Chukovsky dates of life and death. Chukovsky Korney Ivanovich - biography, life story: Kind grandfather Korney

Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky

Biography

Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky(at birth received the name Nikolai Vasilyevich Korneichukov) - Russian poet, famous children's writer, translator, publicist, critic and literary critic. His children Nikolai Korneevich Chukovsky and Lidia Korneevna Chukovskaya are also famous writers.

Childhood

On March 19, 1882 (according to the new style 31), Nikolai Korneichukov was born in St. Petersburg. Some consider the date of his birth to be April 1, which is due to the incorrect translation of dates to the new style.

Nicholas was "illegitimate", which made him suffer a lot. Mother Ekaterina Osipovna Korneichukova was a Poltava peasant woman and worked in the house of Emmanuil Solomonovich Levenson. Their family lived in St. Petersburg for about three years, they already had a child - a daughter, Maria or Marusya. After the birth of Nikolai, his father married a woman from high society, and his mother moved to Odessa. In Odessa, he studied at the gymnasium until the fifth grade, from which he was expelled due to low birth. Autobiographical story The Silver Coat of Arms describes this period of his life.

According to the metric, he and his sister did not have a middle name. His patronymic "Vasilievich" was given by the name of the godfather, and his sister used the patronymic "Emmanuilovna". He wrote all his works under the pseudonym "Korney Chukovsky". After the revolution, the pseudonym "Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky" became his legal name. All his children - sons Nikolai and Boris, daughters Lydia and Maria, after the revolution, bore the name Chukovsky and, accordingly, patronymic Korneevich.

Youth

Chukovsky began to write children's literature already becoming famous critic. The first collection "Yolka" and the fairy tale "Crocodile" were published in 1916. One of the most famous fairy tales"Cockroach" and "Moydodyr" were written in 1923.

Korney Chukovsky was also interested in questions of the child's psyche and ways of teaching speech. All your reasoning this topic he outlined in the 1933 book From Two to Five. Most readers know him only as a children's writer.

30s in the life of a writer

Among critics, the term "Chukovshchina" appears. This leads to the fact that at the end of 1929 Chukovsky publishes a letter with a renunciation of fairy tales, he also promises to write a collection of "Merry Collective Farm". Renunciation was hard for him, he never wrote a collection. During these years, the youngest daughter Murochka left his life, and the husband of his daughter Lydia was shot.

Beginning in 1930, Chukovsky began to translate. In 1936 his book "The Art of Translation" was published, later reprinted under the title " high art". Also at this time, he was translating into Russian the works of R. Kipling, M. Twain, O. Wilde. At this time, he begins to write memoirs. They were published posthumously under the title Diaries 1901-1969.

Maturity

In the 60s, Korney Chukovsky began to work on retelling the Bible for children. Several writers worked on this book, but Korney Chukovsky edited all the texts. In connection with the anti-religious position of the authorities, the word God was replaced by "The Magician Yahweh". In 1968, the Bible was published, and it was called " tower of babel and other ancient legends", but all copies were destroyed. The book came out only in 1990.

Last years

During his life, Chukovsky became a laureate of several state prizes, a holder of orders, and gained popular love. However, he interacted with dissidents. He spent his last years at a dacha in Peredelkino, talking with local children, reading poetry, arranging meetings with famous people. Korney Ivanovich died of viral hepatitis on October 28, 1969. His museum is now open in Peredelkino.

Biography and episodes of life Korney Chukovsky. When born and died Korney Chukovsky, memorable places and dates important events his life. Quotes from a literary critic, writer, publicist, Photo and video.

The years of life of Korney Chukovsky:

born March 19, 1882, died October 28, 1969

Epitaph

Your path was bright, flawless, bright,
He lit up our lives for centuries,
You immortalized your memory
How talented and sincerely created.

Biography

He was expelled from the gymnasium in the fifth grade - because of his low birth. That did not prevent him from learning English on his own and French, become a journalist, translator, literary critic and, finally, a great children's writer. Biography of Korney Chukovsky - life story amazing person, incredibly talented, kind and sincere. Such were the books of Chukovsky, which are still loved by children of any age.

Chukovsky was born in Odessa - he was an illegitimate child, he and Chukovsky's sister, Maria, were born by a Poltava peasant woman from the son of a family in which she served as a maid. Soon Chukovsky's father left the family and married a woman of his circle. Since Chukovsky did not have a middle name, when he began to write books, he took a pseudonym for himself, calling himself instead of Nikolai Korneichuk - Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky. After the revolution, this name also appeared in the official documents of the author. The future children's writer was very worried about the absence of his father. Perhaps that is why he himself was able to become such a sensitive and loving dad. And thanks to this, he wrote such wonderful and kind works.

