Recently the BBC showed a series based on Tolstoy's War and Peace. In the West, everything is the same as here - there, too, the release of film (television) adaptations sharply increases interest in the literary source. And then Lev Nikolayevich’s masterpiece suddenly became one of the bestsellers, and with it, readers became interested in all of Russian literature. On this wave, the popular literary website Literary Hub published an article “The 10 Russian Literary Heroines You Should Know.” It seemed to me that this was an interesting look from the outside at our classics and I translated the article for my blog. I'm posting it here too. Illustrations taken from the original article.
Attention! The text contains spoilers.
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We know that all happy heroines are equally happy, and each unhappy heroine is unhappy in her own way. But the fact is that there are few happy characters in Russian literature. Russian heroines tend to complicate their lives. This is how it should be, because their beauty as literary characters largely comes from their ability to suffer, from their tragic destinies, from their “Russianness.”
The most important thing to understand about Russians female characters: their destinies are not stories of overcoming obstacles to achieve “and they lived happily ever after.” Guardians of primordial Russian values, they know that there is more to life than happiness.
1. Tatyana Larina (A.S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”)
In the beginning there was Tatiana. This is a kind of Eve of Russian literature. And not only because it is chronologically the first, but also because Pushkin occupies a special place in Russian hearts. Almost any Russian is able to recite the poems of the father of Russian literature by heart (and after a few shots of vodka, many will do this). Pushkin's masterpiece, the poem "Eugene Onegin", is the story not only of Onegin, but also of Tatyana, a young innocent girl from the provinces who falls in love with the main character. Unlike Onegin, who is shown as a cynical bon vivant corrupted by fashionable European values, Tatyana embodies the essence and purity of the mysterious Russian soul. This includes a penchant for self-sacrifice and a disregard for happiness, as shown by her famous abandonment of the person she loves.
2. Anna Karenina (L.N. Tolstoy “Anna Karenina”)
Unlike Pushkin's Tatyana, who resists the temptation to get along with Onegin, Tolstoy's Anna abandons both her husband and son to run away with Vronsky. Like a true dramatic heroine, Anna voluntarily makes the wrong choice, a choice for which she will have to pay. Anna’s sin and the source of her tragic fate is not that she left the child, but that, selfishly indulging her sexual and romantic desires, she forgot the lesson of Tatiana’s selflessness. If you see light at the end of the tunnel, don't be fooled, it could be a train.
3. Sonya Marmeladova (F.M. Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment”)
In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Sonya appears as the antipode of Raskolnikov. A whore and a saint at the same time, Sonya accepts her existence as a path of martyrdom. Having learned about Raskolnikov's crime, she does not push him away, on the contrary, she attracts him to her in order to save his soul. Typical here famous scene when they read the biblical story of the raising of Lazarus. Sonya is able to forgive Raskolnikov, because she believes that everyone is equal before God, and God forgives. For a repentant killer, this is a real find.
4. Natalia Rostova (L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace”)
Natalya is everyone's dream: smart, funny, sincere. But if Pushkin's Tatiana is too good to be true, Natalya seems alive, real. Partly because Tolstoy complemented her image with other qualities: she is capricious, naive, flirtatious and, for the morals of the early 19th century, a little impudent. In War and Peace, Natalya starts out as a charming teenager, exuding joy and vitality. Over the course of the novel, she grows older, learns life lessons, tames her fickle heart, becomes wiser, and her character gains integrity. And this woman, which is generally uncharacteristic of Russian heroines, is still smiling after more than a thousand pages.
5. Irina Prozorova (A.P. Chekhov “Three Sisters”)
At the beginning of Chekhov's play Three Sisters, Irina is the youngest and full of hope. Her older brother and sisters are whiny and capricious, they are tired of life in the provinces, and Irina’s naive soul is filled with optimism. She dreams of returning to Moscow, where, in her opinion, she will find her true love and she will be happy. But as the chance to move to Moscow evaporates, she becomes increasingly aware that she is stuck in the village and losing her spark. Through Irina and her sisters, Chekhov shows us that life is just a series of sad moments, only occasionally punctuated by short bursts of joy. Like Irina, we waste our time on trifles, dreaming of a better future, but gradually we understand the insignificance of our existence.
6. Lisa Kalitina (I.S. Turgenev “The Noble Nest”)
In the novel " Noble Nest"Turgenev created a model of a Russian heroine. Lisa is young, naive, pure in heart. She is torn between two suitors: a young, handsome, cheerful officer and an old, sad, married man. Guess who she chose? Lisa's choice says a lot about the mysterious Russian soul. She is clearly heading towards suffering. Lisa's choice shows that the desire for sadness and melancholy is no worse than any other option. At the end of the story, Lisa becomes disillusioned with love and goes to a monastery, choosing the path of sacrifice and deprivation. “Happiness is not for me,” she explains her action. “Even when I hoped for happiness, my heart was always heavy.”
7. Margarita (M. Bulgakov “The Master and Margarita”)
Chronologically last on the list, Bulgakov's Margarita is an extremely strange heroine. At the beginning of the novel, she is an unhappily married woman, then she becomes the Master’s mistress and muse, and then turns into a witch flying on a broomstick. For Master Margarita, this is not only a source of inspiration. She becomes, like Sonya for Raskolnikov, his healer, lover, savior. When the Master finds himself in trouble, Margarita turns to none other than Satan himself for help. Having concluded, like Faust, a contract with the Devil, she is still reunited with her lover, albeit not entirely in this world.
8. Olga Semyonova (A.P. Chekhov “Darling”)
In "Darling" Chekhov tells the story of Olga Semyonova, loving and tender soul, a simple person who is said to live by love. Olga becomes a widow early. Twice. When there is no one nearby to love, she withdraws into the company of a cat. In his review of “Darling,” Tolstoy wrote that, intending to make fun of a narrow-minded woman, Chekhov accidentally created a very likable character. Tolstoy went even further; he condemned Chekhov for his overly harsh attitude towards Olga, calling for her soul to be judged, not her intellect. According to Tolstoy, Olga embodies the ability of Russian women to love unconditionally, a virtue unknown to men.
9. Anna Sergeevna Odintsova (I.S. Turgenev “Fathers and Sons”)
In the novel “Fathers and Sons” (often incorrectly translated “Fathers and Sons”), Mrs. Odintsova is a lonely woman of mature age; the sound of her surname in Russian also hints at loneliness. Odintsova is an atypical heroine who has become a kind of pioneer among female literary characters. Unlike other women in the novel, who follow the obligations imposed on them by society, Mrs. Odintsova is childless, she has no mother and no husband (she is a widow). She stubbornly defends her independence, like Pushkin's Tatiana, refusing the only chance to find true love.
