Ilya Ilf (1897–1937)

Written in the 1920s, this is not your typical Russian fare. Filled with humor, this book examines Russian society in the aftermath of the Russian revolution. Ippolit Matveyevich Vorobyaninov was a nobleman and, on her deathbed, his mother-in-law reveals she hid all of her jewels in one of the twelve dining room chairs. Off he goes to find out what happened to his property, but quickly discovers that she also told her priest, who secretly longs to be a factory owner. Having no idea how to locate the chairs nor gain access to them, the nobleman partners with Ostap Bender, a con artist, referred to as the "smooth operator." Their adventures are quite comical, as is the ending. Enjoyed this one.… (more)

Plot:
It is 1927 and Ippolit works as a town magistrate in the Soviet Union. When his mother-in-law dies, she reveals that she has hidden her fortune in one of the twelve matching chairs in the dining room. The problem is that those chairs were appropriated when the communists took over. Ippolit decides to track down the chairs, but he is not exactly born for this kind of endeavor. Con-man Ostap Bender, on the other hand, is and when he finds out about Ippolit's search, he invites himself along for it.

Twelve Chairs lives mostly off Ostap Bender who is simply a fantastic character. Other than that, though, the book wasn't so much my cup of tea and I often failed to see the sense of humor in it.

Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2019/12/09/twelve-chairs-ilya-ilf-yevgeni-petrov/… (more)