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* AdaptationalBadass: By omission. The movie adaptations tend to leave out Bender's more humiliating moments, such as when he gets royally plastered and misses the chance to catch their prize (which is the only time he gets called out by Kisa and doesn't have a retort) or when he gets beten up by some highlanders when he got caught cheating in cards.
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* AdaptationalBadass: By omission. The movie adaptations tend to leave out Bender's more humiliating moments, such as when he gets royally plastered and misses the chance to catch their prize (which is the only time he gets called out by Kisa and doesn't have a retort) or when he gets beten beaten up by some highlanders when he got caught cheating in cards.
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* ConvulsiveSeizures: in the Mel Brooks movie, it wasn't in the book.
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* ConvulsiveSeizures: in the Mel Brooks movie, it Bender teaches Kisa to do this as a way of conning charity out of passers-by. It wasn't in the book.
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* AtomicFBomb: In the Mel Brooks movie, after yet another chair turns out to contain nothing of value.
-->'''Bender:''' Remember the famous Russian proverb: "The hungrier you get, the tastier the meal." On the other hand, the French have a proverb: [[SuddenlyShouting MERDE!]]
-->'''Bender:''' Remember the famous Russian proverb: "The hungrier you get, the tastier the meal." On the other hand, the French have a proverb: [[SuddenlyShouting MERDE!]]
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* AdaptationalBadass: By omission. The movie adaptations tend to leave out Bender's more humiliating moments, such as when he gets royally plastered and misses the chance to catch their prize (which is the only time he gets called out by Kisa and doesn't have a retort) or when he gets beten up by some highlanders when he got caught cheating in cards.
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* GiftedlyBad: Lapis-Trubetskoy, whose poems are filled with inane tautologies. Bender calls him [[FreudianSlip Lapsus]]-Trubetskoy. Later he is seen trying to sell poetry to several different magazine editors, changing the subject matter every time—for example, he calls his submission to a medical journal "The Ballad of Gangrene."
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* GiftedlyBad: Lapis-Trubetskoy, whose poems are filled with inane tautologies. Bender One of his colleagues calls him [[FreudianSlip Lapsus]]-Trubetskoy. Later he is seen trying to sell poetry to several different magazine editors, changing the subject matter every time—for example, he calls his submission to a medical journal "The Ballad of Gangrene."
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----
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----
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* {{Greed}}: The story could be seen as a criticism of capitalistic greed (Something highly disapproved of in Socialist Russia). Ippolit and Fyodor were living comfortably before they learned of the jewels, but the desire for Petukhova's jewels caused them to destroy their livelihoods and their lives in pursuit of the hidden treasure. [[spoiler:Meanwhile, the people who ''do'' find the jewels act like proper socialists and spend the treasure not on themselves, but on a project whose benefits they can share with their fellow workers.]]
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* {{Greed}}: The story could be seen as a criticism of capitalistic greed (Something (something highly disapproved of in Socialist Russia). Ippolit and Fyodor were living comfortably before they learned of the jewels, but the desire for Petukhova's jewels caused them to destroy their livelihoods and their lives in pursuit of the hidden treasure. [[spoiler:Meanwhile, the people who ''do'' find the jewels act like proper socialists and spend the treasure not on themselves, but on a project whose benefits they can share with their fellow workers.]]
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* ThoseTwoActors: Mironov and Papanov duo in one of the adaptations
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* NeedleInAStackOfNeedles: The jewels are hidden in one of a set of twelve externally identical chairs.
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* BrickJoke: Kisa's first appearance in the Mel Brooks film has him rushing home from his workplace, still holding a rubber stamp that he was presumably using when he heard the news that Mme Petukhova was dying. He's still holding the stamp during the entire conversation where he learns about the jewels. And he's still holding the stamp when he kisses his mother-in-law goodbye, resulting in the word CANCELLED being stamped on her face.