10. Nastasya Filippovna (F.M. Dostoevsky “The Idiot”)
The heroine of “The Idiot” Nastasya Filippovna gives an idea of how complex Dostoevsky is. Beauty makes her a victim. Orphaned as a child, Nastasya becomes a kept woman and the mistress of the elderly man who picked her up. But every time she tries to escape the clutches of her situation and create her own destiny, she continues to feel humiliated. Guilt casts a fatal shadow on all her decisions. According to tradition, like many other Russian heroines, Nastasya has several fate options, associated mainly with men. And in full accordance with tradition, she is not able to make the right choice. By submitting to fate instead of fighting, the heroine drifts towards her tragic end.
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The author of this text is writer and diplomat Guillermo Herades. He worked in Russia for some time, knows Russian literature well, is a fan of Chekhov and the author of the book Back to Moscow. So this look is not entirely outsider. On the other hand, how to write about Russian literary heroines without knowing Russian classics?
Guillermo does not explain his choice of characters in any way. In my opinion, the absence of Princess Mary or “poor Liza” (who, by the way, was written earlier than Pushkin’s Tatiana) and Katerina Kabanova (from Ostrosky’s “The Thunderstorm”) is surprising. It seems to me that these Russian literary heroines are better known among us than Liza Kalitina or Olga Semyonova. However, this is my subjective opinion. Who would you add to this list?
Epics about Ilya Muromets
Hero Ilya Muromets, son of Ivan Timofeevich and Efrosinya Yakovlevna, peasants of the village of Karacharova near Murom. The most popular character in epics, the second most powerful (after Svyatogor) Russian hero and the first Russian superman.
Sometimes a real person, the Venerable Ilya of Pechersk, nicknamed Chobotok, buried in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and canonized in 1643, is identified with the epic Ilya of Muromets.
Years of creation. XII–XVI centuries
What's the point? Until the age of 33, Ilya lay, paralyzed, on the stove in his parents’ house, until he was miraculously healed by wanderers (“walking kalikas”). Having gained strength, he equipped his father’s farm and went to Kyiv, along the way capturing the Nightingale the Robber, who was terrorizing the surrounding area. In Kyiv, Ilya Muromets joined the squad of Prince Vladimir and found the hero Svyatogor, who gave him a treasure sword and mystical “real power”. In this episode he demonstrated not only physical strength, but also high moral qualities, without responding to the advances of Svyatogor’s wife. Later, Ilya Muromets defeated the “great force” near Chernigov, paved the direct road from Chernigov to Kyiv, inspected the roads from the Alatyr-stone, tested the young hero Dobrynya Nikitich, saved the hero Mikhail Potyk from captivity in the Saracen kingdom, defeated Idolishche, and walked with his squad to Constantinople, one defeated the army of Tsar Kalin.
Ilya Muromets was not alien to simple human joys: in one of the epic episodes, he walks around Kyiv with “tavern heads,” and his son Sokolnik was born out of wedlock, which later leads to a fight between father and son.
What it looks like. Superman. Epic stories describe Ilya Muromets as a “remote, portly, kind fellow”; he fights with a club “of ninety pounds” (1440 kilograms)!
What is he fighting for? Ilya Muromets and his squad very clearly formulate the purpose of their service:
“...to stand alone for the faith for the fatherland,
...to stand alone for Kyiv-grad,
...to stand alone for the churches for the cathedrals,
...he will take care of Prince and Vladimir.”
But Ilya Muromets is not only a statesman - he is at the same time one of the most democratic fighters against evil, as he is always ready to fight “for widows, for orphans, for poor people.”
Way of fighting. A duel with an enemy or a battle with superior enemy forces.
With what result? Despite the difficulties caused by the numerical superiority of the enemy or the disdainful attitude of Prince Vladimir and the boyars, he invariably wins.
What is it fighting against? Against internal and external enemies of Rus' and their allies, violators of law and order, illegal migrants, invaders and aggressors.
2. Archpriest Avvakum
"The Life of Archpriest Avvakum"
Hero. Archpriest Avvakum worked his way up from a village priest to the leader of the resistance to the church reform of Patriarch Nikon and became one of the leaders of the Old Believers, or schismatics. Habakkuk is the first religious figure of such magnitude, not only suffered for his beliefs, but also described it himself.
Years of creation. Approximately 1672–1675.
What's the point? A native of a Volga village, Avvakum from his youth was distinguished by both piety and violent disposition. Having moved to Moscow, he took an active part in church educational activities, was close to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, but sharply opposed the church reforms carried out by Patriarch Nikon. With his characteristic temperament, Avvakum led a fierce struggle against Nikon, advocating for the old order of church rites. Avvakum, not at all shy in his expressions, conducted public and journalistic activities, for which he was repeatedly imprisoned, cursed and defrocked, and exiled to Tobolsk, Transbaikalia, Mezen and Pustozersk. From the place of his last exile, he continued to write appeals, for which he was imprisoned in an “earth pit.” He had many followers. Church hierarchs tried to persuade Habakkuk to renounce his “delusions,” but he remained adamant and was eventually burned.
What it looks like. One can only guess: Avvakum did not describe himself. Maybe the way the priest looks in Surikov’s painting “Boyaryna Morozova” - Feodosia Prokopyevna Morozova was a faithful follower of Avvakum.
What is he fighting for? For cleanliness Orthodox faith, for preserving tradition.
Way of fighting. Word and deed. Avvakum wrote accusatory pamphlets, but could personally beat the buffoons who entered the village and break their musical instruments. He considered self-immolation a form of possible resistance.
With what result? Avvakum's passionate preaching against church reform made resistance to it widespread, but he himself, along with three of his comrades-in-arms, was executed in 1682 in Pustozersk.
What is it fighting against? Against the desecration of Orthodoxy by “heretical novelties”, against everything alien, “external wisdom”, that is, scientific knowledge, against entertainment. Suspects the imminent coming of the Antichrist and the reign of the devil.
3. Taras Bulba
"Taras Bulba"
Hero.“Taras was one of the indigenous, old colonels: he was all about scolding anxiety and was distinguished by the brutal directness of his character. Then the influence of Poland was already beginning to exert itself on the Russian nobility. Many had already adopted Polish customs, had luxury, magnificent servants, falcons, hunters, dinners, courtyards. Taras did not like this. He loved simple life Cossacks and quarreled with those of his comrades who were inclined to the Warsaw side, calling them slaves of the Polish lords. Always restless, he considered himself the legitimate defender of Orthodoxy. He arbitrarily entered villages where they only complained about the harassment of tenants and the increase in new duties on smoke. He himself carried out reprisals against them with his Cossacks and made it a rule that in three cases one should always take up the saber, namely: when the commissars did not respect the elders in any way and stood in front of them in their caps, when they mocked Orthodoxy and did not respect the ancestral law and, finally, when the enemies were the Busurmans and the Turks, against whom he considered in any case permissible to raise arms for the glory of Christianity.”
