Yulian Semyonov - Biography

Yulian Semyonovich Semyonov (Юлиа́н Семёнович Семёнов, ), pen-name of Yulian Semyonovich Lyandres (Ля́ндрес) (October 8, 1931 - September 5, 1993), was a Soviet and Russian writer of spy fiction and crime fiction.

Career

In 1968, Semyonov wrote the ideologically unorthodox novel The Seventeen Instants of Spring, a story of a Russian spy, "Stirlitz", during 17 days at the very end of World War II. It was published in English initially under the title The Himmler Ploy, but later published again under the title Seventeen Instants of Spring. It was also produced as a TV series Seventeen Instants of Spring which became immensely popular and created Stirlitz jokes which survived the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The novel and the screenplay gave unprecedented humanity and depth to its Nazi characters. This was helped further by the exceptional performances by the first-rate actors cast in the series. "Stirlitz" is a composite of various Soviet agents.

Semyonov also wrote several novels about a White émigré spy sent to the Soviet Union. After the success of Seventeen Instants, Semyonov created a large cycle of political detective novels featuring Stirlitz, as well as a series of novels about Felix Dzerzhinsky. He also published detective fiction, e.g. a series of novels on the militiaman polkovnik Kostenko (“Ogaryov street 6”).

He started the newspaper Sovershenno sekretno ("Top secret") and worked as its editor-in-chief, together with Artyom Borovik.

Death

He suffered a stroke on October 16, 1990, and remained almost unable to speak and bedridden during last three years of his life. According to investigative journalist Vladimir Solovyov, Semyonov was actually poisoned by the KGB to prevent him from publishing materials about the collaboration of Moscow Patriarch Alexius II and other Russian Orthodox Church officials with the KGB. Soloviev referred to information provided by Artyom Borovik. The material (a video tape) was allegedly prepared by priest Alexander Men, who was killed by unknown assassins at the same time. The materials were published later by Gleb Yakunin, who was given access to KGB files as a member of the Lev Ponomarev commission.

Selected Bibliography

• Petrovka 38 (1965)
• Ogoreva, 6
• Confrontation
• Burning; International Knot
• Irreconcilability
• Press Center
• Auction
• Versions
• Death of Stolypin
• Diplomatic Agent
• Dunechka and Nikita
• Face to Face
• Scientific Commentary
• He Killed Me Near Luang-Prabang
• Crossings
• Pseudonym
• Peter's Death
• The Secret of Kutovsky Prospect
• Tass Is Authorized to Announce (1987)
• Reporter (1987)

Stirlitz Series

(In chronological order)

• No Password Needed (1966)
• Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat (1974)
• Tenderness (1966)
• Spanish Variant (1973)
• Alternative (1978)
• Third Card (1973)
• Major Whirlwind (1968)
• Seventeen Moments of Spring (1969) (aka: The Seventeen Instants of Spring & originally published as The Himmler Ploy)
• The Order to Survive (1982)
• Expansion (Parts 1 - 3) (1984)
• Despair (1990)
• Bomb for the Chairman (1970)

External links

• Encyclopedia of Soviet Writers