Deniska's Tales

Victor Yuzefovich Dragunsky (1913–1972) was a Soviet writer and actor. The future writer was born in New York City. His parents moved to the USA shortly before the birth of their son, but they did not settle well in their new environment and soon returned to their homeland, Gomel. Victor lost his father at a young age and started working from an early age to financially support his mother. In 1925, the Dragunsky family moved to Moscow. There, Victor finished school, began working, and started attending a literary and theatrical workshop. Since 1935, Dragunsky acted on the theatrical stage. His acting career had to be put on hold with the onset of World War II: Victor Yuzefovich was not drafted into the army due to health reasons, so he joined the militia and in 1943 received the medal “For the Defense of Moscow.” After the war, the life of the writer, an artistic and enthusiastic person, remained closely linked to the theater for many years; for a while, he even performed as a clown in the circus. In 1948, Dragunsky founded the theatrical association “Blue Bird.” The troupe staged humorous miniatures on topical themes and presented parodies, thereby earning success with the audience. In the 1950s, Dragunsky began to regularly publish his feuilletons and stories in magazines. Gradually, his interest in literature began to prevail over his interest in theater. In 1959, the first texts of his future cycle “Deniska's Tales” began to be published. The main character of the cycle became the schoolboy Denis Korablyov, who often finds himself in various amusing situations. The prototype of the cheerful and observant boy was the writer's son, Denis. These stories quickly won the love of the public and made Victor Dragunsky a classic of children's domestic literature. Films were made and plays were staged based on his stories, and collections of tales about the curious boy are still in demand today.