Year of creation. The story was first published in 1835 in the collection “Mirgorod”. The 1842 edition, in which, in fact, we all read Taras Bulba, differs significantly from the original version.
What's the point? All his life, the dashing Cossack Taras Bulba has been fighting for the liberation of Ukraine from its oppressors. He, the glorious chieftain, cannot bear the thought that his own children, flesh of his flesh, may not follow his example. Therefore, Taras kills Andria’s son, who betrayed the sacred cause, without hesitation. When another son, Ostap, is captured, our hero deliberately penetrates into the heart of the enemy camp - but not in order to try to save his son. His only goal is to make sure that Ostap, under torture, does not show cowardice and does not renounce high ideals. Taras himself dies like Joan of Arc, having previously given Russian culture the immortal phrase: “There is no bond holier than comradeship!”
What it looks like. He is extremely heavy and fat (20 pounds, equivalent to 320 kg), gloomy eyes, very white eyebrows, mustache and forelock.
What is he fighting for? For the liberation of the Zaporozhye Sich, for independence.
Way of fighting. Hostilities.
With what result? With deplorable. Everyone died.
What is it fighting against? Against the oppressor Poles, the foreign yoke, police despotism, old-world landowners and court satraps.
4. Stepan Paramonovich Kalashnikov
“Song about Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, the young guardsman and the daring merchant Kalashnikov”
Hero. Stepan Paramonovich Kalashnikov, merchant class. Trades silks - with varying success. Moskvich. Orthodox. Has two younger brothers. He is married to the beautiful Alena Dmitrievna, because of whom the whole story came out.
Year of creation. 1838
What's the point? Lermontov was not keen on the theme of Russian heroism. He wrote romantic poems about nobles, officers, Chechens and Jews. But he was one of the first to find out that the 19th century was rich only in the heroes of its time, but heroes for all times should be sought in the deep past. There, in Moscow, Ivan the Terrible was found (or rather, invented) a hero with the now common name Kalashnikov. The young guardsman Kiribeevich falls in love with his wife and attacks her at night, persuading her to surrender. The next day, the offended husband challenges the guardsman to a fist fight and kills him with one blow. For the murder of his beloved guardsman and for the fact that Kalashnikov refuses to name the reason for his action, Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich orders the execution of the young merchant, but does not leave his widow and children with mercy and care. Such is royal justice.
What it looks like.
“His falcon eyes are burning,
He looks at the guardsman intently.
He becomes opposite to him,
He pulls on his combat gloves,
Straightens his mighty shoulders.”
What is he fighting for? For the honor of his woman and family. Neighbors saw Kiribeevich's attack on Alena Dmitrievna, and now she cannot appear in front of honest people. Although, going into battle with the oprichnik, Kalashnikov solemnly declares that he is fighting “for the holy mother truth.” But the heroes sometimes distort.
Way of fighting. Fist fight with fatal. Essentially a murder in broad daylight in front of thousands of witnesses.
With what result?
“And they executed Stepan Kalashnikov
A cruel, shameful death;
And the little head is mediocre
She rolled onto the chopping block covered in blood.”
But they buried Kiribeevich too.
What is it fighting against? Evil in the poem is personified by the guardsman with the foreign patronymic Kiribeevich, and also a relative of Malyuta Skuratov, that is, the enemy squared. Kalashnikov calls him “the son of Basurman,” hinting at his enemy’s lack of Moscow registration. And this person of Eastern nationality delivers the first (aka the last) blow not to the merchant’s face, but to the Orthodox cross with relics from Kyiv, which hangs on the brave chest. He says to Alena Dmitrievna: “I am not some kind of thief, a forest murderer, / I am a servant of the Tsar, the terrible Tsar...” - that is, he hides behind the highest mercy. So heroic deed Kalashnikov is nothing more than a deliberate murder motivated by national hatred. Lermontov, who himself participated in the Caucasian campaigns and wrote a lot about the wars with the Chechens, was close to the theme of “Moscow for Muscovites” in its anti-Basurman context.
5. Danko “Old Woman Izergil”
Hero Danko. Biography unknown.
“In the old days, there lived only people in the world; impenetrable forests surrounded the camps of these people on three sides, and on the fourth there was the steppe. These were cheerful, strong and brave people... Danko is one of those people..."
Year of creation. The short story “Old Woman Izergil” was first published in Samara Gazeta in 1895.
What's the point? Danko is the fruit of the uncontrollable imagination of the same old woman Izergil, after whom Gorky’s short story is named. A sultry Bessarabian old woman with a rich past tells a beautiful legend: during Ona’s time there was a redistribution of property - there was a showdown between two tribes. Not wanting to stay in the occupied territory, one of the tribes went into the forest, but there the people experienced mass depression, because “nothing - neither work nor women, exhausts the bodies and souls of people as much as sad thoughts exhaust.” At a critical moment, Danko did not allow his people to bow to the conquerors, but instead offered to follow him - in an unknown direction.
What it looks like.“Danko... a handsome young man. Beautiful people are always brave.”
What is he fighting for? Go figure. In order to get out of the forest and thereby ensure freedom for his people. It is unclear where the guarantee is that freedom is exactly where the forest ends.
Way of fighting. An unpleasant physiological operation, indicating a masochistic personality. Self-dismemberment.
With what result? With duality. He got out of the forest, but died immediately. Sophisticated abuse of one’s own body is not in vain. The hero did not receive gratitude for his feat: his heart, torn out of his chest with his own hands, was trampled under someone’s heartless heel.
What is it fighting against? Against collaboration, conciliation and sycophancy before conquerors.
6. Colonel Isaev (Stirlitz)
A body of texts, from “Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat” to “Bombs for the Chairman,” the most important of the novels is “Seventeen Moments of Spring”
Hero. Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov, aka Maxim Maksimovich Isaev, aka Max Otto von Stirlitz, aka Estilitz, Bolzen, Brunn. An employee of the press service of the Kolchak government, an underground security officer, an intelligence officer, a history professor, exposing a conspiracy of Nazi followers.
Years of creation. Novels about Colonel Isaev were created over 24 years - from 1965 to 1989.
