Analysis of Gorky's main articles on children's literature.
His requirements for Soviet children's literature.
Gorky's works for children: "Sparrow", "Samovar", "The Case of Yevseyka", "About Ivanushka the Fool", "Grandfather Arkhip and Lyonka", "Shake".
Fairy tale "Sparrow".
The work of M. Gorky (1868-1936) in the field of children's literature is striking in its breadth and scale. According to Marshak, “in Gorky’s literary heritage there is not a single book entirely devoted to education... At the same time, there is hardly another person in the whole world who would do so much for children.”
Articles and speeches about children's literature. Already in his first newspaper articles (1895-1896), M. Gorky demanded compulsory study in schools of the best examples of modern literature and the cultivation of artistic taste in children. Thoughts about education did not leave the writer until the end of his days, although he did not consider himself a teacher. He was convinced that “children should be raised by people who by nature gravitate towards this work, which requires great love for children, great patience and sensitive care in dealing with them.”
Much of what Gorky said then is still relevant today. For example, his thoughts on education, free from the “order of the state,” his protest against the use of children as “an instrument through which the state expands and strengthens its power.” Gorky advocates for a joyful childhood and for raising a person for whom life and work are pleasure, and not sacrifice and feat; and the society “of those like him is an environment where he is completely free and with which he is connected by instincts, sympathies, consciousness of the greatness of the tasks set by society in science, art, and labor.” Gorky connects the upbringing of such a person with the growth of culture and puts forward the thesis: “Protecting children is protecting culture.”
The basis of a people’s culture is its language; therefore, Gorky believed, introducing children to the folk language is one of the most important tasks of the educator. Literature has a special role here, because for it language is “the primary element... its main tool and, together with the facts and phenomena of life, its material...”.
In the article “The Man Whose Ears Are Plugged with Cotton” (1930), the writer spoke about the child’s natural inclination to play, which certainly includes verbal play: “He plays both with words and in words; it is through word play that the child learns the intricacies of his native language, masters its music and what is philologically called the “spirit of language.” The spirit of language is preserved in the element of folk speech. Children most easily comprehend the “beauty, strength and accuracy” of their native language “through funny jokes, sayings, riddles.”
In the same article, Gorky also defends entertaining children's literature. A child under ten years of age, the writer declares, requires fun, and his demand is biologically legitimate. He learns about the world through play, so a children's book should take into account the child's need for exciting, exciting reading.
“I affirm: you need to talk funny to a child,” M. Gorky continues to develop this idea, which is fundamental for him, in another article from 1930 - “On irresponsible people and on children’s books of our days.” The article was directed against those who believed that entertaining a child through art meant disrespecting him. Meanwhile, the writer emphasized, even the initial understanding of such complex concepts and phenomena as the solar system, planet Earth, and its countries can be taught in games, toys, and funny books. Even “the difficult dramas of the past can and should be told with laughter...”.
There is a great need for humorous characters who would be the heroes of entire series, Gorky continues his reasoning in the article “Literature for Children” (1933). Here is a whole program for the education and moral development of the younger generation.
He emphasized that the book should speak to the little reader in the language of images and should be artistic. “Preschoolers need simple and at the same time poems marked by high artistic skill, which would provide material for games, counting rhymes, and teases.” It is also necessary to publish several collections composed of the best examples of folklore.
As you know, Gorky worked a lot with beginning writers; Some of them, under his influence, turned to children's literature. He advised young authors to read folk tales (article “On Fairy Tales”), because they develop imagination, force the aspiring writer to appreciate the importance of fiction for art, and most importantly, they are able to “enrich his meager language, his poor vocabulary.” And children, Gorky believed, urgently need reading fairy tales, as well as works of other folklore genres.
M. Gorky sought to bring his views to life. He initiated the creation of the world's first children's publishing house and participated in the discussion of its plans, as well as the plans of children's theaters. He corresponded with young writers and even with children to find out their needs and tastes. He outlined the themes of children's books, which were then developed by writers and publicists who popularized science. On his initiative, the first post-revolutionary children's magazine, “Northern Lights,” arose.
The theme of childhood in the works of M. Gorky. The writer's stories for children were published even before the revolution. In 1913-1916, Gorky worked on the stories “Childhood” and “In People,” which continued the tradition of autobiographical prose about childhood. In the writer’s stories, children often find themselves unhappy, offended, and sometimes even die, as, for example, Lenka from the story “Grandfather Arkhip and Lenka” (1894). A couple of beggars - a boy and his grandfather - in their wanderings in the south of Russia meet sometimes with human sympathy, sometimes with indifference and anger. “Lenka was small, fragile, in rags he seemed like a gnarled twig, broken off from his grandfather - an old withered tree, brought and thrown here, on the sand, on the river bank.”
Gorky endows his hero with kindness, the ability to sympathize, and honesty. Lenka, a poet and knight by nature, wants to stand up for a little girl who has lost her scarf (her parents may beat her for such a loss). But the fact is that the scarf was picked up by his grandfather, who also stole a Cossack dagger in silver. The drama of the story is manifested not so much in the external plane (the Cossacks search the beggars and expel them from the village), but in Lenka’s experiences. His pure childish soul does not accept his grandfather’s actions, although they were committed for his own sake. And now he looks at things with new eyes, and his grandfather’s face, until recently familiar, becomes for the boy “scary, pitiful and, arousing in Lenka that feeling that is new to him, makes him move further away from his grandfather.” Self-esteem did not leave him, despite his poor life and all the humiliations associated with it; it is so strong that it pushes Lenka to cruelty: he says evil, offensive words to his dying grandfather. And although, having come to his senses, he asks for his forgiveness, it seems that in the finale Lenka’s death comes also from repentance. “At first they decided to bury him in the graveyard, because he was still a child, but, after thinking about it, they buried him next to his grandfather, under the same sedge. They poured a mound of earth and placed a rough stone cross on it.” Detailed descriptions of the child’s state of mind, the excited tone of the story, and its vitality attracted the attention of readers. The resonance was exactly what revolutionary-minded writers of that time sought: readers were imbued with sympathy for the disadvantaged, indignant at the circumstances and laws of life that allow for the possibility of such a child’s existence.
