One-storied America
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''One-storied America'' () is a 1937 book based on a published travelogue across the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
by two
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
authors,
Ilf and Petrov Ilya Ilf (Ilya Arnoldovich Feinsilberg or , 1897–1937) and Yevgeny Petrov (Yevgeniy Petrovich Katayev or , 1902–1942) were two Soviet prose authors of the 1920s and 1930s. They did much of their writing together, and are almost alway ...
. The book, divided into eleven chapters and in the uninhibited humorous style typical of Ilf and Petrov, paints a multi-faceted picture of the US. America's entrepreneurial skills and economic achievements are praised, the oppression of the
Black Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, the life of the
Native Americans Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...
in the reservations and the oppression of workers are denounced. The title of the book refers to their impression that the cities of America consist mainly of one- and two-story buildings, in complete contrast to the popular image of America as the land of skyscrapers. Based on this sentence: The United States, which was perceived as the land of machines and technological progress, was of great importance at the time for the Soviet Union, which had set itself the goal of overtaking the United States. This slogan (Russian: догнать и перегнать Америку; "catch up and surpass America") was one of the most important slogans during the ambitious industrialization of the Soviet Union. Given the political climate in the Soviet Union in 1937 when the book was published, with the onset of
Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...
, it is surprising that a version of a book that lovingly satirizes the United States was published.


Origins

Ilf and Petrov traveled across the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
-era United States. On October 7, 1935, a few years after the onset of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
(1929 to 1933), the writers Ilf and Petrov, correspondents of
Pravda ''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, 'Truth') is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most in ...
newspaper, arrived in New York on the
SS Normandie SS ''Normandie'' was a French ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France, for the French Line ''Compagnie Générale Transatlantique'' (CGT). She entered service in 1935 as the largest and fastest passenger ship afloat, transatlantic crossing, ...
passenger ship, which was the most modern ship of the time and its tenth voyage between Europe and America. In those days, the President of the United States was
Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
, who did a lot for rapprochement between the United States and the
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. This allowed the authors to freely move around the country and get acquainted with the life of different layers of American society. The authors lived in America for ten weeks. During this time, they crossed the country twice from end to end. Ilf and Petrov did not speak English and sometimes used the help of Russian-speaking guides. Ilf took many pictures throughout the journey, and the authors produced a photo essay entitled "American Photographs", published in the popular Soviet magazine
Ogoniok ''Ogoniok'' ( rus, Огонёк, Ogonyok, t=Spark, p=ɐɡɐˈnʲɵk, a=Ru-огонёк.ogg; pre-reform orthography: Огонекъ) was one of the oldest weekly illustrated magazines in Russia. History and profile ''Ogoniok'' was first issue ...
— a Soviet analogue to
Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...
.''
Ogoniok ''Ogoniok'' ( rus, Огонёк, Ogonyok, t=Spark, p=ɐɡɐˈnʲɵk, a=Ru-огонёк.ogg; pre-reform orthography: Огонекъ) was one of the oldest weekly illustrated magazines in Russia. History and profile ''Ogoniok'' was first issue ...
'' magazine: 1936, # 11–17, 19–23 (11 photo essays: Ilf's photos, Ilf and Petrov's texts).
American Photographs: The Road
/ref> Work on "One-Story America" began in the United States. The essay "Normandy", which opens the book, was written by Ilf and Petrov shortly after their arrival in America. Under the heading "The Road to New York," it appeared with minor abbreviations in Pravda on November 24, 1935. During the writers' stay in America, Pravda also published their essay "American Encounters" (January 5, 1936), which in the book concludes the 25th chapter, "The Desert". They returned to Moscow in early February 1936 and announced in an interview with a correspondent for ''
Literaturnaya Gazeta ''Literaturnaya Gazeta'' (, ''Literary Gazette'') is a weekly cultural and political newspaper published in Russia and the Soviet Union. It was published for two periods in the 19th century, and was revived in 1929. Overview The current newspa ...
'' that they would write a book about America. Ilf and Petrov published their first brief notes about the trip in 1936 in the ''
Ogonyok ''Ogoniok'' ( rus, Огонёк, Ogonyok, t=Spark, p=ɐɡɐˈnʲɵk, a=Ru-огонёк.ogg; pre-reform orthography: Огонекъ) was one of the oldest weekly illustrated magazines in Russia. History and profile ''Ogoniok'' was first issue ...
'' magazine under the title "American Photos". The text was accompanied by about 150 American photographs by Ilf, which captured the appearance of the country and portraits of people with whom the writers met in America. In 1936, the travel sketches "One-story America" were first published in the magazine "Banner". In 1937 they were published as a separate publication in Roman-Gazeta, in Goslitizdat and in the publishing house Soviet Writer. In the same year the book was reprinted in the Russian cities of
Ivanovo Ivanovo (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Russia and the administrative center and largest city of Ivanovo Oblast, located northeast of Moscow and approximately from Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Russia, Vladimir and Kostroma. ...
,
Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( ) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about north of Vladivostok. As of the 2021 Russian c ...
,
Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...
.I. Ilf, E. Petrov. One-story America. Goslitizdat publishing (Гослитиздат), 1937. "One-Story America" was written rather quickly – in the summer months of 1936. While the book was being written, Pravda published five more essays from it: * June 18 – "Travel to the country of bourgeois democracy"; * July 4 – New York; * July 12 – Electric Gentlemen; * September 5 – Glorious City of Hollywood; * October 18 – "In Carmel". The first edition of the book was supposed to feature Ilf's photographs, but for reasons that remain unknown it was published without any illustrations. Both the photo essay and the book document their adventures with their characteristic humor and playfulness. Notably, Ilf and Petrov were not afraid to praise many aspects of the American lifestyle in these works. Ilf died of tuberculosis soon after his return (April 1937) just as the first edition of the book appeared in print in 1937. The first signs of his tuberculosis became apparent during the trip to America.


