On this day 121 years ago, on September 29, 1904 (August 20, 1904), Nikolai Ostrovsky, author of How Steel Is Tempered, was born. Nikolai Ostrovsky (September 29, 1904 - December 22, 1936), a Soviet writer. Ostrovsky was born into a poor working-class family in Ukraine. He started working at the age of 11. In 1919, he joined the Communist Youth League and participated in the Soviet Civil War. He was seriously wounded in battle in the autumn of 1920. He was paralyzed at the age of 23. At the age of 24, he was blind and had a sclerotic spine. But his perseverance was amazing. He wrote an autobiographical novel "How Steel Is Tempered" in 1933, which was compiled by his wife. In 1934, he became a member of the Soviet Writers' Association. In late 1935, the Soviet government awarded him the Order of Lenin. Ostrovsky died on December 22, 1936, at the age of 32. In 1940, Ostrovsky's former residence in Sochi was converted into a national museum. Commentary: "How Steel Was Tempered" inspired a generation of young Chinese.