Who was the real author of How Steel Was Tempered? Did Paul write the book himself? The real author of How Steel Was Tempered was Ostrovsky of the Soviet Union. He was a famous novelist and drama writer in the 1920s in the Soviet Union and one of the important representatives of the steel workers 'movement. Although Ostrovsky went into exile in the 1930s because of his political stance, he did not personally write How Steel was Tempered. The book was originally published by the Soviet publishing house in 1932 and edited and written by Ostrovsky's colleague Tie Ning. Later, the book became popular in the Soviet Union and around the world. It became a classic novel that reflected the Soviet Union's industrialization and the workers 'movement. Pavel Kochagin was the protagonist of How Steel Was Tempered, another pen name of Ostrovsky. He served in various positions in the Soviet Union, including the commander of the Soviet Air Force and the commander of the Soviet Navy. In 1955, he was awarded the Order of Vladimir Leninsky.