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* MundaneSolution\\MugglesDoItBetter: When Bender visits a newspaper, there's a brief episode about the employees discussing their own enrichment scheme: buy government bonds, win a large sum and purchase several cars to go to a Caucasian resort for vacation. Months later, when Bender happens to be at said resort, [[BrickJoke he meets the same people who did exactly that and succeded]], without any of the hardships Bender endured in his pursuit. He ends up begging money from them.
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* MundaneSolution\\MugglesDoItBetter: When Bender visits a newspaper, there's a brief episode about the employees discussing their own enrichment scheme: buy government bonds, win a large sum and purchase several cars to go to a Caucasian resort for vacation. Months later, when Bender happens to be at said resort, [[BrickJoke he meets the same people who did exactly that and succeded]], succeeded]], without any of the hardships Bender endured in his pursuit. He ends up begging money from them.
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* {{Unperson}}: Referenced in the Mel Brooks adaptation. A street named after Russian nobility had its name crossed out and a new sign placed naming the street after heroes of the revolution. And one of those names is crossed out as well, as one of the heroes honored by the street name (Trotsky) had fallen out of favor with the leaders of the revolution.
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* ImpossibleThief: In the movie adaptation Alchen steals details from a ''painting''. No, he doesn't cut them out, he just steals them.
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* MundaneSolution\\MugglesDoItBetter: When Bender visits a newspaper, there's a brief episode about the employees discussing their own enrichment scheme: buy government bonds, win a large sum and purchase a bus to go to a Caucasian resort for vacation. Months later, when Bender happens to be at said resort, [[BrickJoke he meets the same people who did exactly that and succeded]]. He ends up begging money from them.
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* MundaneSolution\\MugglesDoItBetter: When Bender visits a newspaper, there's a brief episode about the employees discussing their own enrichment scheme: buy government bonds, win a large sum and purchase a bus several cars to go to a Caucasian resort for vacation. Months later, when Bender happens to be at said resort, [[BrickJoke he meets the same people who did exactly that and succeded]].succeded]], without any of the hardships Bender endured in his pursuit. He ends up begging money from them.
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* MundaneSolution/MugglesDoItBetter: When Bender visits a newspaper, there's a brief episode about the employees discussing their own enrichment scheme: buy government bonds, win a large sum and purchase a bus to go to a Caucasian resort for vacation. Months later, when Bender happens to be at said resort, [[BrickJoke he meets the same people who did exactly that and succeded]]. He ends up begging money from them.
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* MundaneSolution/MugglesDoItBetter: MundaneSolution\\MugglesDoItBetter: When Bender visits a newspaper, there's a brief episode about the employees discussing their own enrichment scheme: buy government bonds, win a large sum and purchase a bus to go to a Caucasian resort for vacation. Months later, when Bender happens to be at said resort, [[BrickJoke he meets the same people who did exactly that and succeded]]. He ends up begging money from them.
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* MundaneSolution/MugglesDoItBetter: When Bender visits a newspaper, there's a brief episode about the employees discussing their own enrichment scheme: buy government bonds, win a large sum and purchase a bus to go to a Caucasian resort for vacation. Months later, when Bender happens to be at said resort, [[BrickJoke he meets the same people who did exactly that and succeded]]. He ends up begging money from them.
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* {{Greed}}: The story could be seen as a criticism of capitalistic greed (Something highly disapproved of in Socialist Russia). Ippolit and Fyodor were living comfortably before they learned of the jewels, but the desire for Petukhova's jewels caused them to destroy their livelihoods and their lives in pursuit of the hidden treasure. [[spoiler:Meanwhile, the people who ''do'' find the jewels act like proper socialists and spend the treasure not on themselves, but on a project whose benefits they can share with their fellow workers.]]
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* DescriptionPorn: Mme Petukhova describes her jewelry in considerable detail. [[spoiler:And listening to the description is the closest Vorobyaninov ever gets to the jewels, as by the time he finds the chair they were hidden in, someone else had already found the jewels, sold them, and spent the money on a public works project.]]
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** In the film adaptation by Mel Brooks, [[spoiler: Father Fyodor is left abandoned on a rocky spire with no way to get down, the jewels were found and spent on erecting a new public building before the last chair could be found, and Kisa and Bender end up begging in the streets.]]
