Everyone Dreams of a Dog

A kind and incredibly sincere story about growing up, finding your place in life, about friendship and devotion.

In the soul of a fantasizer and dreamer, thirteen-year-old Yurka, nicknamed Sokratik, is constantly doing hard work. An acute sense of justice makes him judge people’s actions strictly. Sokratik wants life to be simple and clear: everyone should tell the truth, keep their word, and live honestly. But the world is not, in fact, as perfect and uncompromising as he would like—even Yurka’s mother has her own secrets.

One fine day, two newcomers appear in their class—brother and sister the Kulakovs. From that moment on, a series of incredible events bursts into the life of the closed-off Sokratik—where there will be room for both friendship and betrayal, first love, and even the search for a real treasure!

Vladimir Zheleznikov is a children’s writer and film playwright, laureate of state and international awards, among which the author’s particularly beloved one was the Janusz Korczak Prize. At the center of Vladimir Karpovich’s works, including “The Bully” (“Chuchëlo”) and “The Oddball from the Sixth ‘B’,” is the inner world and experiences of a teenager—his relationships with peers, parents, and teachers, teenage cruelty and compassion. The author’s novellas have become true classics of children’s literature and served as the basis for popular films.

In 2024, a film adaptation of the novella “Everyone Dreams of a Dog” was released, directed by Olga Belyaeva, with Igor Kostolevsky, Katerina Shpitsa, Sergey Nikonenko, and others.

Listen to the story of honest Sokratik in the talented performance of actor and director Alexey Agranovich.