In 1960, reporter Yulian Semyonov became a member of the USSR Union of Writers and after that, actively worked as a writer for almost 30 years. Semyonov achieved a wide renown in the USSR with his novel series, “Political Chronicles” by the common name, united by the principal character, Soviet scout Isaev – Stierlitz. Time Magazine's reporter John Kohan defined him as "the Soviet James Bond".^[1] In the USSR (and later in Russia) there were published more than 100 million of this series books.^[2] The novels of this cycle were translated into many world languages. Later, in so called “Militia Series” novels (“Petrovka, 38”, “Ogareva, 6”), Semyonov introduced the “police procedural” construction in Soviet literature.

Early works

The story “Diplomatic Agent”, the first noticeable work published, was written in 1958 after the trip to Kabul, where Semyonov was assigned a job as a Pashto and Dari interpreter in 1955.

Semyonov's first fiction works were by no means adventure novels – they were full of romanticism and focussed on ordinary toilers: “Five Stories from Geologist N. N. Ryabinina’s Life” (1958), a short-story cycle about geologists; “Weekdays and Holidays” (1959), a short-story cycle about builders of the taiga mainline; “People Storm the Sky” (1960), collected stories about builders of the East-Siberian mainline; “… On the Official Duty” (1962), a story about polar pilots (which became one of the most noticeable anti-Stalin works published by the “Yunost” magazine at the beginning of the 1960s); “The Rain in the Rainwater Pipes”; “My Heart is in the Mountains”; “Farewell to the Beloved Woman”, and many others.

In 1962 there was published the autobiographical short stories cycle “37-56” (“In the Summer of the Thirty-Seventh”, “The Autumn of the Fifty-Second”, “That Night in Yaroslavl”, “Soldier’s Fate in America”, “The First Day of Freedom”) on the “anti-Stalin” topic. In the end of the 1980s Semyonov got back to these stories and included them into the final edition of “Unwritten Novels”.

The “Isaev – Stierlitz” Series

The series began with the short novel “No Password Needed” (1966). During all further years Semyonov traces from the very beginning the biography of the character created. He appears in 12 works, being written for a period of nearly 25 years.

In 1969 a new novel of the series appeared – “Seventeen Instants of Spring”, a story of a Stierlitz spy work, during 17 days at the very end of World War II, being the base for the similarly-named 12-episode TV series shoot in 1973 by director Tatyana Lioznova. The series evoked people's affection for the image of Stierlitz, acted by Vyacheslav Tikhonov.^[3]

Stierlitz played by Tikhonov became at once the popular hero and the main character of many anecdotes (so cаlled Stierlitz jokes). In the Soviet culture his name became common meaning a shrewd, keen in conspiracy, and above all, very lucky person.^[4]

The novel and the screenplay gave unprecedented humanity and depth to its Nazi characters. This was helped further by the exceptional performances by the first-rate actors cast in the series. “Stierlitz” is a composite image of various Soviet agents.^[5]

The writer himself divided his Stierlitz works into 2 relative subcycles:

• “Alternative” (published as the four-volume edition in 1975 -1978), including such books as “Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat”, “No Password Needed”, “Tenderness”, “Spanish Variant”, “Alternative”, “Third Card”, “Major Whirlwind”, “Seventeen Instants of Spring” and “Bomb for the Chairman”;
• “Position” (published as the four-volume edition in 1987), including such books as “Seventeen Instants of Spring” (is included into both subcycles), “The Order to Survive” and “Expansion” (3 parts).

The Isaev – Stierlitz books in succession:

• “Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat” (1971) —is about the investigation of the theft from the State Precious Metals and Gems Repository; action is set to take place in Estonian Republic in 1920s; ^[6]
• “No Password Needed” (novel, 1966)— Cheka embeds a young spy Vladimirov (Isaev) in the White Guard movement in the Far East in 1921–1922;
• “Tenderness” — a story (1975) about the emotional sufferings of Stierlitz in 1927;
• “Spanish Variant” (novel) (1973) — is about Stierlitz's work in Spain in 1938;
• “Alternative” (1974) — the story takes place in Yugoslavia in the spring of 1941;
• “Third Card” (1977) — is about the activities of Hitler agents from the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists in Ukraine at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War;
• “Major Whirlwind” (1967) — is about Kraków being rescued by the Soviet army during the Great Patriotic War;
• “Seventeen Instants of Spring” (1969) — Isaev – Stierlitz is assigned to learn who of the Nazi leaders is going to hold the separate negotiations concerning the truce with the West;
• “The Order to Survive” (1982) — is about the last days of the Third Reich in the spring of 1945;
• “Expansion I” (1984) — is about Isaev – Stierlitz confrontation with Gehlen in Francoist Spain at the end of the 1940s;
• “Expansion II” (1984) — the action takes place in Spain and Argentina at the end of the 1940s;
• “Expansion III” (1984) — the action takes place in Argentina;
• “Despair” (1990) — the return of spy Isaev to the postwar USSR;
• “Bomb for the Chairman” (1970) — already aged Stierlitz chases the Nazi again (the novel was the base for 3-episode TV series shoot "The Life and Death of Ferdinand Luce"(1976)).^[7]

Many novels of this cycle were filmed in the 1960s-80s.

“Militia Series”

In 1963 the first short story dedicated to the Soviet militia daily routine was published, that was “Petrovka, 38”, a story telling about investigation of the theft in the savings bank. The series was continued by the stories “Ogareva, 6” and “Confrontation”. All of them were filmed later on.

In those works Semyonov not only used a captivating storyline, but also introduced the “police procedural” construction in Soviet literature.^[8] The main narrative consists of dialogues alternating with the author's meditations and bright characters’ features.

The stories of the “Militia Series” are united by the common main hero figure, a militia colonel Vladislav Kostenko.

• “Petrovka, 38” (1963) —investigation of the theft in the savings bank.
• “Ogareva, 6” (1972) — solving big thefts of the socialistic property at the Pyatigorsk jewel factory and the murder in Moscow.
• “Confrontation” (1979) — investigation of the murders committed by a hiding Nazi criminal.
• “Reporter” (1987) — the detection of the underground syndicate thieving cultural values.
• “The Secret of Kutuzovsky Avenue” (1990) — the inquest concerning Zoya Fyodorova murder.

Political and historical detectives

Criticism

• Montgomery Brower (1987). "In Yulian Semyonov's Thrillers the Villains Are Cia Types—and Some Say the Author Works for the Kgb". People. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
• David MacFadyen (2001). Red Stars: Personality and the Soviet Popular Song, 1955-1991. Mcgill Queens. ISBN 978-0-7735-2106-3.
• Klaus Mehnert (1983). The Russians and their Favorite Books. Hoover Institution Press. ISBN 978-0-8179-7821-1.
• Ivan Zasursky (2004). Media and Power in post-Soviet Russia. M.E. Sharpe. ISBN 978-0-7656-0863-5.
• Richard Stites (1992). Russian Popular Culture: Entertainment and Society Since 1900. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36214-8.

References

Resources

• Works by Yulian Semyonov @ Librusek (in Russian)