Both Nikita Khrushchev and Lazar Kaganovich recommended the young author to Stalin and in 1938 the Soviet leader met the playwright at the Kremlin. Soon Korniychuk's plays were translated into most of the Soviet republics' languages and started to be produced by theatres all over the country. In 1939 came out what in retrospect is regarded by Russian critics as Korniychuk's strongest work, the 5-act drama "Bogdan Khmelnitsky", telling the story of the 17th-century national movement in the Ukraine which resulted in the country's unification with Russia. His 1941 pro-collectivisation farcical comedy "In the Steppes of Ukraine" became popular with both the general public and Stalin himself, who in a personal letter informed the author: "Comrade Korneychuk. Just read your play "In the Steppes of Ukraine". Laughed heartily. I.Stalin". Korniychuk continued in the same vein with "Please Come to Zvonkovoye" (1946), "The Kalinov Grove" (1950) and "Over Dnieper" (1960).