Zlatno telešce

The novel is a sequel to the famous Twelve Chairs. The main character, the great schemer Ostap Bender, is this time searching for a real millionaire in the Soviet Union who is implementing the first five-year plan. Bender believes he will find a man who has managed to hide a great fortune and tries to "free" him of this burden. On his way, he meets a gallery of brilliantly drawn characters: Soviet bureaucrats, five-year plan enthusiasts, swindlers, romantics and ordinary citizens.

Ilf and Petrov write with brilliant satire that ridicules all layers of Soviet society - planning, collectivization, new morality, careerism and hypocrisy. The novel is full of witty dialogues, hilarious situations and lucid observations. Bender is even more cynical and lucid here than in the first novel, and in the end he realizes that there is no longer any place for an individual like him in the new social order.

The style is fast, sharp and extremely humorous. The book is at the same time entertaining and deeply critical of Soviet reality. In the Croatian edition from 1934, it was very popular because readers enjoyed the criticism of the system that was increasingly felt in our country at that time.

The Golden Calf is considered one of the best satirical novels of the 20th century and a classic of Russian literature. Together with The Twelve Chairs, it forms an indispensable diptych about Ostap Bender. Binoza's edition from 1934 is today a sought-after antiquarian edition.