Anatolii Tikhonovich Gladilin was one of the founders of "youth prose," a movement in Soviet literature that began in the mid 1950s, after the "Thaw," and lasted for about twenty years. In contrast to the "positive hero" models of socialist realism, Gladilin's characters struggle for freedom and a chance to celebrate their individuality in opposition to the collective; they question the morality of their lives and seek ways to retain their integrity as they face moral choices and intellectual problems. By placing his characters in situations in which they must deal with representatives of an earlier generation, Gladilin presents a sensitive look at problems of the so-called generation gap. His style and methods of narration also defy the simplicity of the accepted models of socialist realism. Attacked by critics and censured by the political-literary establishment, Gladilin, like his heroes, fought for freedom of expression.

Gladilin was born in...