What's the point? In 1921, security officer Vladimirov freed Far East from the remnants of the White Army. In 1927, they decided to send him to Europe - it was then that the legend of the German aristocrat Max Otto von Stirlitz was born. In 1944, he saves Krakow from destruction by helping the group of Major Whirlwind. At the very end of the war, he was entrusted with the most important mission - to disrupt separate negotiations between Germany and the West. In Berlin, the hero carries out his difficult task, simultaneously saving the radio operator Kat, the end of the war is already close, and the Third Reich is collapsing to the song “Seventeen Moments of April” by Marika Rekk. In 1945, Stirlitz was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
What it looks like. From the party description of von Stirlitz, a member of the NSDAP since 1933, SS Standartenführer (VI Department of the RSHA): “A true Aryan. Character - Nordic, seasoned. Maintains good relationships with workmates. Fulfills his official duty impeccably. Merciless towards the enemies of the Reich. An excellent athlete: Berlin tennis champion. Single; he was not noticed in any connections that discredited him. Recognized with awards from the Fuhrer and commendations from the Reichsfuhrer SS..."
What is he fighting for? For the victory of communism. It’s unpleasant to admit this to yourself, but in some situations - for the homeland, for Stalin.
Way of fighting. Intelligence and espionage, sometimes the deductive method, ingenuity, dexterity and camouflage.
With what result? On the one hand, he saves everyone who needs it and successfully carries out subversive activities; reveals secret intelligence networks and defeats the main enemy - Gestapo chief Müller. However Soviet country, for whose honor and victory he is fighting, thanks his hero in his own way: in 1947, he, who had just arrived in the Union on a Soviet ship, was arrested, and by order of Stalin, his wife and son were shot. Stirlitz leaves prison only after Beria's death.
What is it fighting against? Against whites, Spanish fascists, German Nazis and all enemies of the USSR.
7. Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilyov “Look into the eyes of monsters”
Hero Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilev, symbolist poet, superman, conquistador, member of the Order of the Fifth Rome, maker of Soviet history and fearless dragon slayer.
Year of creation. 1997
What's the point? Nikolai Gumilyov was not shot in 1921 in the dungeons of the Cheka. He was saved from execution by Yakov Wilhelmovich (or James William Bruce), a representative of the secret order of the Fifth Rome, created in the 13th century. Having acquired the gift of immortality and power, Gumilyov strides through the history of the 20th century, generously leaving his traces in it. He puts Marilyn Monroe to bed, simultaneously building chickens for Agatha Christie, gives valuable advice to Ian Fleming, due to his absurd character, he starts a duel with Mayakovsky and, leaving his cold corpse in Lubyansky Proezd, runs away, leaving the police and literary scholars to compose a version of suicide. He takes part in a writers' convention and becomes addicted to xerion, a magical drug based on dragon blood that gives immortality to members of the order. Everything would be fine - the problems begin later, when evil dragon forces begin to threaten not only the world in general, but the Gumilyov family: his wife Annushka and son Styopa.
What is he fighting for? First for goodness and beauty, then he no longer has time for lofty ideas - he simply saves his wife and son.
Way of fighting. Gumilyov participates in an unimaginable number of battles and battles, masters hand-to-hand combat techniques and all types of firearms. True, to achieve special sleight of hand, fearlessness, omnipotence, invulnerability and even immortality, he has to throw in xerion.
With what result? Nobody knows this. The novel “Look into the Eyes of Monsters” ends without giving an answer to this burning question. All the continuations of the novel (both “The Hyperborean Plague” and “The March of the Ecclesiastes”), firstly, are much less recognized by fans of Lazarchuk-Uspensky, and secondly, and this is the most important thing, they also do not offer the reader a solution.
What is it fighting against? Having learned about the real causes of the disasters that befell the world in the 20th century, he struggles primarily with these misfortunes. In other words, with a civilization of evil lizards.
8. Vasily Terkin
"Vasily Terkin"
Hero. Vasily Terkin, reserve private, infantryman. Originally from near Smolensk. Single, no children. He has an award for the totality of his feats.
Years of creation. 1941–1945
What's the point? Contrary to popular belief, the need for such a hero appeared even before the Great Patriotic War. Tvardovsky came up with Terkin during the Finnish campaign, where he, together with the Pulkins, Mushkins, Protirkins and other characters in newspaper feuilletons, fought with the White Finns for the Motherland. So Terkin entered 1941 as an experienced fighter. By 1943, Tvardovsky was tired of his unsinkable hero and wanted to send him into retirement due to injury, but letters from readers returned Terkin to the front, where he spent another two years, was shell-shocked and was surrounded three times, conquered high and low heights, led battles in the swamps, liberated villages, took Berlin and even spoke with Death. His rustic but sparkling wit invariably saved him from enemies and censors, but it definitely did not attract girls. Tvardovsky even appealed to his readers to love his hero - just like that, from the heart. After all, Soviet heroes do not have the dexterity of James Bond.
What it looks like. Endowed with beauty He was not excellent, Not tall, not that small, But a hero - a hero.
What is he fighting for? For the cause of peace for the sake of life on earth, that is, his task, like that of any liberator soldier, is global. Terkin himself is sure that he is fighting “for Russia, for the people / And for everything in the world,” but sometimes, just in case, he mentions the Soviet government - no matter what happens.
Way of fighting. In war, as we know, any means are good, so everything is used: a tank, a machine gun, a knife, a wooden spoon, fists, teeth, vodka, the power of persuasion, a joke, a song, an accordion...
With what result?. He came close to death several times. He should have received a medal, but due to a typo in the list, the hero never received the award.
But imitators found it: by the end of the war, almost every company already had its own Terkin, and some had two.
What is it fighting against? First against the Finns, then against the Nazis, and sometimes also against Death. In fact, Terkin was called upon to fight depressive moods at the front, which he did with success.
9. Anastasia Kamenskaya
A series of detective stories about Anastasia Kamenskaya
Heroine. Nastya Kamenskaya, Major of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department, Petrovka’s best analyst, a brilliant operative, investigating serious crimes in the manner of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot.
Years of creation. 1992–2006
What's the point? The work of an operative involves difficult everyday life (the first evidence of this is the television series “Streets of Broken Lights”). But Nastya Kamenskaya finds it difficult to rush around the city and catch bandits in dark alleys: she is lazy, in poor health and loves peace more than anything else. Because of this, she periodically has difficulties in relations with management. Only her first boss and teacher, nicknamed Kolobok, had unlimited faith in her analytical abilities; to others, she has to prove that she best investigates bloody crimes by sitting in her office, drinking coffee and analyzing, analyzing.
What it looks like. Tall, thin blonde, expressionless facial features. He never wears cosmetics and prefers discreet, comfortable clothes.
What is he fighting for? Definitely not for a modest police salary: knowing five foreign languages and having some connections, Nastya could leave Petrovka at any moment, but she does not. It turns out that he is fighting for the triumph of law and order.
