The book contains compelling scientific criticism of the views of their predecessors on the work of Ilf and Petrov. According to the author himself, this book relates rather not to literary criticism, but to another area - the history of Russian social thought. It shows the inconsistency of the myth about the “official” writers - Ilf and Petrov and the true meaning of their work. The book was first published in Paris by La Presse Libre in 1983.