“He lived a boring and difficult life,” says the writer about Mishka, the hero of the story “The Shake” (1898). An apprentice in an icon-painting workshop, he does a lot of different things and gets beaten for the slightest mistake. But despite the heaviness of everyday life, the boy is drawn to beauty and perfection. Having seen a clown in the circus, he tries to convey his admiration to everyone around him - the masters, the cook. It ends disastrously: carried away by imitating the clown, Mishka accidentally smears the paint on the still damp icon; he is severely beaten. When he, groaning, clutching his head, fell at the master’s feet and heard the laughter of those around him, this laughter “cut Mishka’s soul” stronger than the physical “shake.” The boy's spiritual rise is shattered by human misunderstanding, anger and indifference caused by the monotony and gray everyday life. Beaten, in a dream he sees himself in a clown costume: “Full of admiration for his dexterity, cheerful and proud, he jumped high into the air and, accompanied by a roar of approval, smoothly flew somewhere, flew with a sweet sinking heart...” But life is cruel, and the next day he will have to “wake up again on the ground from a kick.”
The light that comes from childhood, the lessons that children give to adults, children's spontaneity, spiritual generosity, lack of money (although they often have to earn a living themselves) - this is what M. Gorky's stories about children are filled with.
Fairy tales. Gorky’s “Tales of Italy” (1906-1913) have this name conventionally: these are stories about the country in which he spent many years. But he also has true tales. The first of them were intended for the collection “The Blue Book” (1912), addressed to young children. The fairy tale "Sparrow" was included in the collection, and another - "The Case of Evseyka" - turned out to be too mature for this collection. It appeared that same year in a supplement to the newspaper Den. These fairy tales feature wonderful animals that can talk, without which the fairy-tale world could not exist.
Sparrow. Pudik did not yet know how to fly, but he was already looking out of the nest with curiosity: “I wanted to quickly find out what God’s world is and whether it is suitable for him.” Pudik is very inquisitive, he still wants to understand: why the trees sway (let them stop - then there will be no wind); why are these people wingless - did the cat cut off their wings?.. Because of his excessive curiosity, Pudik gets into trouble - he falls out of the nest; and the cat “red, green eyes” is right there. A battle takes place between the mother sparrow and the red-haired robber. Pudik even took off from fear for the first time in his life... Everything ended well, “if you forget that mom was left without a tail.”
In the image of Pudik, the character of a child is clearly visible - spontaneous, disobedient, playful. Gentle humor and discreet colors create the warm and kind world of this fairy tale. The language is clear, simple, and understandable to children. The speech of the bird characters is based on onomatopoeia:
- I'm sorry, what? - the mother sparrow asked him.
He shook his wings and, looking at the ground, chirped:
- Too black, too much!
Dad flew in, brought bugs to Pudik and boasted:
- Am I still alive? Mother Sparrow approved of him:
- Chiv, chiv!
The character of the hero in the fairy tale “The Case of Evseyka” is more complicated, because the hero is older than Pudik in age. The underwater world where the boy Evseyka finds himself is inhabited by creatures who have difficult relationships with each other. Small fish, for example, tease a big crayfish - they sing a teaser in chorus:
Cancer lives under the stones
The fishtail is chewed by the crayfish.
The fishtail is very dry.
Cancer does not know the taste of flies.
The underwater inhabitants are trying to drag Yevseyka into their relationship. He stubbornly resists: they are fish, and he is a man. He has to be cunning so as not to offend someone with an awkward word and not get himself into trouble. Evseyka's real life is intertwined with fantasy. “Fools,” he mentally addresses the fish. “I got two B’s in Russian last year.” Towards the end, the action of the fairy tale moves through a chain of funny situations and witty dialogues. In the end, it turns out that Evseyka dreamed of all these wonderful events when he, sitting with a fishing rod on the seashore, fell asleep. This is how Gorky solved the traditional problem of the interaction between fiction and reality in literary fairy tales. In “The Case of Evseyka” there are many light, witty poems that children readily remember.
There are even more of them in the fairy tale “Samovar,” which the writer included in the first book he compiled and edited for children, “The Christmas Tree” (1918). This collection is part of the writer’s larger plan to create a library of children’s literature. The collection was intended to be a fun book. “More humor, even satire,” Gorky admonished the authors. Chukovsky recalled: “Gorky’s own fairy tale “Samovar,” placed at the beginning of the entire book, is precisely a satire for children, denouncing self-praise and conceit. "Samovar" is prose interspersed with poetry. At first he wanted to call it “About the samovar who became arrogant,” but then he said: “I don’t want there to be a sermon instead of a fairy tale!” - and changed the title."
The tale has been republished many times. It reflects M. Gorky’s views on folk tales as an inexhaustible source of optimism and humor, to which children must be involved, as well as his approach to the literary treatment of folklore.
Galina Veselova
Project for senior preschool children “Tales of M. Gorky for Children”
PASSPORT PROJECT.
« Tales M. Gorky for children»
Performed: Teacher of the first qualification category
MADOU « FAIRY TALE» Urensky municipal district
Nizhny Novgorod region - Veselova Galina Terentyevna.
Target: Introduce children preparatory group with the creativity of M. Gorky, to include children to reading the works of a classic writer, a fellow countryman.
Tasks:
1. Summarize and systematize knowledge children about the life and work of M. Gorky.
2. Increase the efficiency of inclusion work children to the book.
3. Develop the ability to understand the meaning of a work of art.
4. Promote the development of creativity children.
5. Develop the ability to give detailed answers, develop dialogic and monologue speech children.
6. Contribute to maintaining family reading traditions.
7. Improve the speech culture of teachers, parents and children.
Participants project: Children of the preparatory group, teachers, parents.
View project: Creative and cognitive.
Implementation time: Short term.
Expected Results:
1. Creating a sequel fairy tales"Sparrow".
2. Drawing, decorative painting, plasticine painting, listening to songs,
dance "Puff-puff samovar" By fairy tales of Maxim Gorky.
Presentations project: Quiz and literary hour with the participation of parents fairy tales of Maxim Gorky.
Methods and techniques:
Presentation demonstration;
Visual methods;
Use of words artistically;
Using different types of games;
Forms of organization:
Group;
Subgroup;
Stages:
- preparatory: creation of presentations, printed board games, development of GCD notes, quizzes and literary hour.
- basic: viewing presentations, conducting GCD, board and printed games,
dramatization games, holding a quiz and a literary hour on the works of M. Gorky.
- final: generalization of the received ideas about Maxim’s work Gorky.
Literary hour with the participation of parents on the works of Maxim Gorky.
Tasks:
1. Activate and clarify ideas children and parents about M.’s work. Gorky.
2. Organize joint activities between parents and children.
3. Foster a love of fiction.
IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT.
1. Viewing presentations: "Peshkov House-Museum", "Acquaintance children with Maxim's creativity Gorky», "About the samovar".
