Vladimir Bill-Belotserkovskii

Born Dec. 28, 1884 (Jan. 9, 1885), in Aleksandriia, Kherson Province; died Mar. 1, 1970, in Moscow. Russian Soviet writer; Honored Worker in the Arts (1935). Became a member of the CPSU in 1917. Spent eight years as a sailor on schooners and steamships in the Russian and English merchant fleets and about seven years in the USA, where he was a laborer and window-washer. Returned to Russia in 1917 and took part in the Civil War.

Bill’-Belotserkovskii began to be published in 1918. In 1920 he published the collection of short stories Laughter Through Tears. His plays Rare Beefsteak (1920), Echo (1924), and Steer Left (1925) are concerned with international workers’ solidarity. In his best work, the play The Gale (1926), the leading role of the Party in the socialist transformation of the country, as well as the poetry of creative labor, was shown on the Soviet stage for the first time. Bill’-Belotserkovskii also wrote the plays Calm (1927), Moon on the Left (1928), Voice of the Womb (1929), Life Is Calling (1934), and Skin Color (1948; presented under the title Around the Ring in 1949). Bill’-Belotserkovskii’s best works are distinguished by social insight, dynamism, and a publicistic quality. He was awarded three orders, as well as medals.