Grigori Gorin

Grigori Gorin (Russian: Григо́рий Го́рин), real name Grigori Israilevich Ofshtein (Russian: Григо́рий Изра́илевич Офштейн; March 12, 1940, Moscow — June 15, 2000, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian playwright and writer of Jewish descent.

This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Israilevich and the family name is Ofshtein.
Gorin in 1988

Gorin is particularly credited with scripts for several plays and films,[1] which are regarded as important element of cultural reaction to the Era of Stagnation and perestroika in Soviet history.

Biography

Gorin was born in Moscow to a Jewish family of Soviet Army officer father and doctor mother. After graduation from the Sechenov 1st Moscow Medical Institute in 1963, Gorin worked as an ambulance doctor for some time (his mother spent her medical career on similar position).

He was involved in amateur playwriting from his student years. First, with the sketches for the students' local KVN network club. Gorin started publishing his satirical articles and sketches since 1960th, finally choosing writing as the professional career. He worked as a Chief of Humor Department in Yunost magazine, using Galka Galkina nom de plume.

In 1966, first book was published — Four Under One Cover (co-authored).

In 1978 — 1990 Gorin was a regular participant in the Vokrug Smekha (Around Laughter), the popular TV program.

Selected works

Dramaturgy
  • Til, 1970 — loosely based on Till Eulenspiegel and other national folklore
  • Forget Herostratus! — tragic comedy, 1972
  • The Very Truthful, 1974 — about Baron Munchausen
  • The House That Swift Built, 1980
  • Phenomenons, 1984
  • Good Bye, Compere!, 1985
  • Domestic Cat of Average Downiness, 1989 — co-authorship with Vladimir Voynovich
  • Memorial prayer, 1989 theatrical, 1993 televised version - loosely based on a Sholem Aleichem work
  • Kean IV, 1991 — loosely based on Edmund Kean's biography
  • Plague on Both Your Houses!, 1994 — a loose sequel to Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
  • Royal Games, 1995
  • Luckyman-Unluckyman (Schastlivtsev-Neschastlivtsev), 1997
  • Balakirev The Buffoon, 1999 theatrical, 2002 televised version

Screenplays

Cultural impact

Many of Gorin's aphorisms became popular among the Soviet people, e. g. piano in the bushes, which means painstaking preparations for a would-be impromptu.[2] This particular one appeared in a humoresque called Quite accidentally by Arkanov and Gorin, published in that 1966 book.[3]

gollark: You really should see a doctor? That sounds extremely bad.
gollark: Bees 7 through 13.
gollark: I could, if I was to.
gollark: Getting into orbit is very hard.
gollark: That's... basically true of all rocketry?

References
  1. mostly those by Mark Zakharov and Eldar Ryazanov.
  2. (in Russian) Comments on "piano in the bushes" Archived 2009-04-08 at the Wayback Machine at Gramota.ru
  3. Arkady Arkanov, anchor of Vokrug Smekha Non-Stop at Russian Kultura TV channel website
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