2. Reading fairy tales by Maxim Gorky: "Sparrow", "Samovar", "The Case of Evseyka", “About Ivanushka the Fool”.
3. Learning proverbs about the samovar. re-enactment fairy tales by Maxim Gorky"Samovar" Decorative drawing "samovar painting". Plasticineography "Samovar painting". Listening to a song "Our handsome samovar". Learning a song and dance "Puff-puff samovar".
4. Didactic game "Life of Russian people".
5. Drawing by fairy tale"Sparrow".
6. GCD for speech development - Come up with a continuation fairy tales"Sparrow".
7. Quiz for children based on the fairy tale by Maxim Gorky"Sparrow".
8. Literary hour with the participation of parents "Maksim Gorky for children» .
Publications on the topic:
Dramatization of the fairy tale “Don’t Brag” for older preschool children Forest edge. On the left is a hedgehogs' house, in the background there is a hillock and a large bush. Hare (runs in and stops in front of the house). Who lives here? Bake.
Dramatization of the fairy tale “Into the Forest for a Walk” for children of senior preschool age In the hall there is a forest decoration on the right - bushes, on the left - a Christmas tree. Children: We took the bunnies again, put them on our fingers, we will start the performance, but now.
Summary of physical education "Visiting a fairy tale." For children of senior preschool age. Goal: to increase interest in physical education.
Summary of the summer entertainment scenario for children of senior preschool age “Visiting a fairy tale”“Visiting a fairy tale” Date: 08/25/2017 at 11.00; Participants: - children of group No. 5; - teachers of group No. 5; - parents; Goal: - Create.
Project for older children “My favorite fairy tales” Project for older children on the topic: “My favorite fairy tales.” .
New Year's scenario for children of senior preschool age based on the fairy tale "The Town Musicians of Bremen" Child: It’s so good that in this hall we met with friends again. We had been waiting for this holiday for a long time and it came in the frost of winter. Educator:.
Pedagogical project for older children “Tales of K. Chukovsky” Pedagogical project for children of senior preschool age “Tales of K. Chukovsky” Goal: Introducing children to works of art.
INTRODUCTION
1. M. GORKY - THE FOUNDER OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
2. WORKS OF A.M. GORKY FOR CHILDREN
2.1 The fairy tale “Sparrow” - its closeness to works of oral folk art. Fairy tale characters. The image of Pudik, his desire to live “by his own mind”
2.2 Household fairy tale “Samovar”. Ridicule of stupidity, complacency, emptiness. Alternation of prose and poetic text in a fairy tale. The satirical nature of the tale
2.3 Story-tale “The Case of Evseyka.” Mark the fairytale fantasy element. The image of Evseika, the humor of the fairy tale, its peculiarity
3. ABILITY OF A.M. GORKY “FUN” TALKING TO CHILDREN ABOUT SERIOUS ISSUES, DEEP KNOWLEDGE OF CHILDREN’S INTERESTS AND REQUESTS
CONCLUSION
LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
Maxim Gorky entered literature on the verge of two historical eras; he seemed to combine these two eras in himself. The time of moral turmoil and disappointment, general discontent, mental fatigue - on the one hand, and the maturation of future events that have not yet been openly manifested - on the other, found its bright and passionate artist in early Gorky. At the age of twenty, Gorky saw the world in such terrifying diversity that his bright faith in man, in his strength and capabilities seems incredible. But the young writer was inherent in the desire for the ideal, for the beautiful - here he was a worthy successor to the best traditions of Russian literature of the past.
Maxim Gorky grew up in a popular environment, which gives his work a folk character, and his images romantic features, poetic harmony, sincerity and beauty. He inherited from his parents lively humor, love of life and truthfulness, folk traditions and a romantic, poetic attitude to life and creativity. A truly Russian folk trait of the writer was his love for children. Gorky felt sorry for them, remembering his not simple, but sometimes tragic childhood, he corresponded with the children and their letters brought him not just joy, they fed his creativity, finding the most hidden tender strings in the depths of his soul. Gorky's children's works are a golden fund of literature for children, which gives relevance to this study.
The purpose of the study is to study the creativity of A.M. Gorky, aimed at moral education and support of children.
The object of research is the work of A.M. Gorky.
Subject of research - A.M. Gorky - for children.
On the way to the goal, the following tasks were solved:
1). Define the work of M. Gorky as the founder of children's literature.
). Analyze M. Gorky’s fairy tales “Sparrow”, “Samovar”, “The Case of Yevseyka”.
). Assess M. Gorky’s ability to talk “funny” with children about serious issues, deep knowledge of children’s interests and needs.
The following methods were used in working on the topic: historical definition, analytical observation, data comparison, content analysis.
The work was based on the works of: N.D. Teleshova, I.N. Arzamastseva, S.A. Nikolaeva, A.A. Kunarev and others.
1. M. GORKY - THE FOUNDER OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
The life and creative destiny of Maxim Gorky (real name - Alexey Peshkov) is unusual. Born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1868 into an ordinary working class family. Lost his parents early. He spent his childhood in his grandfather's family. Alyosha didn’t have to study. He experienced the hardships of life early, traveled a lot around Rus', learned the life of tramps, the unemployed, the hard work of workers and hopeless poverty. From all this frailty, the pseudonym appeared - Maxim Gorky.
It is generally accepted that in Gorky’s work there are two main groups of works in terms of their artistic properties. One of them is realistic works, the other is romantic. Such a division should be accepted, but only on one condition: in no case should both of these groups be considered completely separately, because this inevitably leads to the separation of artistic quests from the social soil on which they arose, from the social life of Russia in the 90s.
The ideological and artistic similarity of Gorky's realistic and romantic stories is one of the main signs of his formation as a writer. But there are also significant aesthetic differences that manifest themselves in the artistic interpretation of realistic and romantic images. Both the closeness and the difference between Gorky’s two main cycles of stories are different sides of the same process, the artistic formation of a new method in art. Only by comparing the realistic and romantic works of M. Gorky can one analytically trace how the transition to a new quality took place in Russian literature, which reflected the full and multifaceted content of the era.
The problem of love develops in Gorky’s romantic fairy tales “About the Little Fairy and the Young Shepherd” and “The Girl and Death”. Gorky defined the theme of one of them as follows: “A new fairy tale on an old theme: about love, which is stronger than life.” The fairy tale “About the Little Fairy and the Young Shepherd” is built on an antithesis: the opposition of forest and steppe. An old shady forest with mighty beeches and velvet foliage is a world of peace and bourgeois comfort. Here the queen of the forest lives in contentment and bliss with her daughters, here they sympathetically listen to the speeches of the important and stupid mole, confident that happiness lies in wealth.
