The article focuses on the dominant theme of M. Zoshchenko’s literary work defined as the theme of fate and chance rhythmically corresponding to the writer’s main stages of literary development. His early texts of the late 1910s correlate with the Sentimental tales, while his satirical short stories of the 1920s correlate with his works of mixed genres of the 1930s - 1950s. The existence of one prevailing theme preserves the integrity of M. Zoshchenko’s heterogeneous artistic world.