Named for the character Ostap Bender, celebrated hero of the satirical novels Twelve Chairs (1928) and Golden Calf (1931) by the Soviet writers Il’ya Il’f (penname of I. Feinsilberg) and Eugeny Petrov (penname of E. Kataev). The International Festival of Satire and Humor in St. Petersburg ‘Gold Ostap’ (founded in 1992) bears the name of this witty and resourceful character. (M 29148) _ _.