In the steppe there are neither lush palaces nor rich underground storerooms. Only the free wind plays with the gray feather grass, and the endless sky turns blue, and the steppe expanse plays with multi-colored colors. Gorky depicts the landscape in a romantic way: the steppe at sunset is painted in bright purple, as if a huge velvet curtain had been hung there, and gold was burning in its folds.
The kingdom of strength and freedom -
“My mighty steppe,” the shepherd sings.
Unlike the important mole, the shepherd has no property. But he has black curls, dark cheeks, fiery eyes and a brave heart. The sounds of his song are like the cry of an eagle. And the little fairy, who lived so happily and calmly in the palace of the Queen Mother, goes to the shepherd and dies. Maya, writes Gorky, “is like a lonely birch tree, which, loving freedom, moved out of the forest far into the steppe and stood in the wind.” The wind and thunderstorm killed her. The death of the fairy is symbolic: “the song of freedom does not go well with the song of love,” love is also slavery, it fetters the will of man. Dying, Maya says to the shepherd: “You are free again, like an eagle.”
The love of Maya and the shepherd is as strong as the love of Loiko Zobar and Radda. In her name, Maya gives up the palace, the forest, and her mother, who dies of grief. She tries to overcome even the insane, unbearable fear that grips her during a thunderstorm: after all, after the thunderstorm, Maya still remains with the shepherd. The exclusivity of feelings makes Gorky's heroes similar to the romantic images of Byron and Schiller, Pushkin and Lermontov. In the fairy tale about the little fairy, the image of a noble human heart also arises, rejecting the philistine canons established over the centuries. Fear of Fate and Death overcomes the feeling of Love. Maya tries to explain this to the shepherd and adds: “Perhaps I would have said more if I could take the heart out of my chest and bring it on my hand to your eyes.”
In the fairy tale “About the Little Fairy and the Young Shepherd” a motif appears for the first time, which, as it grows, will sound more and more insistently in other romantic works of Gorky. This is a hymn to freedom and a delight in the storm. During a thunderstorm, a shepherd stands in the blackened steppe as firmly as a rock, exposing his chest to the arrows of lightning. The description of the thunderstorm is done in rhythmic prose and is reminiscent of the later “Song of the Petrel”: “Arrows of lightning tore the clouds, but they again merged and rushed over the steppe in a gloomy, terrifying flock. And sometimes, with a clap of thunder, something round, like the sun, blinding with blue light, fell from the sky to the ground...”
Thus, the problems posed by the writer M. Gorky in his work are perceived as relevant and pressing for solving the issues of our time. Gorky, who openly declared at the end of the 19th century his faith in man, in his mind, in his creative, transformative capabilities, continues to arouse interest among readers to this day.
bitter tale for children
2. WORKS OF A.M. GORKY FOR CHILDREN
1 The fairy tale “Sparrow” - its closeness to works of oral folk art. Fairy tale characters. The image of Pudik, his desire to live “by his own mind”
One of Gorky’s most striking children’s works can rightfully be defined as the fairy tale “Sparrow”. Sparrow Pudik did not yet know how to fly, but he was already looking out of the nest with curiosity: “I wanted to quickly find out what God’s world is and whether it is suitable for him.” Pudik is very inquisitive, he still wants to understand: why the trees sway (let them stop - then there will be no wind); why are these people wingless - did the cat cut off their wings?.. Because of his excessive curiosity, Pudik gets into trouble - he falls out of the nest; and the cat “red, green eyes” is right there. A battle takes place between the mother sparrow and the red-haired robber. Pudik even took off from fear for the first time in his life... Everything ended well, “if you forget that mom was left without a tail.”
In the image of Pudik, the character of a child is clearly visible - spontaneous, disobedient, playful. Gentle humor and discreet colors create the warm and kind world of this fairy tale. The language is clear, simple, and understandable to children. The speech of the bird characters is based on onomatopoeia:
"- I'm sorry, what? - the mother sparrow asked him.
He shook his wings and, looking at the ground, chirped:
Too black, too much!
Dad flew in, brought bugs to Pudik and boasted:
Am I chiv? Mother Sparrow approved of him:
Chiv, chiv!”
The story about the little sparrow has been published more than once. Little Pudik did not want to obey his parents and almost disappeared. What happens: listen to mom and dad, and everything will be okay? Well, not really. Gorky does not scold Pudik at all, but sympathizes with him. Thanks to its audacity, the chick learned to fly. And to my mother’s condemning “what, what?” (see, they say, what happens if you don’t obey?) The chick answers convincingly and wisely: “You can’t learn everything at once!”
In the fairy tale “Sparrow” there is another moment of education. This is the cultivation of kindness towards the world and all its diversity. Pudik thinks that he, his dad and mom are the most perfect creatures on this earth. Indeed: they live high, under a roof and look down on the world.
Below, people walk back and forth who are much larger than Pudik in size and, of course, physically stronger than him. But people are “eaten by midges”, small creatures that are much smaller than Pudik himself and cause trouble for the big man. What could be worse than being literally eaten? And little Pudik eats these same midges himself. So what happens: Pudik is stronger than midges, which means he is stronger than a person?
“A man walks past the bathhouse,” we read in a fairy tale, “waving his arms.
“The cat tore off his wings,” said Pudik, “only the bones remained!”
This is a man, they are all wingless! - said the sparrow.
They have such a rank that they can live without wings, they always jump on their feet, wow?
If they had wings, they would catch us like dad and I catch midges...
Nonsense! - said Pudik. - Nonsense, nonsense! Everyone should have wings. It’s worse on the ground than in the air!.. When I grow up big, I’ll make everyone fly.
Pudik did not believe his mother; He didn’t yet know that if he didn’t trust his mother, it would end badly.
He sat on the very edge of the nest and sang poems of his own composition at the top of his lungs:
Eh, wingless man,
You have two legs
Even though you are very great,
The midges are eating you!”
Pudik literally grew in his eyes, became proud and squealed: “I’m quite small, but I eat midges myself.” But then he falls out of the nest and finds himself in front of the mouth of a big red cat, which is preparing to eat him, the famous and best Pudik in the world. Pudik experiences a chilling fear that he might become food for a scary cat. It turns out that the cat is the strongest?
And then the mother sparrow comes to the rescue. She fearlessly rushes at the cat and takes it away from Pudik. Is mom really the strongest? And what is stronger is not mother, but mother’s love. And children reading the fairy tale understand this. They immediately realized how mistaken the little stupid chick was, considering himself stronger than a person. But they realized that a mother, any mother - a person, a bird, a kitten - would not let her child be offended. She will not spare not only her tail, but also life itself. This means that you need to love your mother and be grateful to her for her dedication and daily care.
