Moidodyr-"Washing Clean"

Who is this Russian man with the funny sounding first name? Korney Chukovsky is probably the most popular and beloved children’s author in the Russian speaking world. Though he died in 1969, his works continue to be read and adored by children throughout the former Soviet Union. To put his importance into an American context, he may be compared to Theodore Geisel, (aka Dr. Seuss.) His appeal has spread across multiple generations of Russian readers. Many adults and children alike can still quote poems such as “Doctor Abolit”, the “Giant Roach”, the “Crocodile”, and the work translated here, “Washing Clean” from memory. While he was primarily known as a writer of children’s stories and poetry, he was also an important critic and commentator of literature during the Soviet period.