Way of fighting. First of all, analytics. But sometimes Nastya has to change her habits and go out on the warpath on her own. In this case, acting skills, the art of transformation and feminine charm are used.
With what result? Most often - with brilliant results: criminals are exposed, caught, punished. But in rare cases, some of them manage to escape, and then Nastya does not sleep at night, smokes one cigarette after another, goes crazy and tries to come to terms with the injustice of life. However, there are clearly more successful endings so far.
What is it fighting against? Against crime.
10. Erast Fandorin
A series of novels about Erast Fandorin
Hero. Erast Petrovich Fandorin, a nobleman, the son of a small landowner who lost his family fortune at cards. He began his career in the detective police with the rank of collegiate registrar, managed to attend Russian-Turkish War 1877–1878, serve in diplomatic corps in Japan and cause the disfavor of Nicholas II. He rose to the rank of state councilor and resigned. Private detective and consultant to various influential people since 1892. Phenomenally lucky in everything, especially in gambling. Single. Has a number of children and other descendants.
Years of creation. 1998–2006
What's the point? The turn of the 20th–21st centuries once again turned out to be an era that is looking for heroes in the past. Akunin found his defender of the weak and oppressed in the gallant XIX century, but in that professional field that is becoming especially popular right now - in the intelligence services. Of all Akunin's stylizing endeavors, Fandorin is the most charming and therefore enduring. His biography begins in 1856, the action of the last novel dates back to 1905, and the end of the story has not yet been written, so you can always expect new achievements from Erast Petrovich. Although Akunin, like Tvardovsky before, since 2000 everyone has been trying to do away with his hero and write the last novel about him. "Coronation" is subtitled "The Last of the Romances"; “Death's Lover” and “Death's Mistress,” written after it, were published as a bonus, but then it became clear that Fandorin’s readers would not let go so easily. The people need, the people need, an elegant detective, knowledgeable of languages and is wildly popular with women. Not all “Cops”, indeed!
What it looks like.“He was a very handsome young man, with black hair (of which he was secretly proud) and blue (alas, it would have been better if he had also been black) eyes, quite tall, with white skin and a damned, ineradicable blush on his cheeks.” After the misfortune he experienced, his appearance acquires an intriguing detail for ladies - gray temples.
What is he fighting for? For an enlightened monarchy, order and legality. Fandorin dreams of new Russia- ennobled in the Japanese style, with firmly and reasonably established laws and their scrupulous implementation. About Russia, which did not go through the Russian-Japanese and First world war, revolution and civil war. That is, about Russia, which could be if we had enough luck and common sense build it.
Way of fighting. Combination deductive method, meditation techniques and Japanese martial arts with almost mystical luck. By the way, there is also female love, which Fandorin uses in every sense.
With what result? As we know, the Russia that Fandorin dreams of did not happen. So globally he suffers a crushing defeat. And in small things too: those whom he tries to save most often die, and the criminals never end up behind bars (they die, or pay off the trial, or simply disappear). However, Fandorin himself invariably remains alive, as does the hope for the final triumph of justice.
What is it fighting against? Against the unenlightened monarchy, bombing revolutionaries, nihilists and socio-political chaos, which can occur in Russia at any moment. Along the way, he has to fight bureaucracy, corruption in the highest echelons of power, fools, roads and ordinary criminals.
Illustrations: Maria Sosnina
In literature, men rule the show: writers, heroes, villains. But aren't women less interesting and talented? We have chosen several heroines who inspire with intelligence, ingenuity, strong character and kindness.
Women and goddesses from ancient literature
Scheherazade overcame toxic masculinity before the term even existed. The Persian king Shahryar was faced with the infidelity of his first wife and his brother's wife and decided that all women were vicious libertines. Since he still couldn’t do without women, he decided to take innocent girls as wives and execute them after their first wedding night. The smart and beautiful daughter of the vizier, Scheherazade, decided to rid the country of the tyranny of such misogyny. She came to the king as a new bride. And then you know: she started telling interesting story and cut her off at the most intriguing moment. Curiosity took possession of Shahryar, and he kept the girl alive until the next night. This went on for a thousand days (almost three years!), during which time Scheherazade gave birth to three children. When she finally fell at his feet and asked to save her life for the sake of their common sons, Shahriyar replied that he had pardoned her a long time ago. This is how the narrator’s courage, intelligence and skill saved many innocent lives.
Elizabeth. "Pride and Prejudice "
Witty and observant, Elizabeth captivated not only the unapproachable and proud Mr. Darcy, but also millions of readers around the world. She loves her family very much, especially her sisters, whom she tries to protect. She is even more offended to see the shortcomings of her parents, but she does not try to change the people close to her or rebel: she only wants to find an acceptable place for herself in her contemporary society.
Scarlett O'Hara. "Gone With the Wind "
Bright, capricious and eccentric, Scarlett evokes conflicting feelings among readers. Many believe that she herself was to blame for her misfortunes and was generally an obnoxious woman. The writer Margaret Mitchell herself had an ambivalent attitude towards her heroine. But beautiful and strong women people who are not used to losing often infuriate others. Unlike men: they are praised for the same qualities. Still, it’s worth admiring the strength of spirit of the green-eyed Irish woman: she survived civil war, death of parents and hardships, coping with all the adversities herself.
Margarita. "Master and Margarita "
A beautiful woman who chose love with a poor artist over a profitable marriage. For his sake, she was humiliated, made a deal with the devil and took revenge on the offenders of her betrothed. Some see sacrifice in Margarita, but we know that she understood well for whom she risked everything. She inspires admiration for the strength of her love and courage.
Pippi Longstocking. Cycle of stories
Astrid Lindgren was such a prankster and did not hesitate to break the far-fetched rules of decency. For example, she made a daring attempt to walk from her native Vimmerby to Lake Vättern (a distance of 300 kilometers) in the company of five women and completely without male help. Believe me, for Sweden at that time it was a challenge! It's no surprise that her heroines also make boring people itch. Pippi Longstocking breaks easily social norms and infuriates adults: he goes to bed whenever he wants, keeps a horse on the balcony, beats thieves and generally lives without parental supervision. Real moms and dads are also annoyed by her: there were even complaints that because of Pippi, children “have the opportunity to find a socially acceptable outlet for aggression against their parents.” But the children like her because she can do everything they would like, but will not do for fear of the “big ones.” The fact that Pippi has become so popular only speaks of the longing for spontaneous, bright heroines, headstrong and funny.