But Chukovsky did not begin his literary career as an author of children's fairy tales. He worked as a journalist for a long time, traveled extensively around Europe, translated English poets and writers, wrote many literary works, for example, about Alexander Blok, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoevsky. He began to write for children when he was already well known in literary circles. For some time, Chukovsky had to face the condemnation of his works for children, they say, some kind of nonsense and dregs are hidden behind beautiful rhymes, even the derogatory term “Chukovshchina” appeared. For several years, Chukovsky said goodbye to writing for children, having a hard time experiencing such an attitude, as well as his own, personal tragedies - the death of his daughter Murochka and son Boris, the execution of the husband of his second daughter, Lydia.

Real recognition and popular love came to Chukovsky already in last years his life. At that time he lived in a dacha in Peredelkino, arranging gatherings for the surrounding children and meeting with various celebrities who wished to come and chat with the great writer. Chukovsky's death occurred on October 28, 1969, the cause of Chukovsky's death was viral hepatitis. Literary critic Yulian Oksman, who was present at Chukovsky's funeral, begins his memoirs of that day with the words: "He died last man, who was still somewhat embarrassed. Korney Chukovsky was buried at the Peredelkino cemetery, where the grave of Boris Pasternak is also located. At the dacha where the writer lived in recent years, Chukovsky's house-museum now operates.

life line

March 19, 1882. Date of birth of Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky (real name Nikolai Vasilyevich Korneichukov).
1901 The first publications in the newspaper "Odessa News".
May 26, 1903 Marriage with Maria Goldfeld, a trip to London as a correspondent for Odessa News.
1904 Birth of son Nicholas.
1906 Moving to the Finnish town of Kuokkala (now the village of Repino).
1907 Birth of daughter Lydia, publication of translations by Walt Whitman.
1910 Birth of son Boris.
1916 Chukovsky compiling the collection "Christmas Tree", writing "Crocodile".
1920 Birth of daughter Maria (Murochka).
1923 The output of Chukovsky's fairy tales "Moydodyr" and "Cockroach".
1931 Death of Chukovsky's daughter, Maria.
1933 Children's book release verbal creativity"From two to five."
1942 The death of Chukovsky's son, Boris.
1955 Death of Chukovsky's wife.
October 28, 1969 Date of Chukovsky's death.
October 31, 1969 Chukovsky's funeral.

Memorable places

1. House of Chukovsky as a child in Odessa.
2. House of Chukovsky since 1887 in Odessa.
3. House of Chukovsky since 1904 in Odessa.
4. House of Chukovsky in 1905-1906 in St. Petersburg.
5. House of Chukovsky in 1917-1919 in St. Petersburg.
6. Chukovsky's house in Moscow, on which a memorial plaque in memory of Chukovsky is installed today.
7. House-Museum of Chukovsky in Peredelkino.
8. Children's library. K. I. Chukovsky in Kyiv, opened in the country, where the writer rested in 1938-1969.
9. Peredelkinskoe cemetery, where Chukovsky is buried.

Episodes of life

Korney Chukovsky, wide circles better known as a children's writer, he was very worried about such fame. Once he confessed in his hearts that all his work was so obscured by "Moydodyr" and "Fly-Tsokotuha" that one gets the feeling that he did not write anything else at all.

One day Gagarin came to Chukovsky's dacha. The writer extended his hand to the astronaut at the meeting, but he, instead of shaking it, kissed it. By that time, Gagarin had already circled the globe, there was no person in the whole world more famous than our cosmonaut, but Chukovsky still remained for him his favorite children's poet, before whom he bowed.

Chukovsky treated his wife very tenderly. When she was gone, he continued to talk to Maria, telling her all the news. A few months after the death of his wife, Chukovsky wrote to Oksman: “This grief completely crushed me. I don’t write anything (for the first time in my life!), I wander around restless. In his diary, he wrote that he was in a hurry to visit his wife at the grave, as if on a love date. “And one more thing: when a wife dies, with whom she has lived inseparably for half a century, the last years are suddenly forgotten and she appears before you in all the bloom of youth, femininity - a bride, a young mother - are forgotten White hair, and you see what nonsense time is, what powerless nonsense it is, ”Chukovsky admitted.

Covenant

"A children's writer should be happy."

