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Mikhail Zhvanetsky

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Mikhail Zhvanetsky
Birth nameMikhail Manyevich Zhvanetsky
(Russian: Михаил Маньевич Жванецкий)
Born(1934-03-06)6 March 1934
Odesa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)
Died6 November 2020(2020-11-06) (aged 86)
Moscow, Russia
GenresSatire
Websitejvanetsky.ru

Mikhail Mikhaylovich Zhvanetsky (Russian: Михаи́л Миха́йлович Жване́цкий; 6 March 1934 – 6 November 2020[1]) was a Soviet writer, satirist and performer[2] of Jewish origin, best known for his shows targeting different aspects of the Soviet and post-Soviet everyday life.[3][4][5][6][7]

Biography

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Zhvanetsky was born in Odesa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. Zhvanetsky was born into the family of doctors Mane (Emmanuel) Moiseevich Zhvanetsky and Raisa Yakovlevna Zhvanetskaya. His father was a surgeon and his mother was a dentist. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, his father was drafted into the army as a medical worker and received the Order of the Red Star in 1942. The family returned to Odessa from evacuation after the liberation of the city in 1944. Mikhail Zhvanetsky studied at secondary school 118 for boys.

He continued his studies at the Odessa National Maritime University. He began his literary activity by writing plays and monologues for the Odessa amateur theater “Parnas-2”, which he founded together with his friend Victor Ilchenko.[8] In 1964 Raikin invited him to join his troupe as head of the literary section. He then began to read his works on stage, first at the Odessa Philharmonic, then at the Hermitage Theatre.[9][10]

He joined the Union of Soviet Writers in 1978 and wrote several books.

In 1988, he founded the Theater of Miniatures in the Tverskoy district of Moscow, where he was artistic director.

In 2001, his writings were published in a four-volume collection.[11]

From 2002 to 2019, he hosted the monthly humorous program “Guardian of the Country” on the TV channel “Russia 1”.

His monologues and sketches were performed by Arkady Raikin, Roman Kartsev and Viktor Ilchenko.[12]

Died in Moscow at the age of 86.[13] Buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Awards and honors

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Zhvanetsky was granted the following honorary titles and decorated with the following orders:

Boulevard of the Arts in Odesa was renamed Boulevard Zhvanetsky (5 April 2009).

A minor planet, 5931 Zhvanetskij, discovered on April 1, 1976, is named after him (using different transliteration of the surname).[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Умер Михаил Жванецкий". РБК (in Russian). 6 November 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  2. ^ "Михаил Жванецкий: Официальная биография (Mikhail Zhvanetsky: Official biography". Mikhail Zhvanetsky official website.
  3. ^ Charle, Suzanne (1994-06-08). "AT LUNCH WITH: Mikhail Zhvanetsky; For Russians, Laughs From Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  4. ^ Bohlen, Celestine (1999-01-24). "In the New Russia, Comedy Lacks Bite". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  5. ^ Fedina, Olga (2013). What Every Russsian Knows (and You Don't). Anaconda Editions. ISBN 978-1-901990-12-6.
  6. ^ Genzeleva, Rita (2003). "Mikhail Zhvanetsky's Satirical Sketches from the 1960s to the Early 1980s: Their Structure in Context". Cahiers du monde russe (in French). 44 (4): 673–686. doi:10.4000/monderusse.8628. ISSN 1252-6576.
  7. ^ "Renowned Russian writer and satirist Zhvanetsky dies aged 86". TASS. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  8. ^ Draitser, Emil (2008-09-04). Shush! Growing Up Jewish under Stalin: A Memoir. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-94225-7.
  9. ^ Beumers, Birgit (2005-06-21). Pop Culture Russia!: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-85109-459-2.
  10. ^ Kelly, Catriona (2014-02-25). St Petersburg: Shadows of the Past. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-16918-8.
  11. ^ Shrayer, Maxim (2015-03-26). An Anthology of Jewish-Russian Literature: Two Centuries of Dual Identity in Prose and Poetry. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-47696-2.
  12. ^ Draitser, Emil (2008). Shush! Growing Up Jewish under Stalin: A Memoir. University of California Press. p. 118. ISBN 9780520942257.
  13. ^ Prokofyev, Vyacheslav. "Renowned Russian Satirist Zhvanetsky Dies at Age 86". The Moscow Times.
  14. ^ Order of the President of Ukraine on the granting of the honorary title of "Meritorious Artist of Ukraine" (in Ukrainian).
  15. ^ (5931) Zhvanetskij. Minor Planet Center. International Astronomical Union.
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