And yet, we must respect life, animals and birds. After all, everyone has mothers, everyone is happy that they live, everyone has their own dreams and desires. And because the world is inhabited by different creatures, it is beautiful, challenging and interesting. This is how, without preaching and in an accessible form, Gorky teaches the little reader a great lesson in life.
The fairy tale “Sparrow” is written in the style of oral folk art. The story sounds leisurely and allegorical. As in folk culture, sparrows are endowed with feelings, thoughts, and human experiences. As in a folk tale, there is something heroic and comic here. As in a folk tale, Gorky’s work contains a large educational factor.
Thus, the fairy tale “Sparrow” is one of the brightest works for children included in the treasury of world culture.
2.2 Household fairy tale “Samovar”. Ridicule of stupidity, complacency, emptiness. Alternation of prose and poetic text in a fairy tale. The satirical nature of the tale
Sparrow Pudik loved to brag. But he is far from a samovar. What a braggart! I forgot every measure. And he will jump out of the window, and marry the Moon, and take on the responsibilities of the sun! Boasting does no good. The samovar is falling apart: they forgot to pour water into it. The cups rejoice at the inglorious death of the samovar braggart, and the readers have fun.
Sending “Samovar” to the children of his friend, Gorky informed them that he wrote it “with his own hand and on purpose” for “Tata, Lelya and Boba, so that they would love me, because although I am an invisible person, I can write different stories about cockroaches, samovars, grandfathers of brownies, elephants and other insects. Yes!.."
The fairy tale “Samovar” contains many light, witty poems that children readily remember. The writer included “Samovar” in the first book he compiled and edited for children, “Yolka” (1918). This collection is part of the writer's big plan to create a library of children's literature. The collection was intended to be a fun book. “More humor, even satire,” Gorky admonished the authors. Chukovsky recalled: “Gorky’s own fairy tale “Samovar,” placed at the beginning of the entire book, is precisely a satire for children, denouncing self-praise and conceit. “Samovar” is prose interspersed with poetry. At first he wanted to call it “About the samovar who became arrogant,” but then he said: “I don’t want there to be a sermon instead of a fairy tale!” - and changed the title."
Indeed, there is no “sermon” in the fairy tale, but there is certainly a moral teaching. However, it is enclosed in such a funny, playful form that the reader perceives it easily and cheerfully, without the slightest protest. The hero of the fairy tale Samovar really loved to boast; he considered himself smart, handsome, he had long wanted the Moon to be taken from the sky and made into a tray for him. “The samovar got so hot that it turned blue all over and was trembling and buzzing:
“I’ll let it simmer a little more,
And when I get bored, -
I'll jump out the window right away
And I’ll marry the moon!”
An old kettle, in which water is also boiling, argues with the samovar. Gorky skillfully betrays their dialogue, which is interrupted by remarks from the dishes standing around. The dialogue is so bright and juicy that it makes you believe that this is really a samovar and a teapot arguing. “So they both kept boiling and boiling, preventing everyone who was on the table from sleeping. The teapot teases:
She's rounder than you.
But there are no coals in it, -
samovar answers.
Each character in this tale has his own voice. The blue creamer, from which all the cream has been poured, irritably says to the empty glass sugar bowl: “Everything is empty, everything is empty! I'm tired of these two." And the sugar bowl answers in a “sweet voice”: “Yes, their chatter annoys me too.” The teapot, cups, samovar stew communicate with each other only in poetry, and everyone puffs and snorts... The samovar falls into pieces - and that’s the end of the fairy tale.
In one of his letters to children, Gorky noted: “Although I am not very young, I am not a boring guy and I know how to show quite well what happens to a samovar in which they put hot coals and forgot to pour water.” However, the meaning of the tale, of course, does not end there; it reveals itself to the little reader in the final muttering of the stew:
Look: people are forever
They complain about fate
And they forgot the stew
Put it on the pipe!
Thus, an ordinary samovar received the status of a living creature and showed how pompous and stupid it is in its boastfulness. Even the teaware, which he practically never parted with, did not want to sympathize with him. Gorky masterfully uses everyday objects to condemn human weaknesses and vices, showing in their images what bragging, bragging and disrespect for others can lead to.
2.3 Story-tale “The Case of Evseyka.” Mark the fairytale fantasy element. The image of Evseika, the humor of the fairy tale, its peculiarity
And about the fisherman - a “fictional” story. The boy Evseyka miraculously ends up on the seabed and talks to the fish. The character of the hero in the fairy tale “The Case of Evseyka” is more complicated, because the hero is older than Pudik in age. The underwater world where the boy Evseyka finds himself is inhabited by creatures who have difficult relationships with each other. Small fish, for example, tease a big crayfish - they sing a teaser in chorus:
Cancer lives under the stones
The fishtail is chewed by the crayfish.
The fishtail is very dry.
Cancer does not know the taste of flies.
The underwater inhabitants are trying to drag Yevseyka into their relationship. He stubbornly resists: they are fish, and he is a man. He has to be cunning so as not to offend someone with an awkward word and not get himself into trouble. Evseika’s real life is intertwined with fantasy: “Fools,” he mentally addresses the fish. “I got two B’s in Russian last year.”
The fairy tale is not just instructive, it is also very educational for the young reader. In a witty and humorous manner, Gorky conveys the sometimes dangerous, sometimes comic life of the underwater world. Pisces laughs at the boy’s appearance, which does not correspond to Pisces’ ideas of beauty; Pisces are offended by a carelessly spoken word.
In ordinary life, Evseyka would not stand on ceremony with fish, but once in their world, he weighs his words, tries to be polite, realizing that he could easily lose his life. The instinct of self-preservation awakens in him, and the talent for diplomacy opens up. “Now I’m going to start crying,” he thought, but he immediately realized that if you don’t cry, there are no tears in the water, and he decided that there’s no point in crying - maybe somehow he’ll be able to get out of this unpleasant story somehow .
And all around - oh my God! - different sea inhabitants have gathered - there is no number! A sea cucumber climbs onto your leg, looking like a poorly drawn piglet, and hisses:
I would like to get to know you better... The sea bubble trembles in front of my nose, pouts, puffs - reproaches Evseyka:
Good, good! Neither cancer, nor fish, nor shellfish, ah-ah-ah!
Wait, maybe I’ll still be an aviator,” Yevsey tells him, and a lobster climbed onto his knees and, moving his eyes on strings, politely asks:
May I know what time it is?
The sepia floated past, just like a wet handkerchief; siphonophores flicker everywhere like glass balls, a shrimp tickles one ear, someone curious also probes the other, even small crustaceans travel around the head, tangled in the hair and tugging at it.
