscow. At the age of 16, Viktor became an apprentice lathe operator at a factory, then worked as a cobbler at a factory, and as a rower on the Moscow River. In 1930, he began attending the "Literary and Theatrical Workshops." Later, he performed as an actor at the Transport Theater (now the N. V. Gogol Theater). However, he was drawn to the circus and organized small theatrical groups; the performers sang, danced, and acted out sketches. He led one such cheerful ensemble called "The Blue Bird" for ten years. In 1940, his first feuilletons and humorous stories were published. In 1961, the novella "He Fell on the Grass" was released, about the first days of the war, as well as the books "He Is Alive and Glows," "Tell Me About Singapore," and three years later, the novella about a clown "Today and Daily," which was adapted to film twice. The first stories about a boy named Deniska, a mischievous and resourceful dreamer, appeared in 1959, and Dragunsky named his main children's book "Deniska's Stories." These cheerful and naughty stories are now enjoyed by grandparents reading to their grandchildren.