Everyone knows, of course, who Baron Munchausen is.
But does everyone know that this hero actually existed in the world?..
His name was Hieronymus Karl Friedrich Baron von Munchausen.

The founder of the Munchausen family is considered to be the knight Heino, who took part in the crusade led by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in the 12th century.

Heino's descendants died in wars and civil strife. And only one of them survived, because he was a monk. By special decree he was released from the monastery.

It was from here that a new branch of the family began - Munchausen, which means “house of the monk”. That is why the coats of arms of all Munchausens depict a monk with a staff and a book.

Among the Munchausens there were famous warriors and nobles. Thus, in the 17th century, the commander Hilmar von Munchausen became famous, in the 18th - the Minister of the Hanoverian Court, Gerlach Adolf von Munchausen, the founder of the University of Göttingen.

But the real glory, of course, went to “that same” Munchausen.

Hieronymus Karl Friedrich Baron von Munchausen was born on May 11, 1720 on the Bodenwerder estate near Hanover.

The Munchausen house in Bodenwerder still stands today - it houses the burgomaster and a small museum. Now the town on the Weser River is decorated with sculptures of the famous fellow countryman and literary hero.

Hieronymus Carl Friedrich Baron von Munchausen was the fifth child among eight brothers and sisters.

His father died early, when Jerome was only four years old. He, like his brothers, most likely had to military career. And he began serving in 1735 as a page in the retinue of the Duke of Brunswick.

At this time, the Duke's son, Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, was serving in Russia and was preparing to take command of a cuirassier regiment. But the prince also had a much more important mission - he was one of the possible suitors of Anna Leopoldovna, the niece of the Russian Empress.

In those days, Russia was ruled by Empress Anna Ioannovna, who was widowed early and had no children. She wanted to transfer power along her own, Ivanovo line. To do this, the Empress decided to marry her niece Anna Leopoldovna to some European prince, so that the children from this marriage would inherit the Russian throne.

The matchmaking of Anton Ulrich dragged on for almost seven years. The prince took part in campaigns against the Turks; in 1737, during the assault on the Ochakov fortress, he found himself in the thick of battle, the horse under him was killed, the adjutant and two pages were wounded. The pages later died from their wounds. In Germany, they did not immediately find replacements for the dead - the pages were afraid of the distant and wild country. Hieronymus von Munchausen himself volunteered to go to Russia.

This happened in 1738.

In the retinue of Prince Anton Ulrich, young Munchausen constantly visited the court of the Empress, at military parades, and probably took part in the campaign against the Turks in 1738. Finally, in 1739, the magnificent wedding of Anton Ulrich and Anna Leopoldovna took place, the young people were treated kindly by their aunt-empress. Everyone was looking forward to the appearance of the heir.

At this time, young Munchausen makes an unexpected decision at first glance - to go to military service. The prince did not immediately and reluctantly release the page from his retinue. Gironimus Karl Friedrich von Minihausin - as it appears in the documents - enters the Brunswick Cuirassier Regiment, stationed in Riga, on the western border of the Russian Empire, as a cornet.

In 1739, Hieronymus von Munchausen became a cornet in the Brunswick Cuirassier Regiment, stationed in Riga. Thanks to the patronage of the regiment's chief, Prince Anton Ulrich, a year later Munchausen became a lieutenant, commander of the first company of the regiment. He quickly got up to speed and was a smart officer.

In 1740, Prince Anton Ulrich and Anna Leopoldovna had their first child, named Ivan. Empress Anna Ioannovna, shortly before her death, proclaimed him heir to the throne John III. Anna Leopolnovna soon became the “ruler of Russia” with her young son, and father Anton Ulrich received the title of generalissimo.

But in 1741, Tsarevna Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, seized power. The entire “Brunswick family” and its supporters were arrested. For some time, noble prisoners were kept in Riga Castle. And Lieutenant Munchausen, who guarded Riga and the western borders of the empire, became the involuntary guard of his high patrons.

The disgrace did not affect Munchausen, but he received the next rank of captain only in 1750, the last of those presented for promotion.

In 1744, Lieutenant Munchausen commanded the guard of honor that greeted the bride of the Russian Tsarevich Sophia Frederica Augusta, the future Empress Catherine II. In the same year, Jerome married a Baltic German woman, Jacobina von Dunten, the daughter of a Riga judge.