"Oh oh oh!" - Evseika exclaimed to himself, trying to look at everything carefree and affectionately, like dad when he is to blame and mom is angry with him.”
Evseyka showed cunning and resourcefulness. No matter how much the fish boasted about their scales, fins, tails, and most importantly, their intelligence, the boy outwitted them and got to the surface. The dream was so true and vivid that Evseika, waking up and emerging from the water, believed that it was not a dream at all.
Towards the end, the action of the fairy tale moves through a chain of funny situations and witty dialogues. In the end, it turns out that Evseyka dreamed of all these wonderful events when he, sitting with a fishing rod on the seashore, fell asleep. This is how Gorky solved the traditional problem of the interaction between fiction and reality in literary fairy tales. And for the little reader, the fairy tale “Evseyka” is science: never lose courage, be smart and dexterous in order to get out of trouble, even when mom and dad are not around. Evseyka more than once remembered how dad would behave in this situation. And this helped him cope with the problem.
Thus, the fairy tale “Evseika” is one of the best works of art in children's literature, in which the talent of Gorky the writer and the kindness of Gorky the person were clearly demonstrated. It is distinguished from a folk tale by the writer’s bright artistic talent in describing details and images.
3. ABILITY OF A.M. GORKY “FUN” TALKING TO CHILDREN ABOUT SERIOUS ISSUES, DEEP KNOWLEDGE OF CHILDREN’S INTERESTS AND REQUESTS
“I warmly greet the future heroes of labor and science. Live together like the fingers of a musician’s wonderfully working hands. Learn to understand the meaning of work and science - two forces that solve all the mysteries of life, overcome all obstacles on the path shown to you by your fathers, on the path to a bright, happy, heroic life.” Gorky wrote these words in one of his last letters to children. And he was friends with them all his life.
Once, in a distant town, a little reader borrowed the story “Childhood” from the library. And - it just so happened - I lost her. Losing a library book is unpleasant and embarrassing. The boy was very upset. Well, I just got desperate. He didn't know what to do. And, in the end, he wrote a letter to Moscow, the author of the book, Gorky himself. And he told everything as it is. And he began to wait to see what would happen. And after some time a parcel arrived from Moscow. The boy had no acquaintances in Moscow, and he immediately understood that this package was from Gorky. The parcel contained two copies of “Childhood”.
A simple and touching incident speaks of what a sympathetic person Alexey Maksimovich Gorky was. And how tenderly he treated the guys. He wrote kind letters to his son Maxim. He loved to joke with his granddaughters - Marfa and Daria. Grandfather called them now girls, now girlies, now girlies, now girlies, now girlies, now girlies. Those are cheerful old ladies. That's kids. That is by highly respected learned girls.
The history of Gorky's stories and fairy tales for children begins unusually: with an earthquake. It happened on December 15, 1908 in southern Italy. The earthquake began early in the morning, at six o'clock. Everyone was still fast asleep. A few minutes later the city of Messina was already in ruins. Messina has suffered from tremors before, but now the city suffered especially hard. Thousands of people died. And the wounded could not even be counted.
Messina is a port. All ships nearby swam to the shore. The Russian ships “Bogatyr”, “Slava”, “Admiral Makarov” also came to anchor. The sailors began to save the city residents. The next morning Gorky arrived in Messina. At that time he lived nearby, on the island of Capri. I worked there and received treatment. “What can I do for the victims? - thought the writer. - They need medicine, clothes, money. They need to build new houses to continue living.”
Gorky had a powerful weapon in his hands - the word. His books were sold all over the world. Readers in different countries listened to his words. They knew that he loved people and wished them well. And Gorky appealed to the whole world: come to the aid of Italy. People responded to his call. Money and things began to be sent to Messina. Many donations came to Gorky. One day, money and a letter written in a child's handwriting arrived from Russia. Gorky read the letter. Unknown to him, kids from Bailov (a suburb of Baku) wrote: “Please give our money... to the writer Maxim Gorky for the Messinians.” The letter was signed: “School of naughty people.”
Where did these naughty people get the money from? They earned it themselves! The play was staged and the tickets sold out. The children were led by Alisa Ivanovna Radchenko, a talented teacher. Subsequently, she worked together with Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya. The envelope contained a photograph of twelve participants in the performance.
Gorky replied: “Dear children! I received the money you collected for the Messinians and I sincerely thank you for everyone you helped. I sincerely wish for you, good little people, that throughout your life you will be as sensitive and responsive to the grief of others as you were in this case. The best pleasure, the highest joy of life is to feel needed and close to people! This is the truth, do not forget it, and it will give you immeasurable happiness. ...Be healthy, love each other and - do more pranks - when you are old men and women - you will begin to remember the pranks with a cheerful laugh. I press your paws tightly, may they be honest and strong all the days of your life!..”
Then the children from the “School of Naughty People” - Borya, Vitya, Gynt, Dima, Fedya, Jeffrey, Zhenya, Irena, Lena, Lisa, Mema, Mary, Nora, Pavel and Elsa - sent Gorky a letter.
The letter from six-year-old Fedya said: “We have 3 main naughty kids at school: Jeffrey, Borya and Fedya. Besides, I’m a big sluggard” (Here and below, materials stored in the A.M. Gorky Archive are used). Jeffrey wrote even more briefly: “I fell into the pool. Hooray!" - and illustrated his message with a drawing. And Borya wrote: “Uncle Alyosha! I love you, do you have a horse, a cow and a bull? Write us a story about a little sparrow. And also write us some fictitious story about the boy fishing. I kiss you... I would like to see you.”
Gorky this time did not leave his little friends’ letters unanswered. In his second letter to the naughty people, Gorky, having amicably scolded them for so skillfully distorting the Russian language: instead of “lazy” they write “lintyay”, and instead of “performance” they write “spil-talk”, he admitted: “I really like to play with children , this is an old habit of mine, little, about ten years old, I babysat my little brother... then I babysat two more children; and finally, when I was about 20 years old, on holidays I gathered children from all over the street where I lived and went into the forest with them for the whole day, from morning to evening. It was nice, you know! There were up to 60 children, they were small, from four years old and no older than ten; running through the forest, they often found themselves unable to walk home. Well, I had such a chair made for this, I tied it on my back and on my shoulders, the tired ones sat in it, and I carried them home through the field perfectly. Wonderful!"
