How the Steel Was Tempered
Encyclopedia
How the Steel Was Tempered (Russian: Как закалялась сталь, Kak zakalyalas' stal' ) is a socialist realist novel
written by Nikolai Ostrovsky
(1904–1936) during Joseph Stalin
's era. Pavel Korchagin is the central character.
, three films were produced based on this novel:
As late as 2000, China
adapted the novel into a television series of the same title; all the members of the cast
were from Ukraine
.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Nikolai Ostrovsky
Nikolai Ostrovsky
Nikolai Alexeevich Ostrovsky was a Soviet socialist realist writer, who published his works during the Stalin era...
(1904–1936) during Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's era. Pavel Korchagin is the central character.
Analysis
The story is a fictionalized autobiography. In real life, Ostrovsky's father died, and his mother worked as a kitchen chef. As he joined the war with the Red Army, he lost his right eye from artillery fire during the civil war.Characters
- Pavel Korchagin – The novel's protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
. He is fighting on the Bolsheviks' side in the Civil War (1918–1921). He is a quintessential positive hero of socialist realism.
- Tonia Toumanova – Pavel's teenage love. Tonia and Pavel became good friends after their first encounter, which later develops into an intimate relationship. Though born of a wealthy and influential family, Tonia treated everyone equally unlike her friends, who only interact with other children of well-reputed families. However, this changed as she grew up, as she became more aware of her appearance and social status of others.
Publication history
The first part of How the Steel was Tempered was published serially in 1932 in the magazine Young Guard. The second part of the novel appeared in the same magazine from January to May, 1934. The novel was published in 1936 in book form in a heavily edited version that conformed to the rules of socialist realism. In the serial version Ostrovsky had described the tense atmosphere of his home, his suffering when he became an invalid, the deterioration of his relationship with his wife, and their separation. All of this disappeared in the 1936 publication and in later editions of the novel.Adaptations
In the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, three films were produced based on this novel:
- How the Steel Was Tempered, 1942 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034932/
- Pavel Korchagin, 1956 (Korchagin was played by Vasily LanovoyVasily LanovoyVasily Semyonovich Lanovoy is a Soviet and Russian actor who works in the Vakhtangov Theatre, Moscow. He is also known as the President of Artek Festival of Films for Children...
) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050826/ - How the Steel Was Tempered, 1975 (TV series of 6 episodes; Korchagin was played by Vladimir Konkin) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461257/
As late as 2000, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
adapted the novel into a television series of the same title; all the members of the cast
Cast member
A cast member is:* An actor who performs in a theatrical production, motion picture, or television program. The actors who perform in the show are collectively referred to as the cast....
were from Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.