Having received the rank of captain, Munchausen asked for leave to settle inheritance matters and left with his young wife for Germany. He extended his leave twice, and was finally expelled from the regiment, but took legal possession of the family estate of Bodenwerder. Thus ended the “Russian odyssey” of Baron Munchausen, without which his amazing stories would not have existed.

Since 1752, Hieronymus Carl Friedrich von Munchausen lived in family estate in Bodenwerder. At that time, Bodenwerder was a provincial town with a population of 1,200 inhabitants, with whom, moreover, Munchausen did not immediately get along well.

He communicated only with neighboring landowners, hunted in the surrounding forests and fields, and occasionally visited neighboring cities - Hanover, Hamelin and Göttingen. On the estate, Munchausen built a pavilion in the then fashionable “grotto” park style, especially to receive friends there. After the death of the baron, the grotto was nicknamed the “pavilion of lies,” because, supposedly, it was here that the owner told his fantastic stories to his guests.

Most likely, "Munchausen's stories" first appeared at hunting rests. Russian hunting was especially memorable for Munchausen. It is no coincidence that his stories about hunting exploits in Russia are so vivid. Gradually, Munchausen's cheerful fantasies about hunting, military adventures and travel became known in Lower Saxony, and after their publication throughout Germany.

But over time, the offensive, unfair nickname “lugenbaron” - the liar baron - stuck to him. Further - more: both “king of liars” and “lies of the liar of all liars.” The fictional Munchausen completely obscured the real one and dealt blow after blow to its creator.

Unfortunately, Jacobin's beloved wife died in 1790. The Baron completely closed in on himself. He was a widower for four years, but then young Bernardine von Brun turned his head. As you would expect, this unequal marriage brought nothing but trouble to everyone. Bernardina, a true child of the “gallant age,” turned out to be frivolous and wasteful. A scandalous divorce process began, which completely ruined Munchausen. He was no longer able to recover from the shocks he experienced.

Hieronymus Carl Friedrich Baron von Munchausen died on February 22, 1797 and was buried in the family crypt under the floor of the church in the village of Kemnade in the vicinity of Bodenwerder...

Baron Munchausen

Baron Munchausen
The main character (Munchhausen) of the work of the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe (1737-1794) “The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen”. This book consists of Munchausen's "true" stories about his fantastic travels and incredible adventures in war and hunting.
The prototype of the hero is the baron from Lower Saxony, Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Munchausen (1720-1797), who was in Russian service for some time as an officer in the Russian army and is credited with a series of anecdotal stories that appeared (1781) in the Berlin magazine “Vademecum fur lustige Leute” "(Guide for cheerful people"). However, the true authorship of these publications has not been precisely established.
These stories appeared in book form thanks to the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe, who, while in England, published them (1786) on English language in Oxford under the title “Stories of Baron Munchausen about his wonderful travels and campaign in Russia.”
The German translation of this book was made by Gottfried August Burger (1747-1794) and published anonymously in the same year under the title “Wonderful Journeys by Water and Land and the Merry Adventures of Baron Munchausen.”
Allegorically: a harmless dreamer and braggart (jokingly ironic).

encyclopedic Dictionary winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.

See what "Baron Munchausen" is in other dictionaries:

See Munchausen...

See Munchausen... encyclopedic Dictionary

- ... Wikipedia

Jarg. school Joking. Student at the blackboard. ShP, 2002 ...

Munchausen Munchhausen Genre ... Wikipedia

- (Baron Munchausen) hero of many works German literature(books by R. E. Raspe, G. A. Burger, K. L. Immerman), a braggart and liar, talking about his fabulous adventures and fantastic travels. Prototype Baron K.F.I.... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Baron: Baron title. Baron (among gypsies) is a distorted baro (gypsy head of the clan). Gypsy Baron. Baron Munchausen is a literary and historical character. Baron is a deity in the Voodoo religion. “Baron” part 1 of the television series... ... Wikipedia

Munchausen. Jarg. school Joking. Student at the blackboard. ShP, 2002. Baron von Mylnikov. Book Neglect A person who made the most positive impression and turned out to be insignificant, representing nothing. BMS 1998, 42. Baron von Trippenbach. Zharg... ... Large dictionary of Russian sayings

Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Baron von Munchausen Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Freiherr von Münchhausen ... Wikipedia

Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchausen (in the uniform of a cuirassier). G. Bruckner, 1752 Report of the company commander Munchhausen to the regimental chancellery (written by a clerk, hand-signed Lieutenant v. Munchhausen). 02/26/1741 Munchaus wedding ... Wikipedia

Books

• Baron Munchausen, Makeev Sergey Lvovich. The name of Baron Munchausen - an incorrigible liar, inventor and dreamer - has been known to everyone since childhood. Many people also know that a person with that name is the original Hieronymus, Karl Friedrich von...
• , Makeev S.. "Baron Munchausen". The name of Baron Munchausen - an incorrigible liar, inventor and dreamer - has been known to everyone since childhood. Many people also know that a person with that name is a genuine Jerome...

