Aleksei Arbuzov

Avril Pyman writes of him, "The charm of his work lies in his shrewd but affectionate attitude to his fellow-man; he sees through human foibles to the basic desire to lead a good and useful life, and creates plausible, even likeable, 'positive' characters.

In Tanya (1939), a woman whose life is shattered by the death of her husband finally finds meaning and purpose in serving the sick in a Siberian village.

An Irkutsk Story (1960) describes how the shallow and hedonistic life of 25-year-old Valya is transformed by the love of Sergei, foreman of an excavator crew building a dam in Siberia.

Following the death of Sergei in a drowning accident, she finds new meaning in joining the construction crew and raising her children.

For example, Dmitry Shcheglov wrote, "Upon turning to a play by Arbuzov, we are engulfed in a pleasant atmosphere of universal love, nobility, and friendship; however, these fine feelings fail to guide us, to mobilize us, or to direct our minds and thoughts toward a great goal.