Hermione. Series of books about Harry Potter
How can you not love Hermione? We spend our entire (and her) childhood with her. We meet her as a little girl who is very smart and wants to be as good as everyone else in her class. After all, she immediately realized that it would be more difficult for her, because she did not know those things that children of wizards know from childhood. She makes friends, falls in love, becomes stronger before our eyes. Hermione learns from her mistakes: after the story with the windbag Lockhart, she does not trust everyone, but only those who deserve her respect. She is brave and knows how to sympathize with the weak, and now she has an emotional range that is clearly wider than that of a toothpick.
Every book that has become a masterpiece has its own heroes (good and bad). Today we want to talk about characters who, even after 100 years, remain relevant and famous. Many of these books were filmed, which is why we sometimes recognize many of the characters from films. Let's start with Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes
Literary character created by Arthur Conan Doyle. His works, dedicated to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the famous London private detective, are considered classics of the detective genre. The prototype of Holmes is considered to be Dr. Joseph Bell, a colleague of Conan Doyle, who worked at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and was famous for his ability to to the smallest details guess a person's character and past.
The first work about the famous detective, the story “A Study in Scarlet,” was written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. The last collection, The Archive of Sherlock Holmes, was published in 1927. Sherlock Holmes is apparently a biochemist by training. At the time of his acquaintance with Watson, he worked as a laboratory assistant in one of the London hospitals.
Hercule Poirot
Literary character of the famous English writer Agatha Christie, Belgian detective, main character 33 novels, 54 short stories and 1 play, written between 1920 and 1975, and made into films, television series, theater and radio plays.
Poirot is a Belgian emigrant and former policeman. Poirot himself in his book “Tragedy in Three Acts” says that “... in my youth I was poor and had many brothers and sisters... for some time I worked as a police officer in Belgium... then the War began, I was wounded... I was sent to England for treatment, where did I stay..."
Robin Hood
A popular hero of medieval English folk ballads, a noble leader of forest bandits. According to legend, he acted with his gang in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham - he robbed the rich, giving the loot to the poor.
The identity of the prototype of these ballads and legends has not been established. Presumably, he lived at the beginning of the 14th century, during the reign of King Edward II. However, currently the most popular is the artistic version of Walter Scott, according to which Robin lived in the second half of the 12th century (that is, he was a contemporary of Richard the Lionheart and John Lackland). A number of historical details speak in favor of the first version and against Scott’s version: for example, archery competitions began to be held in England no earlier than the 13th century.
E rast Fandorin
Hero of a series of historical detective stories Russian writer Boris Akunin "The Adventures of Erast Fandorin". In this series, the writer set himself the task of writing one detective story each different styles: conspiracy detective, spy detective, hermetic detective, ethnographic detective, etc.
Reviewers have expressed the opinion that Fandorin's surname is an allusion to the journalist Jerome Fandor, the hero of a series of detective novels by French writers Marcel Allen and Pierre Souvestre about Fantômas (1911-1913) and the French film trilogy of the 1960s, based on these novels.
Erast Petrovich Fandorin was born on January 8 (20), 1856 into an old noble family. The boy's mother died during childbirth. Therefore, either out of annoyance, or in mockery of his bitter fate, the father, Pyotr Isaakievich, mourning his wife Elizabeth, named the boy Erast.
To Commissioner Maigret
Commissaire Jules Maigret
Commissioner Jules Maigret is the hero of the popular series of detective novels and stories by Georges Simenon, a wise policeman.
Jules Joseph Anselme Maigret was born in 1884 in the village of Saint-Fiacre near Mantignon in the family of the estate manager, Count Saint-Fiacre. He spent his childhood and youth there. Simenon repeatedly mentions Maigret's peasant roots. The commissioner's mother died in childbirth. When he was 8 years old, he spent several months at the Lyceum, where he had a very hard time, and, in the end, his father sent him to his sister, who was married to a baker in Nantes. Arriving in Paris, Maigret began studying to become a doctor, but for a number of reasons and circumstances he left his studies and decided to join the police.
Maigret, with his talent and perseverance, rose from an ordinary inspector to the position of divisional commissioner, head of a team for the investigation of especially serious crimes.
It’s impossible to imagine Maigret without a smoking pipe; he has a whole collection of them.
Z orro
A fictional character, a variation on the theme of Robin Hood, a "masked hero" who comes to the aid of the disadvantaged inhabitants of New Spain. Zorro was originally a character in Johnston McCulley's adventure books.
Zorro was originally a character in Johnston McCulley's adventure books. He first appeared in the story "The Curse of Capistrano", published in 1919. According to one version, when creating the image, McCulley was based on stories about a certain William Lamport. The following year, the first Fox film appeared, The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks. Subsequently, many films were made about Zorro both in America and abroad.
T arzan
A fictional character created by writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and first appearing in Tarzan of the Apes. The novel was published in magazines in 1912, and was published as a book in 1914, followed by twenty-three sequels. Tarzan is called the most recognizable literary character in the world. In addition to the huge number of books written by Burroughs himself and other authors, the character also appeared in many films, television programs, on radio, in comics and parodies.
D rakula
Vampire, title character and main antagonist Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. As the archetypal vampire, Dracula has appeared in many works popular culture, even not directly related to Bram Stoker's novel.
Good Soldier Schweik
Satirical character created by Czech writer Jaroslav Hasek; the main character of the unfinished novel “The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik during the World War,” written in 1921-1923, a cycle of 5 stories “The Good Soldier Schweik. The exciting adventures of an honest soldier" and the story "The Good Soldier Schweik in Captivity."
According to the literary critic S. V. Nikolsky, the prototypes of the good soldier Schweik were two people with whom Hasek was familiar: Corporal Josef Schweik and Frantisek Straszlipka, the orderly of the real lieutenant Lukasz, Hasek’s company commander during the First World War.
B etman
A fictional superhero character from DC Comics who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. Along with Superman, Batman is one of the most popular and famous heroes comics. It was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. Until recently, Bob Kane was considered the main creator of the character, but after much research, the credit was transferred to Bill Finger in 2015, as Kane's actual contribution to the creation of the character was very minor.
Tom Sawyer
One of the main characters in Mark Twain's novels: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "Tom Sawyer Abroad" and "Tom Sawyer - Detective"; also a character in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Tom Sawyer appears in at least three other unfinished works by Mark Twain - On School Hill, The Tom Sawyer Conspiracy and Huck and Tom Among the Indians.
The fictitious character's name may have been taken from real person named Tom Sawyer, whom Twain met in San Francisco, California, where Mark Twain worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Call. Mark Twain states in the preface that the character was based on three boys he knew as a child.
I continue the series “Literary Heroes” that I once started...
Heroes of Russian literature
Almost every literary character has its own prototype - a real person. Sometimes it is the author himself (Ostrovsky and Pavka Korchagin, Bulgakov and the Master), sometimes - historical figure, sometimes - an acquaintance or relative of the author.
