I think I missed the boat on this. It came highly recommended as being hilariously funny and a true classic of Russian literature. Perhaps it is the translation I read (by John H. Richardson in 1961). It struck me as mostly mean and sad. I could catch glimmers of witty but again, I think the translation was created for a 1960's audience.

I felt like I missed half the book because I didn't understand the satire very well as it is about the Soviet Union and the people living in it. Still, the wordplay was phenomenal, though I didn't catch all the hidden jokes. One of the main characters, Ostap Bender, is definitely one of the best written characters I have read, and the way he analyses situations and manipulates people is extraordinary. On my way to rewatch the movie adaptation!

Роман бесспорно хорош. Но хорош он был в свое время, ведь чтоб понять все тонкости сатиры Ильфа и Петрова, нужно всё-таки либо жить примерно в 20-е - 30-е годы, либо же быть знатоком-историком. Как было сказано в одной рецензии:

почему Остап Бендер был сыном именно турецкоподданного? Это не просто красочная деталь, по одной этой фразе способно развернуться целое море трактовок

Действительно, сейчас можно много чего додумывать, тогда же это, наверняка, было ясно как божий день.
Актуальность пропадает, как ни крути, год за годом.
И еще. Мне совершенно непонятна линия отца Федора. Что это? В его действиях нет никакой логики, его действия, кроме первой встречи с концессионерами, никак не влияют на сюжет. Раздувают, да и только. Зачем он вообще введен в роман? Посмеяться над религией? Показать, что религиозные деятели такие же приземленный личности? Наверное так и есть.
Эллочка. Ярко, смешно, но тоже как-то бессмысленно. Возможно, в 28-м году это тоже что-то значило, как и "сын турецкоподданного".

The funniest book ever written.

Darkly funny, and then just dark.

If I was Russian this would be my favorite book of all time, I think? Incredibly funny send-up of, uh, the 1927 Soviet Union in the midst of the New Economic Policy (a temporary swing toward a more market-oriented economics proposed by Lenin in 1921). This is not particularly relatable nor is it something I know a considerable amount about. (Shockingly.) I cannot fathom how much of the humor I missed out on by just not knowing a single thing about what is being referenced (certainly the first novel I've read with 50 pages of footnotes -- and believe it or not, if you're reading a footnote to get a joke, that is not the ideal humor delivery mechanism. Half of the footnotes are just explaining that this turn of phrase is a reference to a popular song of that era which, again, I absolutely have not heard of -- hilarious!). And yet! Hysterical. Had a great time reading this, genuinely wish I could appreciate it at full capacity but easy 5 stars regardless. Not hard to see why this is considered a classic in Russia (and not appreciated so much outside of Russia.) Of note: the Russian wikipedia article for this book is longer than the English wikipedia article for The Bible.

Anyway, I wish I could recommend this to anyone I know with confidence they would like it, but it's so esoteric, dense, and completely irrelevant to the society in which any of my friends or acquaintances are a part of. I loved it despite these "flaws", but I would not expect anyone else to!

Didn’t love this but also didn’t hate it… was a fun ride, a jolly tale of bros being bros and sometimes goofing out over some chairs