The children were delighted with Gorky's letters. “My dear Gorky! - Nora wrote. - Your letter is very affectionate. Mom and Dad love you, and so do I. …I’m a girl, but I wear a boy’s dress because it makes me feel comfortable.” Lisa asked: “How are you doing? What are the Messinians doing? Vitya was interested in nature: “Are there sponges in the sea that surrounds Capri? How many miles are there along and across Capri? What is the name of the sea that surrounds Capri? Seven-year-old Pavka wrote: “Dear Maximushka Gorky! To please you, I am sending you a letter. I love to read very much and, returning from school, where I had a lot of fun, I sit down to read a book. I read about all sorts of plants and animals, their lives are very interesting. You wrote to us that we are all snub-nosed, and I saw your card, on it you yourself are snub-nosed, which I am very happy about.”
And Gorky said that, having received the children’s letters, he “laughed with joy so much that all the fish stuck their noses out of the water - what’s the matter?” But the most important thing is that Gorky fulfilled the request of one of the three main naughty people: they wrote about a sparrow and about a young fisherman!
From the letter to the naughty people it is clear how the story with the samovar was written. “Although I’m not very young,” Gorky slyly noted, “I’m not a boring guy, and I know how to show quite well what happens to a samovar in which they put hot coals and forgot to pour water.”
Apparently, Gorky more than once happened to meet with children and talk about the samovar. In the end, Gorky wrote down on paper an oral story that he had written a long time ago. He knew the value of kindness. He was touched by the action of the Bail boys. He thanked the good little people the way only he could thank them: with stories, fairy tales, poems.
“...if these lines ever reach Gorky,” wrote Alisa Ivanovna Radchenko in 1926, “let him know that the naughty girls of that time lived up to his hopes, became good, sensitive, sympathetic people and socially useful workers...”
CONCLUSION
Maxim Gorky entered world literature as a realist writer, for whom the truth of life was a powerful driver of his creativity. Gorky had a powerful weapon in his hands - the word. His books were sold all over the world. Readers in different countries listened to his words. They knew that he loved people and wished them well. It is generally accepted that in Gorky’s work there are two main groups of works in terms of their artistic properties. One of them is realistic works, the other is romantic. Such a division should be accepted, but only on one condition: in no case should both of these groups be considered completely separately, because this inevitably leads to the separation of artistic quests from the social soil on which they arose, from the social life of Russia in the 90s.
The problems posed by the writer M. Gorky in his work are perceived as relevant and pressing for solving the issues of our time. Gorky, who openly declared at the end of the 19th century his faith in man, in his mind, in his creative, transformative capabilities, continues to arouse interest among readers to this day.
But Gorky, a recognized genius writer of socialist realism, was also a wonderful children's writer. His children's works are filled with the light of love, kindness and understanding of the child's soul. One of Gorky’s most striking children’s works can rightfully be defined as the fairy tale “Sparrow”. In the image of Pudik, the character of a child is clearly visible - spontaneous, disobedient, playful. Gentle humor and discreet colors create the warm and kind world of this fairy tale. The language is clear, simple, and understandable to children. The speech of the bird characters is based on onomatopoeia.
Sparrow Pudik loved to brag. But he is far from a samovar. What a braggart! I forgot every measure. And he will jump out of the window, and marry the Moon, and take on the responsibilities of the sun! Boasting does no good. The samovar is falling apart: they forgot to pour water into it. The cups rejoice at the inglorious death of the samovar braggart, and the readers find it fun and instructive.
For the little reader, the fairy tale “Evseyka” is also science: never lose courage, be smart and dexterous to get out of trouble, even when mom and dad are not around. Evseyka more than once remembered how dad would behave in this situation. And this helped him cope with the problem of getting out of the water kingdom onto land.
Thus, Maxim Gorky was able not only to understand the soul of the child, he loved her with all his soul. When creating children's works of art, he made sure that reading books was interesting, instructive and entertaining for children. Gorky's fairy tales are written in a kind folk style, but they have their own unique flavor, are imbued with the writer's good humor and are replete with vivid images and details, which brings them closer to the world of childhood experiences.
LITERATURE
1.Gorky Maxim [Text] // Writers of our childhood. 100 names: biobibliographic dictionary in 3 parts. Part 3. - M.: Liberea, 2000. - P. 134-142.
.Gorky, M. Literary heritage [Text] / M. Gorky // Gorky, M. Complete. collection op. T.7. - M.: Khud. lit., 1975. - P. 166.
.Gorky, M. Elka [Text] / M. Gorky // Gorky, M. Complete. collection op. T.1. - M.: Khud. lit., 1975. - pp. 125-159.
.Gorky, M. About children's literature [Text] / M. Gorky. - M.: Det. lit., 1972. - 248 p.
.Kunarev, A.A. Early prose of M. Gorky. Moral and aesthetic quests [Text] / A.A. Kunarev // Russian literature. XX century: reference materials. - M.: Education, 1995. - P. 234-238.
.Maxim Gorky and new children's literature [Text] // Arzamastseva, I.N. Children's literature: a textbook for students. higher ped. textbook head / I.N. Arzamastseva, S.A. Nikolaev. - 3rd ed. reworked and additional - M.: Publishing house. Center Academy, 2005. - pp. 280-289.
.Teleshov, N.D. Notes of a writer [Text] / N.D. Teleshov. - M.: Det. lit., 1982. - 265 p.
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Gorky Maxim
Russian tales
A.M.Gorky
Russian tales
Being ugly and knowing it, the young man said to himself:
I'm smart. I will become a sage. For us it is very simple. And he began to read thick works - he really was not stupid, he understood that the presence of wisdom is most easily proven by quotations from books.
And having read as many wise books as it takes to become short-sighted, he proudly raised his nose, reddened by the weight of his glasses, and declared to all that existed:
Well, no, you can't fool me! I see that life
This is a trap set for me by nature!
And love? - asked the Spirit of Life.
Thank you, thank God I’m not a poet! I will not enter the iron cage of inevitable duties for the sake of a piece of cheese! But still, he was not a particularly gifted person and therefore decided to take the position of professor of philosophy. He comes to the Minister of Public Education and says:
Your Excellency, here - I can preach that life is meaningless and that the suggestions of nature should not be obeyed!
The minister thought: “Is this good or not?”
Then he asked:
Should you obey the orders of your superiors?
Definitely a must! - said the philosopher, respectfully bowing his book-wipe head. - Because human passions...
Well, that's it! Get on the pulpit. Salary - sixteen rubles. Only - if I prescribe that even the laws of nature should be taken into account, look without freethinking! I won't tolerate it! And, after thinking, he said melancholy:
We live in such a time that for the sake of the interests of the integrity of the state, perhaps the laws of nature will have to be recognized not only as existing, but also useful - in part!