This story is about the prototypes of Chatsky and Taras Bulba, Ostap Bender, Timur and other heroes of the books...
1.Chatsky "Woe from Wit"
The main character of Griboyedov's comedy - Chatsky- most often associated with a name Chaadaeva(in the first version of the comedy Griboyedov wrote “Chadsky”), although the image of Chatsky is in many ways social type era, "hero of the time."
Petr Yakovlevich Chaadaev(1796-1856) - participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, was on a campaign abroad. In 1814 he joined the Masonic lodge, and in 1821 he agreed to join a secret society.
From 1823 to 1826, Chaadaev traveled around Europe, comprehended the latest philosophical teachings. After returning to Russia in 1828-1830, he wrote and published a historical and philosophical treatise: “Philosophical Letters.” The views, ideas, judgments of the thirty-six-year-old philosopher turned out to be so unacceptable for Nicholas Russia that the author " Philosophical letters" suffered an unprecedented punishment: by the highest decree he was declared insane. It so happened that the literary character did not repeat the fate of his prototype, but predicted it...
2.Taras Bulba
Taras Bulba is written so organically and vividly that the reader cannot leave the feeling of his reality.
But there was a man whose fate was similar to the fate of Gogol’s hero. And this man also had the surname Gogol!
Ostap Gogol born at the beginning of the 17th century. On the eve of 1648, he was the captain of the “panzer” Cossacks in the Polish army stationed in Uman under the command of S. Kalinovsky. With the outbreak of the uprising, Gogol, along with his heavy cavalry, went over to the side of the Cossacks. 
In October 1657, Hetman Vygovsky with the general foreman, of which Ostap Gogol was a member, concluded the Korsun Treaty of Ukraine with Sweden.
In the summer of 1660, Ostap's regiment took part in the Chudnivsky campaign, after which the Slobodishchensky Treaty was signed. Gogol took the side of autonomy within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, he was made a gentry.
In 1664, an uprising broke out against the Poles and the hetman in Right Bank Ukraine Teteri. Gogol initially supported the rebels. However, he again went over to the enemy's side. The reason for this was his sons, whom Hetman Potocki held hostage in Lvov. When Doroshenko became hetman, Gogol came under his mace and helped him a lot. When he fought with the Turks near Ochakov, Doroshenko proposed at the Rada to recognize the supremacy of the Turkish Sultan, and it was accepted.
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At the end of 1671, Crown Hetman Sobieski took Mogilev, Gogol's residence. One of Ostap’s sons died during the defense of the fortress. The colonel himself fled to Moldova and from there sent Sobieski a letter of his desire to submit.
As a reward for this, Ostap received the village of Vilkhovets. The certificate of the estate's salary served the grandfather of the writer Nikolai Gogol as evidence of his nobility.
Colonel Gogol became Hetman of Right Bank Ukraine on behalf of King John III Sobieski. He died in 1679 at his residence in Dymer and was buried in the Kiev-Mezhigorsky Monastery near Kyiv.
Analogy with the story is obvious: both heroes are Zaporozhye colonels, both had sons, one of whom died at the hands of the Poles, the other went over to the side of the enemy. Thus, a distant ancestor of the writer and was the prototype of Taras Bulba.
3.Plyushkin
Oryol landowner Spiridon Matsnev he was extremely stingy, walked around in a greasy robe and dirty clothes, so that few could recognize him as a rich gentleman.
The landowner had 8,000 peasant souls, but he starved not only them, but also himself. 
N.V. Gogol brought this stingy landowner to “ Dead souls"in the image of Plyushkin. “If Chichikov had met him, so dressed up, somewhere at the church door, he would probably have given him a copper penny”...
“This landowner had more than a thousand souls, and anyone else would try to find so much bread in grain, flour and simply in storage, whose storerooms, barns and drying rooms were cluttered with so many linens, cloth, dressed and rawhide sheepskins...” .
The image of Plyushkin became a household name.
4. Silvio
“Shot” A.S. Pushkin
Silvio's prototype is Ivan Petrovich Liprandi.
Pushkin's friend, the prototype of Silvio in "The Shot".
Author of the best memoirs about Pushkin's southern exile.
The son of a Russified Spanish grandee. Participant in the Napoleonic wars since 1807 (from the age of 17). Colleague and friend of the Decembrist Raevsky, member of the Union of Welfare. Arrested in the Decembrist case in January 1826, he was in a cell with Griboedov. 
“...His personality was of undoubted interest due to his talents, fate and original way of life. He was gloomy and gloomy, but he loved to gather officers at his place and entertain them widely. The sources of his income were shrouded in mystery to everyone. A book reader and book lover, he was famous for his brawling, and a rare duel took place without his participation."
Pushkin "Shot" 
At the same time, Liprandi turned out to be an employee of military intelligence and the secret police.
Since 1813, the head of the secret political police under Vorontsov’s army in France. He communicated closely with the famous Vidocq. Together with the French gendarmerie, he participated in the disclosure of the anti-government “Pin Society”. Since 1820, the chief military intelligence officer at the headquarters of Russian troops in Bessarabia. At the same time, he became the main theorist and practitioner of military and political espionage.
Since 1828 - head of the Higher Secret Foreign Police. Since 1820 - directly subordinate to Benckendorf. Organizer of provocation in the Butashevich-Petrashevsky circle. Organizer of Ogarev's arrest in 1850. Author of a project to establish a spy school at universities...
5.Andrey Bolkonsky
Prototypes Andrey Bolkonsky there were several. His tragic death was “copied” by Leo Tolstoy from the biography of a real prince Dmitry Golitsyn.
Prince Dmitry Golitsyn was registered for service in the Moscow archive of the Ministry of Justice. Soon Emperor Alexander I granted him the rank of chamberlain cadet, and then actual chamberlain, which was equivalent to the rank of general. 
In 1805, Prince Golitsyn entered military service and, together with the army, fought the campaigns of 1805-1807.
In 1812, he submitted a report with a request to enlist in the army, became an Akhtyrsky hussar; Denis Davydov also served in the same regiment. Golitsin took part in border battles as part of the 2nd Russian army of General Bagration, fought at the Shevardinsky redoubt, and then found himself on the left flank of the Russian formations on the Borodino field.
In one of the skirmishes, Major Golitsyn was seriously wounded by a grenade fragment., he was carried from the battlefield. After the operation in the field hospital, it was decided to take the wounded man further east.
"Bolkonsky House" in Vladimir. 
They made a stop in Vladimir, Major Golitsyn was placed in one of the merchant houses on a steep hill on Klyazma. But, almost a month after the Battle of Borodino, Dmitry Golitsyn died in Vladimir...
