Grigori Gorin


Grigori Gorin, real name Grigori Israilevich Ofshtein was a Soviet and Russian playwright and writer of Jewish descent.
Gorin is particularly credited with scripts for several plays and films, 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.
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.
In 1978 — 1990 Gorin was a regular participant in the Vokrug Smekha, the popular TV program.

Selected works

Dramaturgy

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. This particular one appeared in a humoresque called Quite accidentally by Arkanov and Gorin, published in that 1966 book.