One-storied America
One-storied America ("Одноэтажная Америка") is a 1937 book based on a published travelogue across the United States by two Soviet authors, Ilf and Petrov. The book, divided into eleven chapters and in the uninhibited humorous style typical of Ilf and Petrov, paints a multi-faceted picture of the USA. America's entrepreneurial skills and economic achievements are praised, the oppression of the blacks, the life of the Indians in the reservations and the oppression of workers are denounced. The title of the book refers to their impression that the cities of America consist mainly of one and two-story buildings, in complete contrast to the popular image of America as the land of skyscrapers. Based on this sentence:

The "single story" was also interpreted as a metaphor for the one-dimensionality of the country: In America everything revolves around money and wealth, while the country has neither soul nor spirit.

The United States, which was perceived as the land of machines and technological progress, was of great importance at the time for the Soviet Union, which had set itself the goal of overtaking the United States. This slogan (Russian: догнать и перегнать Америку; "catch up and overtake America") was one of the most important slogans during the ambitious industrialization of the Soviet Union. Given the political climate in the Soviet Union in 1937 when the book was published, with the onset of Great Purge, it is surprising that a version of a book that lovingly satirizes the United States was published.
Q1072723
travelogue
Concept
Q30
United States
LOC
Q15180
Soviet
LOC
Q262816
Ilf and Petrov
ORG
Q187650
Great Purge
EVE
Q13223269
One-storied America
ORG
1937-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1937
DATE
1937-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1937
DATE
genre
publication date
publication date
diplomatic relation
notable work