Lazar Lagin

Soviet writer
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroSoviet writer
PlacesRussia
wasWriter Children's writer Science fiction writer Screenwriter Poet
Work fieldFilm, TV, Stage & Radio Literature
Gender
Male
Genres:Novel Powest Pamphlet
Birth21 November 1903, Vitebsk, Belarus
Death16 June 1979Moscow, Russia (aged 75 years)
Star signScorpio
Politics:Communist Party Of The Soviet Union
Awards
Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" 
Order of the Patriotic War 2nd class 
Order of the Red Banner of Labour 
Medal "For the Defence of Odessa" 
Medal "For the Defence of Sevastopol" 
Notable Works
Old Khottabych 
The details

Biography

Lazar Yosifovych Lagin (Russian: Ла́зарь Ио́сифович Лагин) was the pen name of Lazar Ginzburg (4 December 1903, Vitebsk – 4 June 1979, Moscow), a Soviet author of children's and science fiction books.

Lagin is best known for his ever-popular book Starik Hottabych (Старик Хоттабыч, Old Man Hottabych, 1938), a fairy tale telling the story of a genie who is freed from captivity by a Soviet schoolboy. The genie, as is to be expected, has some trouble in adapting to modern life values and technological development. The book was recommended to school libraries by Ministry of general and professional education of Russian Federation; it was made into the film Old Khottabych in 1956.

Lagin's science fiction novels are set in imaginary Western "capitalist" countries and satirize misuse of scientific inventions in bourgeois society. His novella Major Well Andyou (Майор Велл Эндъю) is a satiric sequel to H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds.

Lagin was also a screenplay writer, producing, for instance, the screenplay for the 1967 animation film Passion of Spies.

In English

  • The Old Genie Hottabych, Fredonia Books, 2001.

In Hindi

  • Beeswin sadi ka jinn. New Delhi, Rajkamal publications. Translated by famous Hindi Writer Kamaleshwar.
The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 24 Apr 2020. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.