“The hell with it!” the philosopher exclaimed mentally. “You’ll get to this point, how?”
And he didn’t say anything out loud.
So he settled down: he climbed into the pulpit every week and said to different curly-haired young men for an hour at a time:
Dear sirs! Man is limited from the outside, limited from the inside, nature is hostile to him, woman is a blind instrument of nature, and for all this our life is completely meaningless!
He was used to thinking like this and often, carried away, spoke beautifully and sincerely; The young students clapped enthusiastically for him, and he, pleased, affectionately nodded his bald head to them, his red nose sparkled with affection, and everything went very well.
Dining in restaurants was bad for him - like all pessimists, he suffered from indigestion - so he got married and dined at home for twenty-nine years; in between, unbeknownst to himself, he fathered four children, and then died.
Behind his coffin walked respectfully and sadly three daughters with their young husbands and a son, a poet in love with all the beautiful women in the world. The students sang “Eternal Memory” - they sang very loudly and cheerfully, but poorly; over the grave, the professor’s comrades spoke flowery speeches about how harmonious the deceased’s metaphysics was; everything was quite decent, solemn and even touching at moments.
So the old man died! - one student said to his comrades when they left the cemetery.
“He was a pessimist,” said another.
And the third asked:
Well? Really?
Pessimist and conservative.
Look, bald! And I didn't even notice...
The fourth student was a poor man, he inquired worriedly:
Will they invite us to the wake?
Yes, they were called.
Since the late professor wrote good books during his lifetime, in which he passionately and beautifully proved the purposelessness of life, the books were bought well and read with pleasure - after all, no matter what you say, people love beautiful things!
The family was well provided for - and pessimism can provide! - the funeral was organized by the rich, the poor student ate unusually well and, when he walked home, he thought, smiling good-naturedly:
"No - and pessimism is useful..."
And there was another case.
Someone, considering himself a poet, wrote poems, but for some reason they were all bad, and this made him very angry.
One day, he was walking down the street and saw: the driver had lost his whip lying on the road.
Inspiration struck the poet, and an image immediately formed in his mind:
Like a black scourge in the dust of the road
Lying - crushed - is the corpse of a snake.
Above him a swarm of flies buzzes alarmingly,
There are beetles and ants around.
The links of thin ribs turn white
Through the torn scales...
Snake! You remind me
My dying love...
And the whip stood on the end of the whip and said, swaying:
Well, why are you lying? A married man, you know how to read and write, but you’re lying! After all, your love has not died out, you both love your wife and are afraid of her...
The poet got angry:
It's none of your business!..
And the poems are bad...
And you can’t invent such things! You can only whistle, and even then not by yourself.
But still, why are you lying? After all, love hasn’t died out?
You never know what happened, but it needed to be...
Oh, your wife will beat you! Take me to her...
Well, just wait!
Well, God be with you! - said the whip, curling up like a corkscrew, lay down on the road and thought about people, and the poet went to the tavern, asked for a bottle of beer and also began to think, but about himself.
“Although the whip is rubbish, the poems are again rather bad, that’s true! It’s a strange thing! One always writes bad poems, and sometimes the other succeeds in good ones, how wrong is everything in this world! Stupid world!”
So he sat, drank and, delving deeper and deeper into understanding the world, finally came to a firm decision: “We must tell the truth: this world is absolutely no good, and it’s even offensive for a person to live in it!” He thought in this direction for an hour and a half, and then composed:
The colorful scourge of our passionate desires
Drives us into the coils of Death the Snake,
We are lost in a deep fog.
Ah - kill your desires!
They deceitfully lure us into the distance,
We drag ourselves through the thorns of grievances,
Along the way, our hearts of sorrow are wounded,
And at the end of it, everyone is killed...
And so on in this spirit - twenty-eight lines.
This is clever! - the poet exclaimed and went home, very pleased with himself.
At home, he read the poems to his wife - she also liked it.
Only,” she said, “the first quatrain seems to be wrong...
They'll devour you! Pushkin also started the “wrong” thing... But what is the size? Memorial service!
Then he began to play with his son: sitting him on his knee and throwing him up, he sang in tenor:
Jump-jump
On someone else's bridge!
Oh, I'll be rich
I'll wash mine
I won't let anyone in!
We had a very fun evening, and in the morning the poet took his poems to the editor, and the editor said thoughtfully - they are all thoughtful, editors, that’s why magazines are boring.
Hm? - said the editor, touching his nose. - This, you know, is not bad, and most importantly, it is very in tune with the mood of the time, very much so! Hmmm, you may have found yourself. Well, continue in the same spirit... Sixteen kopecks line... four forty-eight... Congratulations!
Then the poems were published, and the poet felt like a birthday boy, and his wife kissed him diligently, languidly saying:
M-my poet, oh! Have a great time!
And one young man - a very good young man, painfully searching for the meaning of life - read these poems and shot himself. He, you see, was sure that the author of the poems, before rejecting life, was looking for meaning in it just as long and painfully as he himself, the young man, was looking for, and he did not know that these gloomy thoughts were sold for sixteen kopecks a line. He was serious.
Let the reader not think that I want to say that sometimes even a whip can be used to benefit people.
Evstigney Zakivakin lived for a long time in quiet modesty, in timid envy, and suddenly unexpectedly became famous.
And it happened like this: one day, after a luxurious feast, he spent his last six hryvnias and, waking up the next morning with a severe hangover, very dejected, sat down to his usual work: writing advertisements in verse for the “Anonymous Bureau of Funeral Processions.”
He sat down and, sweating profusely, wrote convincingly:
They hit you on the neck or forehead,
All the same, you will lie in a dark coffin...
Are you an honest man or a scoundrel?
Still, they will drag you to the graveyard...
Will you tell the truth or lie?
It's all one: you will die!..
I took the work to the “bureau”, but they didn’t accept it:
Sorry, they say, there is no way to publish this: many dead people may be offended and even shudder in their graves. There is no point in admonishing the living to death; they will die of their own accord, God willing:
Zakivakin was upset:
Damn you! Take care of the dead, erect monuments, serve memorial services, but the living die of hunger...
In a disastrous mood of spirit, he walks the streets and suddenly sees a sign, and on it - in black letters on a white field - it says:
"Harvest of Death"
Also a funeral home, and I didn’t even know it! - Evstigney was delighted.
But it turned out that this was not a bureau, but the editorial office of a new non-partisan and progressive magazine for youth and self-education. Zakivakin was kindly received by the editor-publisher Mokei Govorukhin himself, the son of the famous lard maker and soap maker Antipa Govorukhin, a lively, albeit skinny guy.
Mokey looked at the poems and approved.