Arts and entertainment

Who wrote "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen"? Biography and creative path Rudolf Erich Raspe

A little old man sitting by the fireplace, telling stories, absurd and incredibly interesting, very funny and “true”... It seems that a little time will pass, and the reader himself will decide that it is possible to pull himself out of the swamp, grabbing his hair, turning the wolf inside out , discover half of the horse, which drinks tons of water and cannot quench its thirst.

Familiar stories, isn't it? Everyone has heard about Baron Munchausen. Even people who are not very good with fine literature, thanks to cinema, will be able to immediately list a couple of fantastic stories about it. Another question: “Who wrote the fairy tale “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen”?” Alas, the name of Rudolf Raspe is not known to everyone. And is he the original creator of the character? Literary scholars still find the strength to argue on this topic. However, first things first.

Who wrote the book "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen"?

The year of birth of the future writer is 1736. His father was an official and part-time miner, as well as an avid lover of minerals. This explained why early years Raspe spent time near the mines. He soon received his basic education, which he continued at the University of Göttingen. At first he was occupied by law, and then natural sciences captured him. Thus, nothing indicated his future hobby - philology, and did not foretell that he would be the one who wrote “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen”.

Later years

Upon returning to hometown he chooses to become a clerk and then works as a secretary in a library. Raspe made his debut as a publisher in 1764, offering the world the works of Leibniz, which, by the way, were dedicated to the future prototype of the Adventures. Around the same time, he wrote the novel “Hermyn and Gunilda”, became a professor and received the position of caretaker of an antique cabinet. Travels around Westphalia in search of ancient manuscripts, and then rare things for a collection (alas, not his own). The latter was entrusted to Raspa taking into account his solid authority and experience. And, as it turned out, in vain! The one who wrote “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” was not a very wealthy man, even poor, which forced him to commit a crime and sell off part of the collection. However, Raspa managed to escape punishment, but how this happened is difficult to say. They say that those who came to arrest the man listened and, fascinated by his gift as a storyteller, allowed him to escape. This is not surprising, because they encountered Raspe himself - the one who wrote “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen”! How could it be otherwise?

The appearance of a fairy tale

The stories and twists and turns associated with the publication of this fairy tale actually turn out to be no less interesting than the adventures of its main character. In 1781, in the “Guide for Merry People” the first stories with a cheerful and all-powerful old man are found. It was unknown who wrote The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. The author considered it necessary to remain in the shadows. It was these stories that Raspe took as the basis for own work, which was united by the figure of the narrator, had integrity and completeness (unlike the previous version). Fairy tales were written in English, and the situations in which he acted main character, had a purely English flavor and were associated with the sea. The book itself was conceived as a kind of edification directed against lies.

Then the fairy tale was translated into German (this was done by the poet Gottfried Burger), adding and changing the previous text. Moreover, the edits were so significant that in serious academic publications the list of those who wrote “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” includes two names - Raspe and Burger.

Prototype

The resilient baron had a real-life prototype. His name was the same literary character, - Munchausen. By the way, the problem of transmitting this German surname remained unresolved. Korney Chukovsky introduced the variant “Munhausen” into use, but in modern publications the letter “g” was added to the hero’s surname.

The real baron, already at an advanced age, loved to talk about his hunting adventures in Russia. Listeners recalled that at such moments the narrator’s face became animated, he himself began to gesticulate, after which one could hear from this truthful person incredible stories. They began to gain popularity and even went into print. Of course, the necessary degree of anonymity was observed, but people who knew the baron closely understood who the prototype of these sweet stories was.

Last years and death

In 1794, the writer tried to start a mine in Ireland, but death prevented these plans from coming true. Raspe's meaning for further development literature is great. In addition to inventing the character, who had already become a classic, almost anew (taking into account all the details of the creation of the fairy tale, which were mentioned above), Raspe drew the attention of his contemporaries to ancient German poetry. He was also one of the first to feel that the Songs of Ossian were a fake, although he did not deny their cultural significance.