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** In the film adaptation by Mel Brooks, [[spoiler: Father Fyodor is left abandoned on a rocky spire with no way to get down, the jewels were found and spent on erecting a new public building months before the last chair could be found, and Kisa and Bender find the last chair, and they end up begging in the streets.]]
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** In the film adaptation by Mel Brooks, [[spoiler: Father Fyodor is left abandoned on a rocky spire with no way to get down, the jewels were found and spent on erecting a new public building before the last chair could be found, and Kisa and Bender end up begging in the streets.]]
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unfortunate implications need citations
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* AmbiguouslyJewish: There are some reasons to believe Bender is of Jewish descent.
** UnfortunateImplications regarding his con-man tendencies if that is the case.
** Also, his Odessa roots (a very Jewish city) and his claim of being the son of one Turkish subject (Jews often used foreign passports, especially readily available Turkish papers, as foreign nationality would change their ethnicity to Turk in legal documents).
** UnfortunateImplications regarding his con-man tendencies if that is the case.
** Also, his Odessa roots (a very Jewish city) and his claim of being the son of one Turkish subject (Jews often used foreign passports, especially readily available Turkish papers, as foreign nationality would change their ethnicity to Turk in legal documents).
to:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: There are some reasons to believe Bender is of Jewish descent.
** UnfortunateImplications regarding his con-man tendencies if that is the case.
**descent. Also, his Odessa roots (a very Jewish city) and his claim of being the son of one Turkish subject (Jews often used foreign passports, especially readily available Turkish papers, as foreign nationality would change their ethnicity to Turk in legal documents).
** UnfortunateImplications regarding his con-man tendencies if that is the case.
**
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* BleakAbyssRetirementHome: One of the places Bender searches.
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--->'''Bender:''' That's for the reconstruction of Proval, [[StealthPun so it wouldn't fall down.]]
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--->'''Bender:''' That's for the reconstruction of Proval, [[StealthPun so it wouldn't fall down.]]down]] any further.
** LifeImitatesArt: In the 1980s the city administration did start to sell tickets at the entrance of Proval tunnel. And then closed it for a few years to clean the lake from debris and reinforce walls. Otherwise it could have collapsed by now.
** LifeImitatesArt: In the 1980s the city administration did start to sell tickets at the entrance of Proval tunnel. And then closed it for a few years to clean the lake from debris and reinforce walls. Otherwise it could have collapsed by now.
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* RageQuit: Bender's reaction to losing at chess after pretending to be a grandmaster to raise money.
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* AdvertisedExtra: Mel Brooks always appears on the front cover of the version he directed, since it also marked his first onscreen movie role. Sometimes the synopsis on the back cover makes his role sound as important as that of Bender and Father Fyodor, when in actuality Brooks only makes one or two appearances.
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* ConvulsiveSeizures
to:
* ConvulsiveSeizuresConvulsiveSeizures: in the Mel Brooks movie, it wasn't in the book.
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Why Bender prefers the name \"Kisa\". Ambiguously Jewish: extra detail. Critical Research Failure: the most quoted example. Driven To Madness: this is implied in the end. Scenery Porn: Caucasus too. Downer Ending: Vorobyannov\'s insanity and Bender\'s recovery.
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In post-civil war Soviet Russia, [[ImpoverishedPatrician a former member of nobility]], Ippolit Matveyevich Vorobyaninov, works as a desk clerk, until his mother-in-law reveals on her deathbed that her family jewelry had been hidden from the Bolsheviks in one of the twelve chairs from the family's dining room set. [[MacGuffin Those chairs]], along with all other personal property, had been expropriated by the government after [[RedOctober the Russian Revolution]]. He becomes a treasure hunter, and after the [[ManipulativeBastard smooth operator]] and ConMan [[MagnificentBastard Ostap Bender]] forces Kisa ("Kitty", Vorobyaninov's [[EmbarrassingNickname funny childhood nickname]], which Bender prefers) to partner with him, they set off to track down the chairs. This ultimately helps Kisa, who doesn't possess [[LoveableRogue Bender's charm]] and is not as street-smart.
