Grigori Gorin

Grigori Gorin (Russian: Григо́рий Го́рин), real name Grigori Israilevich Ofshtein (Russian: Григо́рий Изра́илевич Офштейн; March 12, 1940, Moscow — June 15, 2000, Moscow), was a Soviet/Russian playwright and writer of Jewish descent.

Gorin is particularly credited with scripts for several plays and films,^[1] which are regarded as important element of cultural reaction to the Era of Stagnation and perestroika in Soviet history.

Biography

Gorin was born in Moscow to a Jewish family of Soviet Army officer father and doctor mother. After graduation from the Sechenov 1st Moscow Medical Institute in 1963, Gorin worked as a ambulance doctor for some time (his mother spent her medical career on similar position).

He was involved in amateur playwriting from his student years. First, with the sketches for the students' local KVN network club. Gorin started publishing his satirical articles and sketches since 1960th, finally choosing writing as the professional career. He worked as a Chief of Humor Department in Yunost magazine, using Galka Galkina pseudonym.

In 1966, first book was published - Four under one cover (co-authored).

In 1978 — 1990 Gorin was a regular participant in the Vokrug Smekha (Around Laughter), the popular TV program.

Dramaturgy

• Til, 1970 — loosely based on Till Eulenspiegel and other national folklore
• Forget Herostratus! - tragic comedy, 1972
• The Very Truthful, 1974 - about Baron Munchausen
• The House That Swift Built, 1980
• Phenomenons, 1984
• Good Bye, Compere!, 1985
• Domestic Cat of Average Downiness, 1989 - co-authorship with Vladimir Voynovich
• Memorial prayer, 1989 theatrical, 1993 televised version - loosely based on a Sholem Aleichem work
• Kean IV, 1991 — loosely based on Edmund Kean's biography
• Plague on both your houses!, 1994 — a loose sequel to Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
• Royal games, 1995
• Luckyman-Unluckyman (Schastlivtsev-Neschastlivtsev), 1997
• Balakirev The Buffoon, 1999 theatrical, 2002 televised version

Screenplays

• To Kill a Dragon, 1988
• My Tenderly Loved Detective, 1986 (post-modernist comedy based on the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)
• Formula of Love, 1984
• The House That Swift Built, 1983
• Say a Word for the Poor Hussar, 1980
• Naked Kurentsov, 1980
• Case on a Factory No. 6, 1980
• That Very Munchausen, 1979
• Velvet Season, 1978
• 100 Grammes for Bravery, 1976
• You to Me, Me to You, 1976
• Small Comedies of a Big House, 1975
• Stop Potapov!, 1974

Cultural impact

Many of Gorin's aphorisms became popular among the Soviet people, e. g. piano in the bushes, which means painstaking preparations for a would-be impromptu.^[2] This particular one appeared in a humoresque called Quite accidentally by Arkanov and Gorin, published in that 1966 book.^[3]

References

1. mostly those by Mark Zakharov and Eldar Ryazanov.
2. (Russian) Comments on "piano in the bushes" at Gramota.ru
3. Arkady Arkanov, anchor of Vokrug Smekha Non-Stop at Russian Kultura TV channel website

External links

• Grigori Gorin at the Internet Movie Database
• (Russian) Grigori Gorin at Lib.ru