Name: Baron Munchhausen

A country: Germany

Creator: Rudolf Erich Raspe

Activity: military

Family status: married

Baron Munchausen: character history

The biography of the German baron with the difficult-to-pronounce surname Munchausen is full of unprecedented adventures. The man flew to the moon, visited the stomach of a fish, and fled from the Turkish Sultan. And the main thing is that all this actually happened. This is what Baron Munchausen personally says. It is not surprising that the thoughts of an experienced traveler instantly turn into aphorisms.

History of creation

The author of the first stories about the adventures of Baron Munchausen is Baron Munchausen himself. Few people know that the nobleman actually existed. Karl Friedrich was born into the family of Colonel Otto von Munchausen. At the age of 15, the young man went to military service, and after retiring, he spent his evenings telling tales:

“He usually began his story after dinner, lighting a huge meerschaum pipe with a short stem and placing a steaming glass of punch in front of him.”

The man gathered neighbors and friends in his own house, sat down in front of a blazing fireplace and acted out scenes from the adventures he had experienced. Sometimes the baron added small details to plausible stories to interest listeners.

Later, a couple of such tales were published anonymously in the collections “Der Sonderling” (“The Fool”) and “Vademecum fur lustige Leute” (“Guide to Merry People”). The stories are signed with Munchausen's initials, but the man did not confirm his own authorship. Glory Among local residents grew up. Now the King of Prussia Hotel has become a favorite place for conversations with listeners. It was there that the writer Rudolf Erich Raspe heard the stories of the cheerful baron.

In 1786, the book “Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of His Wonderful Travels and Campaigns in Russia” was published. To add spice, Raspe inserted more nonsense into the baron's original stories. The work was published in English.

In the same year, Gottfried Bürger - a German translator - published his version of the baron's exploits, adding more satire to the translated narrative. the main idea books have changed dramatically. Now the adventures of Munchausen have ceased to be just fables, but have acquired a bright satirical and political connotation.

Although Burger’s creation “The Amazing Travels of Baron von Munchausen on Water and on Land, Hikes and Fun Adventures, as He Usually Talked about them Over a Bottle of Wine with His Friends” was published anonymously, the real Baron guessed who made his name famous:

“University Professor Burger disgraced me throughout Europe.”

Biography

Baron Munchausen grew up in a large, titled family. Almost nothing is known about the man’s parents. The mother was involved in raising her offspring, the father had a high military rank. As a youth, the baron left native home and went in search of adventure.

The young man took on the duties of a page under the German Duke. As part of the retinue of an eminent nobleman, Friedrich ended up in Russia. Already on the way to St. Petersburg young man All sorts of troubles awaited.

The baron's winter trip dragged on, night was already approaching. Everything was covered with snow and there were no villages nearby. The young man tied his horse to a tree stump, and in the morning he found himself in the middle of the city square. The horse was hanging, tied to the cross of the local church. However, troubles regularly happened to the baron's faithful horse.

After serving at the Russian court, the attractive nobleman went to the Russian-Turkish War. To find out about the enemy's plans and count the cannons, the baron made the famous flight riding on a cannonball. The shell turned out to be not the most convenient means of transportation and fell along with the hero into the swamp. The Baron was not used to waiting for help, so he pulled himself out by the hair.

“Lord, how tired I am of you! Understand that Munchausen is famous not because he flew or didn’t fly, but because he didn’t lie.”

The fearless Munghausen fought the enemies sparing no effort, but was still captured. The imprisonment did not last long. After his release, the man went on a trip around the world. The hero visited India, Italy, America and England.

In Lithuania, the baron met a girl named Jacobina. The charming woman charmed the brave soldier. The young people got married and returned to Munchausen’s homeland. Now the man spends free time on his own estate, devoting a lot of time to hunting and sitting by the burning fireplace, and gladly tells those who wish to about his antics.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Often funny situations happen to a man while hunting. The Baron does not spend time preparing for the campaign, so he regularly forgets to replenish his supply of bullets. One day the hero went to a pond inhabited by ducks, and the weapon was unsuitable for shooting. The hero caught the birds with a piece of lard and tied the game to each other. When the ducks soared into the sky, they easily lifted the baron and carried the man home.

