Yulian Semyonov (Юлиа́н Семёнович Семёнов, pronounced [julʲɪˈan sʲɪˈmʲonəvʲɪtɕ sʲɪˈmʲonəf]) (October 8, 1931 - September 5, 1993) was a Russian writer of spy fiction. In 1968, Semyonov wrote the ideologically unorthodox novel The Seventeen Instants of Spring, a story of a Russian spy, "Stirlitz", during 17 days at the very end of World War II. It was published in English under the title "The Himmler Ploy". It was also produced as a TV series Seventeen Instants of Spring which became immencely popular and created Stirlitz jokes which survived the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The novel and the screenplay gave unprecedented humanity and depth of character to its Nazi characters. This was helped further by the exeptional performances by the 1st-rate actors cast in the series. He also wrote several novels about a White emigre spy sent to the Soviet Union. These were made into the movie "Resident's Error" (Oshibka Rezidenta) (1968), which spawned three sequels. After the success of the Seventeen Instants, Semyonov created a large cycle of political detectives featuring Stirlitz. he also authored a number of other criminal and political detectives, as well as a series of novens about Felix Dzerzhinsky.