Plot

Four people (both authors and the Adams married couple from
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
) bought a brand new Ford with a "noble mouse color" and crossed America from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and back in two months (late 1935-early 1936). The authors: * deeply detailed ordinary life of Americans of that time; * They acquaint the reader with many American celebrities including
Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...
,
Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...
, J. P. Morgan Jr.,
Albert Rhys Williams Albert Rhys Williams (September 28, 1883 – February 27, 1962), commonly known by his middle name, pronounced "Reece," was an American journalist, labor organizer, and publicist. He is most famous for writing memoirs in favor of the 1917 Oct ...
,
Francis Townsend Francis Everett Townsend (; January 13, 1867 – September 1, 1960) was an American physician and political activist in California. In 1933, he devised an old-age pension scheme to help alleviate the Great Depression. Known as the "Townsend Pl ...
, Joseph Steffens,
Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...
, etc.; * Described many cities and towns in America: New York, Chicago, Kansas, Oklahoma, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, El Paso, San Antonio, New Orleans and the US capital – Washington DC; * They visited an Indian wigwam and a Mexican village; * Periodically meet with Russian emigrants, including
Spiritual Christian Spiritual Christianity () is the group of belief systems held by so-called folk Protestants (), including non-Eastern Orthodox indigenous faith tribes and new religious movements that emerged in the Russian Empire. Their origins are varied: some ...
Molokans The Molokans ( rus, молокан, p=məlɐˈkan or , "dairy-eater") are a Russian Spiritual Christian sect that evolved from Eastern Orthodoxy in the East Slavic lands. Their traditions, especially dairy consumption during Christian fasts, ...
in San Francisco; * They talked about some of the national sports: rodeo, wrestling, American football and Mexican bullfighting; * They climbed to the roof of the
Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story, Art Deco-style supertall skyscraper in the Midtown South neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its n ...
in New York and descend deep underground into the
Carlsbad Carlsbad may refer to: Geographical locations * Carlsbad, California, San Diego County, United States ** Carlsbad Santa Fe Depot, NRHP ID No. 93001016 * Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States ** Carlsbad Caverns National Park ** Carlsbad Irriga ...
caves; * Described in detail the unique American invention – the Sing Sing prison "
electric chair The electric chair is a specialized device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The condemned is strapped to a custom wooden chair and electrocuted via electrodes attached to the head and leg. Alfred P. Southwick, a Buffalo, New Yo ...
" and the creation of the first light bulb and phonograph by Edison; * Explained the most beautiful landscapes of America found in the prairies, mountains, forests, and deserts; * Visited the White House, where President Roosevelt held a conversation with United States reporters; * Explains in detail about the production of films in Hollywood; * In Hollywood, they spent two weeks writing a screenplay for
Lewis Milestone Lewis Milestone (born Leib Milstein (Russian: Лейб Мильштейн); September 30, 1895 – September 25, 1980) was an American film director. Milestone directed '' Two Arabian Knights'' (1927) and '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1 ...
. The authors criticized the standard life of Americans, their intellectual passivity, especially young people, and their gullibility. At the same time, the authors admired American roads and excellent service, work ethic, cleanliness and a clear organization in everyday life and at work. From "One-Story America" the Soviet reader first learned about publicity, life on credit and the ideology of consumption (In the chapter "Mr. Ripley's Electric House").