While traveling around Russia, the baron saw a strange beast. While hunting in the forest, Munchausen came across an eight-legged hare. The hero chased the animal around the neighborhood for three days until he shot the animal. The hare had four legs on his back and stomach, so he did not get tired for a long time. The animal simply rolled over onto its other paws and continued running.

The baron's friends know that Munchausen visited all corners of the Earth and even visited the planet's satellite. The flight to the moon took place during Turkish captivity. Accidentally throwing a hatchet onto the surface of the Moon, the hero climbed a stalk of chickpeas and found it lost in a haystack. It was more difficult to go back down - the pea stalk withered in the sun. But the dangerous feat ended in another victory for the baron.

Before returning home, the man was attacked by a bear. Munchausen squeezed the clubfoot with his hands and kept the animal for three days. The man's steel hug caused his paws to break. The bear died of hunger because he had nothing to suck. From this moment on, all local bears avoid the harrow.

Munchausen was followed everywhere incredible adventures. Moreover, the hero himself perfectly understood the reason for this phenomenon:

“It’s not my fault if such wonders happen to me that have never happened to anyone else. This is because I love to travel and am always looking for adventure, while you sit at home and see nothing but the four walls of your room.”

Film adaptations

The first film about the adventures of the fearless baron was released in France in 1911. The painting, entitled “Hallucinations of Baron Munchausen,” lasts 10.5 minutes.

Because of his originality and colorfulness, the character was liked by Soviet filmmakers and animators. Four cartoons about the baron were released, but great love The 1973 series won over viewers. The cartoon consists of 5 episodes, which are based on the book by Rudolf Raspe. Quotes from the animated series are still in use.

In 1979, the film “That Same Munchausen” was released. The film tells the story of the baron's divorce from his first wife and attempts to tie the knot with old lover. The main characters differ from the book prototypes; the film is a free interpretation of the original work. The image of the baron was brought to life by an actor, and his beloved Martha was played by an actress.

Films about the exploits of a military man, traveler, hunter and moon conqueror were also filmed in Germany, Czechoslovakia and Great Britain. For example, in 2012 the two-part film “Baron Munchausen” was released. the main role went to actor Jan Josef Liefers.

• Munchausen means “house of the monk” in German.
• In the book, the hero is presented as a dry, unattractive old man, but in his youth Munchausen had impressive appearance. The mother of Catherine the Second mentioned the charming baron in her personal diary.
• The real Munchausen died in poverty. The fame that overtook the man thanks to the book did not help the baron in personal life. The nobleman's second wife squandered the family fortune.

Quotes and aphorisms from the film “That Same Munchausen”

“After the wedding, we immediately left for Honeymoon: I’m going to Turkey, my wife is going to Switzerland. And they lived there for three years in love and harmony.”

“I understand what your problem is. You are too serious. All the stupid things on earth are done with this facial expression... Smile, gentlemen, smile!”

“All love is legitimate if it is love!”

“A year ago, in these very regions, can you imagine, I met a deer. I raise my gun - it turns out there are no cartridges. There is nothing but cherries. I load my gun with a cherry pit, ugh! - I shoot and hit the deer in the forehead. He runs away. And this spring, in these very regions, imagine, I meet my handsome deer, on whose head a luxurious Cherry tree».

“Are you waiting for me, dear? Sorry... Newton delayed me."

On May 11, 1720, Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchausen was born, whose name became a household name as a rare braggart and liar. The baron served in the Russian army for several years and participated in the wars with the Turks. After resigning and returning to his homeland in Hanover, Munchausen became famous as the narrator of the extraordinary stories that happened to him.

Since childhood, everyone has heard his name, but few can tell the truth about him. What do we know about Munchausen? Who is he? Did he really live, or was he invented as Kozma Prutkov? And who wrote a book about the baron?

Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchausen of Bodenwerder in Hanover really lived on this sinful earth. His name became a household name after publication in England German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe's stories about Munchausen. The story of Munchausen himself and his authors (that’s right!) is as incredible as the tales of this literary scoundrel. The second author - this time already German text– was a contemporary of Schiller and Goethe, Gottfried August Burger. The name of the third author, unfortunately, is unknown. All three authors initially published their works anonymously. In the history of literature, only the third remained such.

Actually, the third author was the first, because he published his small book in 1781 and 1783. IN last days 1785, dated already 1786, the text of Raspe was published and in the summer of 1786 the “translation” of Burger. It is no wonder to get confused in this story with triple authorship and it is just as difficult to believe as the stories of the “truthful” baron. This concerns the 18th century. In 1839 Munchausen was published. History in Arabesques" by Karl Leberecht Immermann. In the same century, another book by a little-known author Fritz Pfudel.