to:
In post-civil war Soviet Russia, [[ImpoverishedPatrician a former member of nobility]], Ippolit Matveyevich Vorobyaninov, works as a desk clerk, until his mother-in-law reveals on her deathbed that her family jewelry had been hidden from the Bolsheviks in one of the twelve chairs from the family's dining room set. [[MacGuffin Those chairs]], along with all other personal property, had been expropriated by the government after [[RedOctober during the Russian Revolution]]. Civil War]]. He becomes a treasure hunter, and after the [[ManipulativeBastard smooth operator]] and ConMan [[MagnificentBastard Ostap Bender]] forces Kisa ("Kitty", Vorobyaninov's [[EmbarrassingNickname funny childhood nickname]], which Bender prefers) prefers to long "Ippolit") to partner with him, they set off to track down the chairs. This ultimately helps Kisa, who doesn't possess [[LoveableRogue Bender's charm]] and is not as street-smart.
** Bonus points for calling his father ''[[InsistentTerminology Turkish subject]]'' instead of simply a Turk.
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* CriticalResearchFailure: Poet Lapis-Trubetskoy is notorious for that in-universe. No, Lapis, jackals are not "snake-shaped"! And peignoir is not a ball gown!
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* CriticalResearchFailure: Poet Lapis-Trubetskoy is notorious for that in-universe. No, Lapis, jackals are not "snake-shaped"! And peignoir is not a ball gown!gown! And sea waves don't fall like a lifting winch.
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* DrivenToMadness: Father Fyodor.
* DownerEnding: [[ShootTheShaggyDog And how.]] [[spoiler: Father Fyodor is DrivenToMadness, his wife's life is completely destroyed, and Kisa slices Bender's throat to avoid splitting the loot and then discovers that the jewels have already been found and that they have been spent on erecting a new public building.]]
** (Though in [[Literature/TheLittleGoldenCalf the sequel]], [[spoiler:Bender [[UnexplainedRecovery gets better]] and finally obtains the fortune he desires -- only to find that he cannot spend it.]])
* DownerEnding: [[ShootTheShaggyDog And how.]] [[spoiler: Father Fyodor is DrivenToMadness, his wife's life is completely destroyed, and Kisa slices Bender's throat to avoid splitting the loot and then discovers that the jewels have already been found and that they have been spent on erecting a new public building.]]
** (Though in [[Literature/TheLittleGoldenCalf the sequel]], [[spoiler:Bender [[UnexplainedRecovery gets better]] and finally obtains the fortune he desires -- only to find that he cannot spend it.]])
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* DrivenToMadness: Father Fyodor.
Fyodor. [[spoiler:Probably Vorobyaninov too.]]
* DownerEnding: [[ShootTheShaggyDog And how.]] [[spoiler: Father Fyodor is DrivenToMadness, his wife's life is completely destroyed, and Kisa slices Bender's throat to avoid splitting the loot and then discovers that the jewels have already been found and that they have been spent on erecting a new publicbuilding.building, which drives him insane.]]
** (Though in [[Literature/TheLittleGoldenCalf the sequel]], [[spoiler:Bender [[UnexplainedRecovery getsbetter]] better]], only bears a scar on his neck, and finally obtains the fortune he desires -- only to find that he cannot spend it.]])
* DownerEnding: [[ShootTheShaggyDog And how.]] [[spoiler: Father Fyodor is DrivenToMadness, his wife's life is completely destroyed, and Kisa slices Bender's throat to avoid splitting the loot and then discovers that the jewels have already been found and that they have been spent on erecting a new public
** (Though in [[Literature/TheLittleGoldenCalf the sequel]], [[spoiler:Bender [[UnexplainedRecovery gets
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* MyHairCameOutGreen: One of the protagonists tries to dye his hair and eyebrows and mustache a darker colour, but the dye is counterfeit and ends up turning him a rabid green colour. The poor sod ends up having to shave his head completely devoid of hair.
to:
* MyHairCameOutGreen: One of the protagonists Vorobyaninov tries to dye his hair and eyebrows and mustache a darker colour, but the dye is counterfeit and ends up turning him a rabid green colour. The poor sod ends up having to shave his head completely devoid of hair.