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Soviet literature
6. Assol
The gentle dreamer Assol had more than one prototype.
First prototype - Maria Sergeevna Alonkina, secretary of the House of Arts, almost everyone living and visiting this House was in love with her.
One day, while climbing the stairs to his office, Green saw a short, dark-skinned girl talking with Korney Chukovsky.
There was something unearthly in her appearance: flying gait, radiant look, ringing happy laugh. It seemed to him that she looked like Assol from the story “Scarlet Sails,” which he was working on at that time.
The image of 17-year-old Masha Alonkina occupied Green's imagination and was reflected in the extravaganza story. 
"I don't know how much years will pass, only in Kaperna will one fairy tale blossom, memorable for a long time. You will be big, Assol. One morning, in the sea distance, a scarlet sail will sparkle under the sun. The shining bulk of the scarlet sails of the white ship will move, cutting through the waves, straight towards you..."
And in 1921 Green met with Nina Nikolaevna Mironova, who worked for the Petrograd Echo newspaper. He, gloomy and lonely, was at ease with her, he was amused by her coquetry, he admired her love of life. Soon they got married.
The door is closed, the lamp is lit.
She will come to me in the evening
There are no more aimless, dull days -
I sit and think about her...
On this day she will give me her hand,
I trust quietly and completely.
A terrible world is raging around,
Come, beautiful, dear friend.
Come, I've been waiting for you for a long time.
It was so sad and dark
But the winter spring has come,
Light knock...My wife came.
Green dedicated the extravaganza “Scarlet Sails” and the novel “The Shining World” to her, his “winter spring.”
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7. Ostap Bender and the Children of Lieutenant Schmidt
The person who became the prototype of Ostap Bender is known.
This - Osip (Ostap) Veniaminovich Shor(1899 -1979). Shor was born in Odessa, was an employee of the UGRO, a football player, a traveler…. Was a friend E. Bagritsky, Y. Olesha, Ilf and Petrov. His brother was the futurist poet Nathan Fioletov.
The appearance, character and speech of Ostap Bender are taken from Osip Shor.
Almost all the famous “Bendery” phrases - “The ice has broken, gentlemen of the jury!”, “I will command the parade!”, “My dad was a Turkish subject...” and many others - were gleaned by the authors from Shor’s vocabulary.
In 1917, Shor entered the first year of the Petrograd Technological Institute, and in 1919 he left for his homeland. He got home almost two years, with many adventures, which I talked about the authors of "The Twelve Chairs".
The stories they told about how he, unable to draw, got a job as an artist on a propaganda ship, or about how he gave a simultaneous game in some remote town, introducing himself as an international grandmaster, were reflected in “12 Chairs” practically unchanged.
By the way, the famous leader of the Odessa bandits, Bear-Japanese, which UGRO employee Shor fought, became the prototype Benny Krika, from " Odessa stories» I. Babel.
And here is the episode that gave rise to the creation of the image "children of Lieutenant Schmidt."
In August 1925, a man with an oriental appearance, decently dressed, wearing American glasses, appeared at the Gomel Provincial Executive Committee and introduced himself Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Uzbek SSR Fayzula Khojaev. He told the chairman of the provincial executive committee, Egorov, that he was traveling from Crimea to Moscow, but his money and documents were stolen on the train. Instead of a passport, he presented a certificate that he was really Khodzhaev, signed by the Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Crimean Republic, Ibragimov.
He was received warmly, given money, and began to be taken to theaters and banquets. But one of the police chiefs decided to compare the Uzbek’s personality with the portraits of the chairmen of the Central Election Commission, which he found in an old magazine. Thus, the false Khojaev was exposed, who turned out to be a native of Kokand, traveling from Tbilisi, where he was serving his sentence...
In the same way, posing as a high-ranking official, the former prisoner had fun in Yalta, Simferopol, Novorossiysk, Kharkov, Poltava, Minsk...
It was a fun time - the time of the NEP and such desperate people, adventurers as Shor and the false Khojaev.
Later I’ll write separately about Bender...
………
8.Timur
TIMUR is the hero of the film script and A. Gaidar’s story “Timur and His Team.” One of the most famous and popular heroes of Soviet children's literature of the 30s - 40s.
Under the influence of the story by A.P. Gaidar “Timur and his team” in the USSR arose among pioneers and schoolchildren in the early years. 1940s "Timurov movement". Timurites provided assistance to military families, the elderly...
It is believed that the “prototype” of Timurov’s team for A. Gaidar was a group of scouts that operated back in the 10s in the dacha suburb of St. Petersburg.“Timurovites” and “scouts” really have a lot in common (especially in the ideology and practice of children’s “knightly” care for the people around them, the idea of doing good deeds “in secret”).
The story Gaidar told turned out to be surprisingly consonant with the mood of a whole generation of guys: the fight for justice, an underground headquarters, a specific alarm system, the ability to quickly gather “in a chain,” etc. 
It is interesting that in the early edition the story was called "Duncan and his team" or “Duncan to the rescue” - the hero of the story was - Vovka Duncan. The influence of the work is obvious Jules Verne: yacht "Duncan""At the first alarm signal I went to the aid of Captain Grant.
In the spring of 1940, while working on a film based on an unfinished story, the name "Duncan" was rejected. The Cinematography Committee expressed bewilderment: “A good Soviet boy. A pioneer. He came up with this useful game and suddenly - “Duncan”. We consulted with our comrades here - you need to change your name"
And then Gaidar gave the hero the name of his own son, whom he called “little commander” in life. According to another version - Timur- the name of the neighbor boy. Here's a girl Zhenya received the name from Gaidar’s adopted daughter from his second marriage.
The image of Timur embodies ideal type a teenage leader with his desire for noble deeds, secrets, and pure ideals.
Concept "Timurovets" firmly entered into everyday life. Until the end of the 80s, Timurites were children who provided selfless help to those in need.
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9. Captain Vrungel
From the story Andrey Nekrasov "The Adventures of Captain Vrungel"".
A book about the incredible sea adventures of the resourceful and resilient captain Vrungel, his senior mate Lom and sailor Fuchs. 
Christopher Bonifatievich Vrungel- the main character and narrator on whose behalf the story is told. An experienced old sailor, with a solid and prudent character, not lacking in ingenuity.
The first part of the surname uses the word "liar". Vrungel, whose name has become a household name, is a naval analogue Baron Munchausen,
telling tall tales about his sailing adventures.
According to Nekrasov himself, the prototype of Vrungel was his acquaintance with the surname Vronsky, lover of telling maritime fables with his own participation. His last name was so suitable for the main character that the book was originally supposed to be called " The Adventures of Captain Vronsky", however, for fear of offending a friend, the author chose a different surname for the main character.
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