Rybakov, Anatolii Naumovich

Born Jan. 1 (14), 1911, in Chernigov. Soviet Russian writer.

The son of an engineer, Rybakov graduated from the Moscow Institute of Railroad Engineers in 1934. He fought in the Great Patriotic War (1941–5).

Rybakov’s first book was an adventure novella for children, The Dagger (1948; film of the same title, 1954); its sequel was the novella The Bronze Bird (1956). Rybakov’s novels The Drivers (1950; State Prize of the USSR, 1951), Ekaterina Voronina (1955; film of the same title, 1957), and Summer in Sosniaki (1964) depict life in a large enterprise and the complex interactions among the people who work there. These works deal with the problem of the individual’s responsibility to himself and society as a whole. Rybakov is the author of the novellas The Adventures of Krosh (1960; film of the same title, 1962), Krosh’s Vacation (1966; film entitled These Innocent Games, 1968), and The Unknown Soldier (1970; film entitled A Moment of Silence, 1971; RSFSR Vasil’ev Brothers Prize, 1973). Written from the point of view of an adolescent, the novellas inculcate moral standards; they are marked by lively dialogue, good-natured irony, and an understanding of contemporary life.

Rybakov’s books have been translated into the languages of the peoples of the USSR and into foreign languages. Rybakov has been awarded three orders and various medals.