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* SceneryPorn: When characters travels down the Volga river.
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* SceneryPorn: When characters travels down the Volga river.river and again in Caucasus mountains.
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* UpperClassTwit: Vorobyaninov squandered his estate and his wife's dowry. By 1917 they were living at the expense of his mother-in-law. This was the reason why she hesitated to tell him about the jewelry.
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* DownerEnding: [[ShootTheShaggyDog And how.]] (Though in [[Literature/TheLittleGoldenCalf the sequel]], [[spoiler:Bender [[UnexplainedRecovery gets better]] and finally obtains the fortune he desires -- only to find that he cannot spend it.]])
to:
* DownerEnding: [[ShootTheShaggyDog And how.]] (Though [[spoiler: Father Fyodor is DrivenToMadness, his wife's life is completely destroyed, and Kisa slices Bender's throat to avoid splitting the loot and then discovers that the jewels have already been found and that they have been spent on erecting a new public building.]]
**(Though in [[Literature/TheLittleGoldenCalf the sequel]], [[spoiler:Bender [[UnexplainedRecovery gets better]] and finally obtains the fortune he desires -- only to find that he cannot spend it.]])
**(Though in [[Literature/TheLittleGoldenCalf the sequel]], [[spoiler:Bender [[UnexplainedRecovery gets better]] and finally obtains the fortune he desires -- only to find that he cannot spend it.]])
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* HaveAGayOldTime: Al'hen, "Goluboy Vorishka / The light blue thief". At the time the book came out, his nickname would be understood as a reference to his superficial innocence and/or his constant conscience pangs. In modern Russian parlance, "Goluboy" means "gay".
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* HaveAGayOldTime: Al'hen, "Goluboy Vorishka / The light the "light blue thief".thief / Goluboy Vorishka". At the time the book came out, his nickname would be understood as a reference to his superficial innocence and/or his constant conscience pangs. In modern Russian parlance, "Goluboy" means "gay".
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* HaveAGayOldTime: Al'hen, "Goluboy Vorishka / The light blue thief". At the time the book came out, his nickname would be understood as a reference to his superficial innocence and/or his constant conscience pangs. In modern Russian parlance, "Goluboy" means "gay".
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* DownerEnding: [[ShootTheShaggyDog And how.]]
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* DownerEnding: [[ShootTheShaggyDog And how.]]]] (Though in [[Literature/TheLittleGoldenCalf the sequel]], [[spoiler:Bender [[UnexplainedRecovery gets better]] and finally obtains the fortune he desires -- only to find that he cannot spend it.]])
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One of the best and most enduring Russian literature works from the Soviet era, and an inexhaustible source of great quotes along with its sequel, ''TheLittleGoldenCalf''.
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One of the best and most enduring Russian literature works from the Soviet era, and an inexhaustible source of great quotes along with its sequel, ''TheLittleGoldenCalf''.
''Literature/TheLittleGoldenCalf''.
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!!This book features examples of:
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!!This book features and film feature examples of:
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[[quoteright:220:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/The_Twelve_Chairs_411.jpg]]
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The first part of a satirical duology by Ilia Ilf and Eugeny Petrov.
In post-civil war Soviet Russia, [[ImpoverishedPatrician a former member of nobility]], Ippolit Matveyevich Vorobyaninov, works as a desk clerk, until his mother-in-law reveals on her deathbed that her family jewelry had been hidden from the Bolsheviks in one of the twelve chairs from the family's dining room set. [[MacGuffin Those chairs]], along with all other personal property, had been expropriated by the government after [[RedOctober the Russian Revolution]]. He becomes a treasure hunter, and after the [[ManipulativeBastard smooth operator]] and ConMan [[MagnificentBastard Ostap Bender]] forces Kisa ("Kitty", Vorobyaninov's [[EmbarrassingNickname funny childhood nickname]], which Bender prefers) to partner with him, they set off to track down the chairs. This ultimately helps Kisa, who doesn't possess [[LoveableRogue Bender's charm]] and is not as street-smart.