Documentary film about Korney Chukovsky

condolences

"Korney Ivanovich was the brightest, most worthy representative of the Russian intelligentsia in its greatest, deepest traditions."
Varlam Shalamov, Russian prose writer, poet

“With all his activities, Chukovsky showed that, in contrast to gloomy, self-satisfied, boastful ignorance, culture is always cheerful, open to new experiences, benevolent and modest. Culture is a continuous celebration of enrichment, recognition, the joy of spiritual life. But culture is also memory. Ignorance seeks to forget, culture does not forget, and in this it is akin to conscience.
Yuri Lotman, literary critic, culturologist

Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky(1882-1969) - Russian and Soviet poet, critic, literary critic, translator, publicist, known primarily for children's fairy tales in verse and prose. One of the first Russian researchers of the phenomenon mass culture. Readers are best known as a children's poet. Father of the writers Nikolai Korneevich Chukovsky and Lydia Korneevna Chukovskaya.

Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky(1882-1969). Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky (Nikolai Ivanovich Korneichukov) was born on March 31 (old style 19), 1882 in St. Petersburg.

In his metric was the name of the mother - Ekaterina Osipovna Korneichukova; followed by the entry - "illegitimate".

Father, St. Petersburg student Emmanuil Levenson, in whose family Chukovsky's mother was a servant, three years after the birth of Kolya left her, son and daughter Marusya. They moved south to Odessa, lived very poorly.

Nikolai studied at the Odessa gymnasium. In the Odessa gymnasium, he met and became friends with Boris Zhitkov, in the future also a famous children's writer. Chukovsky often went to Zhitkov's house, where he used the rich library collected by Boris's parents. From the fifth grade of the gymnasium Chukovsky was expelled when, under a special decree (known as the “cook's children decree”), educational institutions were exempted from children of “low” origin.

The mother's earnings were so meager that they were barely enough to somehow make ends meet. But the young man did not give up, he studied on his own and passed the exams, receiving a matriculation certificate.

be interested in poetry Chukovsky started with early years: wrote poems and even poems. And in 1901 his first article appeared in the newspaper Odessa News. He wrote articles on the most different topics– from philosophy to feuilletons. In addition, the future children's poet kept a diary, which was his friend throughout his life.

WITH youthful years Chukovsky led working life, read a lot, independently studied English and French. In 1903, Korney Ivanovich went to St. Petersburg with the firm intention of becoming a writer. He traveled to the editorial offices of magazines and offered his works, but was refused everywhere. This did not stop Chukovsky. He met many writers, got used to life in St. Petersburg and finally found a job for himself - he became a correspondent for the Odessa News newspaper, where he sent his materials from St. Petersburg. Finally, life rewarded him for his inexhaustible optimism and faith in his abilities. He was sent by Odessa News to London, where he perfected his English language.

In 1903 he married a twenty-three-year-old woman from Odessa, the daughter of an accountant in a private firm, Maria Borisovna Goldfeld. The marriage was unique and happy. Of the four children born in their family (Nikolai, Lydia, Boris and Maria) long life only the two elders lived - Nikolai and Lydia, who later became writers themselves. Youngest daughter Masha died in childhood from tuberculosis. Son Boris died in the war in 1941; another son, Nikolai, also fought, participated in the defense of Leningrad. Lidia Chukovskaya (born 1907) lived a long and hard life, was subjected to repressions, survived the execution of her husband, the outstanding physicist Matvey Bronstein.

In England Chukovsky travels with his wife, Maria Borisovna. Here future writer spent a year and a half sending articles and notes to Russia, as well as visiting the free reading room of the library almost daily british museum where I read voraciously English writers, historians, philosophers, publicists, those who helped him develop own style, which was later called "paradoxical and witty." He gets to know

Arthur Conan Doyle, Herbert Wells, other English writers.

In 1904 Chukovsky returned to Russia and became literary critic, publishing his articles in St. Petersburg magazines and newspapers. At the end of 1905, he organized (with a subsidy from L. V. Sobinov) a weekly journal of political satire, Signal. For bold caricatures and anti-government poetry, he was even arrested. And in 1906 he became a permanent contributor to the magazine "Scales". By this time he was already familiar with A. Blok, L. Andreev A. Kuprin and other figures of literature and art. Later, Chukovsky resurrected the living features of many cultural figures in his memoirs (Repin. Gorky. Mayakovsky. Bryusov. Memoirs, 1940; From Memoirs, 1959; Contemporaries, 1962). And nothing seemed to foretell that Chukovsky would become a children's writer. In 1908 he published essays on contemporary writers"From Chekhov to the present day", in 1914 - "Faces and masks".

Gradually name Chukovsky becomes widely known. His sharp critical articles and essays were published in periodicals, and subsequently compiled the books From Chekhov to Our Days (1908), Critical stories"(1911), "Faces and Masks" (1914), "Futurists" (1922).