The historical baron remained a worthy person in it. He served in Russia for more than 10 years, following Crown Prince Anton of Brunswick there, and took part in Russian-Turkish War 1735 – 1739 and was at the capture of Ochakov. Official papers contain reviews of him from his commanders, who praise the baron as a resourceful and gallant officer. In 1750, with the rank of captain, Baron Munchausen retired and, leaving Russia forever, settled on his estate Bodenwerder. He was exemplary family man, who loved feasting, knew a lot about horses and hunting dogs. A joker, a hospitable cadet (i.e., a landowner), an avid hunter - his wit and funny stories were admired not only in his native Hanover, but throughout Germany.

Erich Aspe Raspe, who launched the Munchausenian into circulation, was born in Hannover. In Göttingen and Leipzig he studied natural sciences and philology, and his discovery and publication in 1765 brought him fame. philosophical works Leibniz. Raspe translated a lot from some European languages ​​to others (English, French), wrote about ancient and medieval art, about the problems of geology, geophysics, and chemistry. With such a track record as a learned man, Raspe was, however, no egghead "nerd."

In 1767 he moved to Kassel, where he later became librarian and confidant of the Landgrave of Hesse. In 1775 he arrived in Italy to sell and acquire antiques, coins and medals. Raspe, at his own discretion, squandered the landgrave's valuables and an arrest warrant was issued in his name. So the fugitive ended up in England. According to some evidence, he was in a debtor's prison there and was the manager of ore mines. The fraud that was discovered on his part led to Raspe living in Ireland for the rest of his days.

It is not known for sure whether such an adventurer as Raspe was familiar with his character. For example, in American Encyclopedia The 1956 Columbia edition reads: “Raspe is a friend and compatriot of Baron Munchausen.” Costing one shilling, the thin book, published in London, was called “The Story of Baron Munchausen about his wonderful travels and campaigns in Russia.” The first edition has not survived to this day, but apparently identical to the first one on next year The second edition has been published. The book did not sell very well.

Then the first publisher, Smith, sold the idea to another author named Kiersley. In 1786, an expanded version of the book with illustrations was published under the new title “Gulliver Reborn: amazing travel, hikes, wanderings and hunting adventures of Baron Munnikhauson, whose name is usually pronounced “Munchausen” (“Gulliver Reviv"d: the Singular Travels, Campaigns, Voyages and Sporting Adventures of Baron Munnikhauson, commonly pronounced Munchausen”).

Researchers have long discovered that the episode with a deer, on whose head a cherry tree grew, is in a book of jokes from 1729, the story of a dog and a hare, five puppies and bunnies running away, is in the old French collection “Nouvelle fabrique”, an episode of pulling oneself out by the hair, is similar to the story of King Louis of Hungary, who drowned in a swamp in 1526, and the horse tied to the top of the church goes back to the 16th century German fabliau “Vraki” written in Latin.

Of course, there were many other borrowings. From the memoirs of a very remarkable personality of the diplomat Baron Tott (a Hungarian born in France), the flight of the Montgolfier brothers and Jean-Pierre Blanchard, and the African journey of Bruce. In a word, material from all eras, from the “Vera Historia” of the Greek satirist Lucian (2nd century AD) and the facets of the Renaissance. Raspe's merit was that he created a fusion from heterogeneous and disparate stories, united by the figure of the narrator, which organically showed the hero and his time.

In Russia, where the baron's adventures took place, they did not stand aside. In 1796 I.P. Osipov in St. Petersburg translated "Munchausen" from German language entitled “If you don’t like it, don’t listen, and don’t bother lying.” In the Russian translation, all realities, even the name of the hero, were removed, but the content was preserved. Therefore, our researchers, when speaking about Munchausen, do not mention this publication, dating the beginning of translations into Russian to 1860.

At the end of the story, let's return to the real Munchausen. Thanks to the scribblers, the rumor about the German talker and liar spread throughout Europe. His wife, with whom he lived for 46 years in love and harmony, died. He married again, but unsuccessfully, went broke and lived out his life in Bodenwerder as a gloomy, irritable old man. It seems that he even bitterly regretted the time when, among his drinking buddies, he shared with them memories of his incredible adventures.