The two "comrades" ''nearly'' get the prize at the auction, but because Kisa screwed up and squandered all their cash, the chairs are [[GottaCatchThemAll split up and sold individually]]. They are not alone in this quest, either: [[CorruptChurch Father Fyodor]] took advantage of the deathbed confession, and has also set off to recover the fortune. In this search for Mme Petukhova's treasure, he becomes Vorobyaninov's main rival. While in this enterprise Ostap is in his element, Vorobyaninov is not so happy. [[FaceHeelTurn He's steadily abandoning his principles and losing self-esteem]].
The OddCouple [[WalkingTheEarth travels across the USSR]] in search of the MacGuffin, going through a number of AdventureTowns, giving the author a chance to satirize a wide section of the USSR populace.
One of the best and most enduring Russian literature works from the Soviet era, and an inexhaustible source of great quotes along with its sequel, ''TheLittleGoldenCalf''.
Creator/MelBrooks directed an adaptation in 1970. Two different Russian adaptations have created a bit of a BrokenBase amongst the Russian viewers. The main point of contention is whether [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Mironov Andrei Mironov's]] interpretation of Bender as less of a LovableRogue and more of a VillainProtagonist works.
----
!!This book features examples of:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: There are some reasons to believe Bender is of Jewish descent.
** UnfortunateImplications regarding his con-man tendencies if that is the case.
** Also, his Odessa roots (a very Jewish city) and his claim of being the son of one Turkish subject (Jews often used foreign passports, especially readily available Turkish papers, as foreign nationality would change their ethnicity to Turk in legal documents).
* AscendedExtra: Bender himself was intended as a one-scene character, but became a OneSceneWonder for the authors and had immediately [[SpotlightStealingSquad stolen the spotlight]].
* BrainlessBeauty: Ellochka. Her vocabulary is ''thirty'' words large.
* ButtMonkey: Kisa Vorobyaninov goes from one humiliation to another. Also Father Fyodor to some extent.
* CatchPhrase: Bender's ''[[MemeticMutation The hearing is continued!]]'' ("Заседание продолжается!")
** Also, ''The ice has broken!'' ("Лед тронулся!")
** And several mentions about obtaining "the key to the apartment where the money is" ("ключ от квартиры, где деньги лежат") Ostap has several "Benderisms" which have since entered the Russian colloquial lexicon.
* TheCharmer: Bender again.
* TheChessmaster: Bender refers to himself as "The Great Combinator". The narration agrees.
** Not literally, though. His skill at chess is miserable, that's why his [[TheCon "World Chess Tournament" con]] quickly went sour.
* ConMan: Bender.
* ConvulsiveSeizures
* CorruptChurch: Father Fyodor. The catholic monks in the sequel also qualify, according to Bender.
* CriticalResearchFailure: Poet Lapis-Trubetskoy is notorious for that in-universe. No, Lapis, jackals are not "snake-shaped"! And peignoir is not a ball gown!
* DeadpanSnarker: Bender.
* DrivenToMadness: Father Fyodor.
* DownerEnding: [[ShootTheShaggyDog And how.]]
* GiftedlyBad: Lapis-Trubetskoy, whose poems are filled with inane tautologies. Bender calls him [[FreudianSlip Lapsus]]-Trubetskoy. Later he is seen trying to sell poetry to several different magazine editors, changing the subject matter every time—for example, he calls his submission to a medical journal "The Ballad of Gangrene."
* IconicOutfit: Bender's white scarf, sea captain's cap and checkerboard vest.
* IndyPloy: Another side of Ostap Bender's "The Great Combinator" persona. He is incredibly adept at inventing new scams on the fly and getting out of trouble with quick thinking.
* JerkAss: Bender, when he feels no need to be TheCharmer. Film versions tends to downgrade his jerkassery a bit.
