---
product_id: 25341160
title: "The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin (European Classics)"
price: "$50.93"
currency: USD
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reviews_count: 10
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/25341160-the-life-and-extraordinary-adventures-of-private-ivan-chonkin-european
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin (European Classics)

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The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin (European Classics) [Voinovich, Vladimir, Lourie, Richard] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin (European Classics)

Review: Outstanding Fun Read - This is a wonderful book and fairly quick read -- except when you have to stop to laugh. It is good to see the Soviets suffer the same type of organizational incompetence the US does. Reminds me of the time I was in Moscow a few days before the big May Day parade and during the practice the Red army troopers screwed around during practice as much as we did -- or perhaps I always had a bad attitude during parade practice. Anyway this follows the story of the good private and we see not only the Red Army at its finest but also the way the secret police reacts to friends ratting out their neighbors to get even or get ahead. Several standouts hit me such as his two rules 1) work slowly 2) delay your work since the higher ups might change their mind, as we did see when they ran off the crowd awaiting the WWII announcement and then rushed out to get them back. All in all this is a very good story and it is easy to see how the author was exiled and not invited back as the Soviet Union folded. This is well worth the time to read and even makes my reread list. I highly recommend the story. I guess the only complaint I have is it is only available in hard copy, no kindle version yet.
Review: Marvelous - the funniest of satires, especially if you know a bit of Russian history - Year ago, I read this author's hilarious satire, Moscow 2042. When he passed away recently, the obituary mentioned thus book, and fortunately desertcart listed it. Even if you don't know a lot about the Soviet Union under Stalin, it's a very funny book, a comic opera of stupid coincidences and misunderstandings. But if you know about Stalin's repression and state terror, the satire comes through loud and clear. It's a wonder that Voinovich was merely kicked out of the Soviet Union in 1980 rather than being sent to prison, or worse. The setting is a Soviet collective farm somewhere in the middle of Russia. A Russian airfare plane has to make a forced landing due to a blown oil line, and a sad sack of a soldier is sent to guard it. His unit promptly forgets about him, and he beds down with local woman but continue to guard the airplane. It's June 1941, and the Germans invade Russia, at which point his unit sort of remembers him, and wild confusion ensues. If you've read any Gogol, you'll recognize the genre, but even if you don't know the literary or historical context, it's a great and very, very funny story.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #598,912 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #20,298 in Literary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (41) |
| Dimensions  | 5.13 x 0.8 x 7.75 inches |
| Edition  | Reprint |
| ISBN-10  | 0810112434 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0810112438 |
| Item Weight  | 12.8 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 316 pages |
| Publication date  | March 29, 1995 |
| Publisher  | Northwestern University Press |

## Images

![The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin (European Classics) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61VjxHfLJpL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Outstanding Fun Read
*by J***S on March 19, 2019*

This is a wonderful book and fairly quick read -- except when you have to stop to laugh. It is good to see the Soviets suffer the same type of organizational incompetence the US does. Reminds me of the time I was in Moscow a few days before the big May Day parade and during the practice the Red army troopers screwed around during practice as much as we did -- or perhaps I always had a bad attitude during parade practice. Anyway this follows the story of the good private and we see not only the Red Army at its finest but also the way the secret police reacts to friends ratting out their neighbors to get even or get ahead. Several standouts hit me such as his two rules 1) work slowly 2) delay your work since the higher ups might change their mind, as we did see when they ran off the crowd awaiting the WWII announcement and then rushed out to get them back. All in all this is a very good story and it is easy to see how the author was exiled and not invited back as the Soviet Union folded. This is well worth the time to read and even makes my reread list. I highly recommend the story. I guess the only complaint I have is it is only available in hard copy, no kindle version yet.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Marvelous - the funniest of satires, especially if you know a bit of Russian history
*by M***N on September 1, 2018*

Year ago, I read this author's hilarious satire, Moscow 2042. When he passed away recently, the obituary mentioned thus book, and fortunately Amazon listed it. Even if you don't know a lot about the Soviet Union under Stalin, it's a very funny book, a comic opera of stupid coincidences and misunderstandings. But if you know about Stalin's repression and state terror, the satire comes through loud and clear. It's a wonder that Voinovich was merely kicked out of the Soviet Union in 1980 rather than being sent to prison, or worse. The setting is a Soviet collective farm somewhere in the middle of Russia. A Russian airfare plane has to make a forced landing due to a blown oil line, and a sad sack of a soldier is sent to guard it. His unit promptly forgets about him, and he beds down with local woman but continue to guard the airplane. It's June 1941, and the Germans invade Russia, at which point his unit sort of remembers him, and wild confusion ensues. If you've read any Gogol, you'll recognize the genre, but even if you don't know the literary or historical context, it's a great and very, very funny story.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Voinovich Masterpiece!
*by M***F on September 21, 2007*

This book served as my introduction to Vladimir Voinovich. It has to be one of greatest Soviet satires ever written. If you are going to read this book you MUST also read "Pretender to the Throne The Further Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin". "Pretender to the Throne" is essentially part II of this book and, in my opinion, even better than part I. Voinovich masterfully unfolds the chaos of the Soviet Union through the simple life of Ivan Chonkin, a common Russian soldier. This book will leave you laughing outloud. I highly recommend this and other works by Voinovich. Voinovich should have a place in every Russian Literature library!

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*Product available on Desertcart United States of America*
*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-03-17*