Master of the ship

Yuriy Yanovskyi (1902–1954) was a famous Ukrainian writer, playwright, editor and military journalist, one of the most characteristic representatives of Ukrainian culture in the 1920s. In 1925-1926, he worked at the Odesa Film Factory, and he depicted this period in his main novel, The Master of the Ship.

In this book, we get into the atmosphere of Odessa and get to know how films are made, with all their complexity — from quarrels between directors and screenwriters to the hard work of film developers and editors, from the hunt for a good shot to the creation of scenery.

The story covers different temporal and spatial planes, building on the interweaving of many plots: from the process of shooting the film and building the ship to the exciting adventures of sailors.

Yanovsky's novel is a multifaceted story that is easy to read, experimental, and excellently written.