* KarmaHoudini: Alchen, the most despicable character in the book.
* LovableRogue: Bender.
* MacGuffin: The chair set.
* AMacGuffinFullOfMoney: of very expensive jewelry, to be precise.
* MeaningfulName: Town named Stargorod (literally "Oldtown").
** Bender tries to play this on real life Proval resort ("The Fall", may be freely translated as "The Pit", [[spoiler:[[IncrediblyLamePun not to be mistranslated as "The FAIL", please]]]]) by shaking tips out from random bypassers:
--->'''Bender:''' That's for the reconstruction of Proval, [[StealthPun so it wouldn't fall down.]]
* MyHairCameOutGreen: One of the protagonists tries to dye his hair and eyebrows and mustache a darker colour, but the dye is counterfeit and ends up turning him a rabid green colour. The poor sod ends up having to shave his head completely devoid of hair.
* NakedPeopleTrappedOutside: happened to engineer Shukin.
* NoblewomansLaugh: Ellochka, in a slightly milder variant. ''Ho-ho.''
* SinisterMinister: Father Fyodor. He finds out about Vorobyaninov's talk with his dying mother-in-law (and therefore the chairs) by staying behind and [[ExactEavesDropping listening at the keyhole]] after he gave her her final rites, and later, he persuades his long-suffering wife to sell practically all their possessions to finance his travels all around the Soviet Union in search of the chairs.
* SceneryPorn: When characters travels down the Volga river.
* ThoseTwoActors: Mironov and Papanov duo in one of the adaptations
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Kisa Vorobyaninov
* UnknownRival: Turned UpToEleven with Ellochka Schukina and her ridiculous "rivalry" with Consuelo Vanderbilt.
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In post-civil war Soviet Russia, [[ImpoverishedPatrician a former member of nobility]], Ippolit Matveyevich Vorobyaninov, works as a desk clerk, until his mother-in-law reveals on her deathbed that her family jewelry had been hidden from the Bolsheviks in one of the twelve chairs from the family's dining room set. [[MacGuffin Those chairs]], along with all other personal property, had been expropriated by the government after [[RedOctober the Russian Revolution]]. He becomes a treasure hunter, and after the [[ManipulativeBastard smooth operator]] and ConMan [[MagnificentBastard Ostap Bender]] forces Kisa ("Kitty", Vorobyaninov's [[EmbarrassingNickname funny childhood nickname]], which Bender prefers) to partner with him, they set off to track down the chairs. This ultimately helps Kisa, who doesn't possess [[LoveableRogue Bender's charm]] and is not as street-smart.
The two "comrades" ''nearly'' get the prize at the auction, but because Kisa screwed up and squandered all their cash, the chairs are [[GottaCatchThemAll split up and sold individually]]. They are not alone in this quest, either: [[CorruptChurch Father Fyodor]] took advantage of the deathbed confession, and has also set off to recover the fortune. In this search for Mme Petukhova's treasure, he becomes Vorobyaninov's main rival. While in this enterprise Ostap is in his element, Vorobyaninov is not so happy. [[FaceHeelTurn He's steadily abandoning his principles and losing self-esteem]].
The OddCouple [[WalkingTheEarth travels across the USSR]] in search of the MacGuffin, going through a number of AdventureTowns, giving the author a chance to satirize a wide section of the USSR populace.
One of the best and most enduring Russian literature works from the Soviet era, and an inexhaustible source of great quotes along with its sequel, ''TheLittleGoldenCalf''.
Creator/MelBrooks directed an adaptation in 1970. Two different Russian adaptations have created a bit of a BrokenBase amongst the Russian viewers. The main point of contention is whether [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Mironov Andrei Mironov's]] interpretation of Bender as less of a LovableRogue and more of a VillainProtagonist works.
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!!This book features examples of:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: There are some reasons to believe Bender is of Jewish descent.
** UnfortunateImplications regarding his con-man tendencies if that is the case.
** Also, his Odessa roots (a very Jewish city) and his claim of being the son of one Turkish subject (Jews often used foreign passports, especially readily available Turkish papers, as foreign nationality would change their ethnicity to Turk in legal documents).
