Valeriy Medvedev

Valery Vladimirovich Medvedev (birth name Valery Ivanovich Marinin) was a Soviet and Russian writer and actor. He was the author of books for children.

In 1940, Valery Marinin enrolled in the directing faculty of the A. V. Lunacharsky State Institute of Theatre Arts, but his studies were interrupted by the Great Patriotic War. After demobilization, he graduated from GITIS in 1952 and worked at the Moscow Mossovet Theatre, appearing in films.

He entered children's literature in 1957; his first book in the fantasy genre was the fairy-tale novella Barankin, Be a Man! (1962). Later, this very popular novella was translated into nearly 30 languages and received a diploma at the international H. C. Andersen competition. An animated film, a stage play, and even an operetta were created based on it. In 1983, the book Barankin's Fantasies was awarded the N. K. Krupskaya State Prize of the RSFSR.

Among the writer's other works are the books Voices and Gooseling of the Third Sort, and the novellas Captain Lying-Head, Vovka Vesnushkin in the Land of Clockwork Men, and Superadventures of a Supercosmonaut. Besides works for children, Valery Medvedev is also known as the author of texts for Leonid Utyosov, Klavdiya Shulzhenko, and Arkady Raikin.