Dina Rubina. It only hurts when I laugh (№ 441988)

To join the Union of Writers of the USSR, that is, to become a patented, stamped writer, in those days was no easier than to become a member of the Masonic Lodge. It was a magic circle, which had to be crossed somehow cunningly, almost casting spells: the author of two published books could become a member of the Union; on the other hand, only a member of the Union could publish a book... It was a normal delirium of Soviet life, one of its manifestations.