Excerpts

American impressions were explained by the authors in the fiction section of the newspaper, "Hours and People" (1937). :In the Ford plant in Dearborn, was technology that enslaved and crushed people, where workers, chained to machine tools and conveyors, seem to be people deeply unhappy. We seemed to be on another planet. We saw other young workers, healthy and cheerful, passionate about their work, disciplined, friendly with their leaders. We knew about this difference before coming to America, but somehow abstractly. And now, under the still fresh impression of what he had seen in America, we admired this contrast. Every American had instilled the indisputable confidence that we will overcome everything, that everything will be fine and that it cannot be otherwise.


Reprints

During Soviet times, the book was reprinted in 1947, 1961 and 1966, but in these editions its text was subjected to political censorship. Thus, references to Stalin and other political figures disappeared from the text. The text underwent an especially large number of edits when it was published in the Collected Works of Ilf and Petrov in 1961. For example, the sympathetic mention of
Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...
's move from America to Europe after the abduction and murder of his son disappeared from the text, which was probably due to the subsequent friendly relationship of Lindbergh with Nazi German leaders, including
Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...
, who awarded Lindbergh the Nazi German decoration Commander Cross of the Order of the German Eagle. In 2003, a new edition of the book, restored from the original source, was published, including previously unpublished materials from the personal archive of Alexandra Ilyinichna Ilf (daughter of I. Ilf). It first published the letters that Ilf sent to his wife and daughter during the trip, and photographs taken by him in the United States. Together with Petrov's letters, they represent a kind of travel diary and naturally complement the book. In the 2000s, several American universities successfully held exhibitions of Ilf's "American photographs", and in New York a translation of the 1936 "Ogoniok" publication with numerous Ilf photographs were published as ''Ilf and Petrov's American Road Trip: The 1935 Travelogue of Two Soviet Writers'' ().


Translations

''One-Story America'' has been repeatedly published in Bulgarian, English, Spanish, Czech, Serbian, Romanian, French, Italian and other languages. In the US, ''One-storey America'' was first published in 1937, after Ilf's death, by the publishing house
Farrar & Rinehart Farrar & Rinehart (1929–1946) was a United States book publishing company founded in New York. Farrar & Rinehart enjoyed success with both non-fiction and novels, notably, the landmark Rivers of America Series and the first ten books in the Ne ...
, which entitled the book ''Little Golden America''. This name was invented by the publisher, despite the protests of the author – Evgeny Petrov and translator Charles Malamuth. According to the publisher, this title was supposed to remind readers of the previous book by Ilf and Petrov ''The Little Golden Calf'', previously published in the United States.