In 1906, Korney Ivanovich arrived in the Finnish town of Kuokkala, where he made a close acquaintance with the artist Repin and the writer Korolenko. The writer also maintained contacts with N.N. Evreinov, L.N. Andreev, A.I. Kuprin, V.V. Mayakovsky. All of them subsequently became characters in his memoirs and essays, and Chukokkala's home handwritten almanac, in which dozens of celebrities left their creative autographs - from Repin to A.I. Solzhenitsyn, - over time turned into an invaluable cultural monument. Here he lived for about 10 years. From the combination of the words Chukovsky and Kuokkala, “Chukokkala” was formed (invented by Repin) - the name of a handwritten humorous almanac that Korney Ivanovich kept up to last days own life.

In 1907 Chukovsky published translations by Walt Whitman. The book became popular, which increased Chukovsky's fame in literary environment. Chukovsky becomes an influential critic, smashes tabloid literature (articles about A. Verbitskaya, L. Charskaya, the book “Nat Pinkerton and modern literature", etc.) Chukovsky's sharp articles were published in periodicals, and then compiled the books "From Chekhov to the Present Day" (1908), "Critical Stories" (1911), "Faces and Masks" (1914), "Futurists" (1922) and others. Chukovsky is the first researcher of "mass culture" in Russia. Creative Interests Chukovsky constantly expanded, his work eventually acquired an increasingly universal, encyclopedic character.

The family lives in Kuokkale until 1917. They already have three children - Nikolai, Lydia (later both became famous writers, and Lydia is also a well-known human rights activist) and Boris (died at the front in the first months of the Great Patriotic War). In 1920, already in St. Petersburg, the daughter Maria was born (Mura - she was the "heroine" of many of Chukovsky's children's poems), who died in 1931 from tuberculosis.

In 1916, at the invitation of Gorky Chukovsky heads the children's department of the Parus publishing house. Then he himself begins to write poetry for children, and then prose. Poetic tales " Crocodile"(1916)," Moidodyr" And " cockroach"(1923)," Fly Tsokotukha"(1924)," Barmaley"(1925)," Telephone"(1926)" Aibolit"(1929) - remain the favorite reading of several generations of children. However, in the 20s and 30s. they were severely criticized for being "unprincipled" and "formalistic"; there was even the term "Chukovshchina".

In 1916 Chukovsky became a war correspondent for the newspaper "Rech" in the UK, France, Belgium. Returning to Petrograd in 1917, Chukovsky received an offer from M. Gorky to become the head of the children's department of the Parus publishing house. Then he began to pay attention to the speech and struggles of young children and write them down. He kept such records for the rest of his life. From them was born famous book"From Two to Five", which first came out of print in 1928 under the title "Little Children. Children's language. Ekikiki. Stupid absurdities” and only in the 3rd edition the book was called “From two to five”. The book has been reprinted 21 times and replenished with each new edition.

And after many years Chukovsky again acted as a linguist - he wrote a book about the Russian language "Alive as life" (1962), where he evilly and witty fell upon bureaucratic clichés, at the "clerk".

In general, in the 10s - 20s. Chukovsky dealt with many topics that one way or another found a continuation in his future literary activity. It was then (on the advice of Korolenko) that he turns to the work of Nekrasov, publishes several books about him. Through his efforts, the first Soviet collection of Nekrasov's poems with scientific comments (1926) was published. And the result of many years of research work was the book Nekrasov's Mastery (1952), for which in 1962 the author received the Lenin Prize.

In 1916 Chukovsky became a war correspondent for the newspaper "Rech" in the UK, France, Belgium. Returning to Petrograd in 1917, Chukovsky received an offer from M. Gorky to become the head of the children's department of the Parus publishing house. Then he began to pay attention to the speech and struggles of young children and write them down. He kept such records for the rest of his life. From them, the famous book “From Two to Five” was born, which was first published in 1928 under the title “Little Children. Children's language. Ekikiki. Stupid absurdities” and only in the 3rd edition the book was called “From two to five”. The book has been reprinted 21 times and replenished with each new edition.

Back in 1919, the first work was published Chukovsky about the skill of translation - "Principles of Literary Translation". This problem has always remained in the focus of his attention - evidence of this is the book "The Art of Translation" (1930, 1936), "High Art" (1941, 1968). He himself was one of the best translators - he opened Whitman for the Russian reader (to whom he also dedicated the study "My Whitman"), Kipling, Wilde. Translated Shakespeare, Chesterton, Mark Twain, O Henry, Arthur Conan Doyle, retold Robinson Crusoe, Baron Munchausen for children, many biblical stories and Greek myths.