* AscendedExtra: Bender himself was intended as a one-scene character, but became a OneSceneWonder for the authors and had immediately [[SpotlightStealingSquad stolen the spotlight]].
* BrainlessBeauty: Ellochka. Her vocabulary is ''thirty'' words large.
* ButtMonkey: Kisa Vorobyaninov goes from one humiliation to another. Also Father Fyodor to some extent.
* CatchPhrase: Bender's ''[[MemeticMutation The hearing is continued!]]'' ("Заседание продолжается!")
** Also, ''The ice has broken!'' ("Лед тронулся!")
** And several mentions about obtaining "the key to the apartment where the money is" ("ключ от квартиры, где деньги лежат") Ostap has several "Benderisms" which have since entered the Russian colloquial lexicon.
* TheCharmer: Bender again.
* TheChessmaster: Bender refers to himself as "The Great Combinator". The narration agrees.
** Not literally, though. His skill at chess is miserable, that's why his [[TheCon "World Chess Tournament" con]] quickly went sour.
* ConMan: Bender.
* ConvulsiveSeizures
* CorruptChurch: Father Fyodor. The catholic monks in the sequel also qualify, according to Bender.
* CriticalResearchFailure: Poet Lapis-Trubetskoy is notorious for that in-universe. No, Lapis, jackals are not "snake-shaped"! And peignoir is not a ball gown!
* DeadpanSnarker: Bender.
* DrivenToMadness: Father Fyodor.
* DownerEnding: [[ShootTheShaggyDog And how.]]
* GiftedlyBad: Lapis-Trubetskoy, whose poems are filled with inane tautologies. Bender calls him [[FreudianSlip Lapsus]]-Trubetskoy. Later he is seen trying to sell poetry to several different magazine editors, changing the subject matter every time—for example, he calls his submission to a medical journal "The Ballad of Gangrene."
* IconicOutfit: Bender's white scarf, sea captain's cap and checkerboard vest.
* IndyPloy: Another side of Ostap Bender's "The Great Combinator" persona. He is incredibly adept at inventing new scams on the fly and getting out of trouble with quick thinking.
* JerkAss: Bender, when he feels no need to be TheCharmer. Film versions tends to downgrade his jerkassery a bit.
* KarmaHoudini: Alchen, the most despicable character in the book.
* LovableRogue: Bender.
* MacGuffin: The chair set.
* AMacGuffinFullOfMoney: of very expensive jewelry, to be precise.
* MeaningfulName: Town named Stargorod (literally "Oldtown").
** Bender tries to play this on real life Proval resort ("The Fall", may be freely translated as "The Pit", [[spoiler:[[IncrediblyLamePun not to be mistranslated as "The FAIL", please]]]]) by shaking tips out from random bypassers:
--->'''Bender:''' That's for the reconstruction of Proval, [[StealthPun so it wouldn't fall down.]]
* MyHairCameOutGreen: One of the protagonists tries to dye his hair and eyebrows and mustache a darker colour, but the dye is counterfeit and ends up turning him a rabid green colour. The poor sod ends up having to shave his head completely devoid of hair.
* NakedPeopleTrappedOutside: happened to engineer Shukin.
* NoblewomansLaugh: Ellochka, in a slightly milder variant. ''Ho-ho.''
* SinisterMinister: Father Fyodor. He finds out about Vorobyaninov's talk with his dying mother-in-law (and therefore the chairs) by staying behind and [[ExactEavesDropping listening at the keyhole]] after he gave her her final rites, and later, he persuades his long-suffering wife to sell practically all their possessions to finance his travels all around the Soviet Union in search of the chairs.
* SceneryPorn: When characters travels down the Volga river.
* ThoseTwoActors: Mironov and Papanov duo in one of the adaptations
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Kisa Vorobyaninov
* UnknownRival: Turned UpToEleven with Ellochka Schukina and her ridiculous "rivalry" with Consuelo Vanderbilt.
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