Reception

Ilf and Petrov's travelogue was criticized in the Soviet Union because it was not party enough and praised many aspects of American life. "One-Story America" was a hit with American readers and received a lot of praise in the press, including:
International Literature ''International Literature'' () was a monthly multi-language literary and political magazine published in the Soviet Union from 1933 to 1943. The magazine was based in Moscow. It was published by the International Union of Revolutionary Writers (' ...
(«Интернациональная литература») 1938, No. 4.
:This book should be noted as a very significant work. Americans and America would benefit greatly if they considered these observations. –
The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second-longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after '' The Express-Times''. The newspaper is owned by Alden Global Capital ...
:Not many of our foreign guests were this distance from Broadway and the main streets of Chicago; not many could tell about their impressions with such liveliness and humor. –
New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the '' New York Tribune'' acquired the '' New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and compet ...
:Here is a book that Americans should read and ponder. We have no right to be angry and rage at the sight of a painted picture. Maybe we really remind her. –
Saturday Review of Literature ''Saturday Review'', previously ''The Saturday Review of Literature'', was an American weekly magazine established in 1924. Norman Cousins was the editor from 1940 to 1971. Under Cousins, it was described as "a compendium of reportage, essays a ...
:This is one of the best books foreigners have written about America. It is a pleasant but sometimes hectic experience to rediscover America through the eyes of the authors of this book. – News Courier, North Carolina :The authors did not allow themselves to be fooled for one minute. They saw slums near the main streets, they saw poverty next to luxury, dissatisfaction with life, everywhere breaking out. –
New Masses ''New Masses'' (1926–1948) was an American Marxist magazine closely associated with the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). It was the successor to both '' The Masses'' (1911–1917) and ''The Liberator'' (1918–1924). ''New Masses'' was later merge ...


Mini-series

Channel One Russia Channel One ( rus, Первый канал, r=Pervý kanal, p=ˈpʲervɨj kɐˈnal, t=First Channel) is a Russian Television in Russia, federal television channel. Its headquarters are located at Ostankino Technical Center near the Ostankino To ...
created a 16-part mini-series in 2008. The goal was not to film the book, but to show viewers what America is today. Two journalists, Vladimir Posner, who grew up in the US, and the younger
Ivan Urgant Ivan Andreyevich Urgant (; born 16 April 1978) is a Russian television host, presenter and actor. His best known roles in film are Boris in the ''Yolki'' series and as Danila in ''Lucky Trouble''. Between 2012 and 2022 he hosted ''Evening Urgant ...
followed the route described in the book (with a few variations, e.g. a trip to Las Vegas) and conducted interviews with locals. The two were accompanied by the American writer and radio journalist
Brian Kahn Brian Kahn (1947–2020) was an American attorney, author, journalist, and public radio host. He founded the weekly public affairs program ''Home Ground'' which is broadcast on 30+ stations/translators in the Rocky Mountain west. On the air since 19 ...
from Montana. The series mixes excerpts and old photos from the book with current images of the same locations. The film compares the impressions of Ilf and Petrov with today's impressions of the film authors. The film crew traveled 17,000 km through America, 25 states and 50 cities in 52 days. The route ran through New York, Cleveland, Detroit, Peoria, Colorado Springs, Gallup, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, El Paso, Houston, New Orleans, Memphis, Washington, DC back to New York.


Notes


External links


''Ilf and Petrov's American Road Trip: The 1935 Travelogue of Two Soviet Writers''
on Google Books

(2012 edition, {{ISBN, 9785386049164) on Google Books
American Photographs: The Road
(In English, one of the 11 episodes of the photo report in the Ogonjok magazine – with text and images. Note: the actual report begins only below, after a longer red introductory text)
Ilf and Petrov's Excellent Adventure: A Look Back at Soviet Writers' 1935 U.S. Trip
Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
Collaborative books Soviet novels Russian novels adapted into films Soviet humour Ukrainian humour Ukrainian novels Ilf and Petrov 1937 books Travelogues Works originally published in Pravda