Chukovsky also studied Russian literature of the 1860s, the work of Shevchenko, Chekhov, Blok. In the last years of his life, he published essay articles about Zoshchenko, Zhitkov, Akhmatova, Pasternak and many others.

In 1957 Chukovsky was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philology, at the same time, on the occasion of his 75th birthday, he was awarded the Order of Lenin. And in 1962 he received an honorary Doctorate of Literature from the University of Oxford.

The complexity of Chukovsky's life - on the one hand, a well-known and recognized Soviet writer, on the other - a man who did not forgive the authorities for many things, did not accept much, was forced to hide his views, constantly worrying about his "dissident" daughter - all this was revealed to the reader only after the publication of diaries the writer, where dozens of pages were torn out, and not a word was said about some years (like 1938).

In 1958 Chukovsky turned out to be the only Soviet writer who congratulated Boris Pasternak on being awarded Nobel Prize; after this seditious visit to his neighbor in Peredelkino, he was forced to write a humiliating explanation.

In the 1960s K. Chukovsky also started a retelling of the Bible for children. He attracted writers and writers to this project, and carefully edited their work. The project itself was very difficult, due to the anti-religious position Soviet power. The book entitled "The Tower of Babel and Other Ancient Legends" was published by the publishing house "Children's Literature" in 1968. However, the entire circulation was destroyed by the authorities. The first book edition available to the reader took place in 1990.

Korney Ivanovich was one of the first to discover Solzhenitsyn, the first in the world to write an admiring review of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, gave the writer shelter when he fell into disgrace, and was proud of his friendship with him.

Long years Chukovsky lived in the writers' village Peredelkino near Moscow. Here he often met with children. Now there is a museum in Chukovsky's house, the opening of which was also associated with great difficulties.

IN post-war years Chukovsky often met with children in Peredelkino, where he built Vacation home, published essay articles about Zoshchenko, Zhitkov, Akhmatova, Pasternak and many others. There he gathered up to one and a half thousand children around him and arranged holidays for them “Hello, summer!” and "Goodbye summer!"

Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky died on October 28, 1969 from viral hepatitis. At the dacha in Peredelkino (Moscow region), where he lived most of his life, now his museum operates there.

"Children's" poet Chukovsky

In 1916 Chukovsky compiled a collection for children "Yolka". In 1917, M. Gorky invited him to head the children's department of the Parus publishing house. Then he began to pay attention to the speech of young children and write them down. From these observations, the book Two to Five was born (first published in 1928), which is a linguistic study children's language and characteristics of children's thinking.

First children's poem Crocodile» (1916) was born by accident. Korney Ivanovich and his little son were on the train. The boy was sick and, in order to distract him from suffering, Korney Ivanovich began to rhyme lines to the sound of wheels.

This poem was followed by other works for children: cockroach"(1922)," Moidodyr"(1922)," Fly Tsokotukha"(1923)," wonder tree"(1924)," Barmaley"(1925)," Telephone"(1926)," Fedorino grief"(1926)," Aibolit"(1929)," stolen sun"(1945)," Bibigon"(1945)," Thanks to Aibolit"(1955)," Fly in the bath» (1969)

It was fairy tales for children that became the reason for the beginning in the 30s. bullying Chukovsky, the so-called fight against "Chukivism", initiated by N.K. Krupskaya. In 1929 he was forced to publicly renounce his fairy tales. Chukovsky was depressed by the event and could not write for a long time after that. By his own admission, since that time he has turned from an author into an editor.

For children of primary school age Chukovsky retold ancient greek myth about Perseus, translated English folk songs (" Barabek», « Jenny», « Kotausi and Mausi" and etc.). In the retelling of Chukovsky, the children got acquainted with "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" by E. Raspe, "Robinson Crusoe" by D. Defoe, with "The Little Rag" by the little-known J. Greenwood; for children, Chukovsky translated Kipling's fairy tales, the works of Mark Twain. Children in Chukovsky's life have become a truly source of strength and inspiration. In his house in the village of Peredelkino near Moscow, where he finally moved in the 1950s, up to one and a half thousand children often gathered. Chukovsky arranged for them the holidays "Hello, summer" and "Farewell, summer." Talking a lot with children, Chukovsky came to the conclusion that they read too little and, having cut off a large piece of land from his suburban area in Peredelkino, built a library for children there. “I built a library, I want to build it for the rest of my life kindergarten", - said Chukovsky.

Prototypes

It is not known whether the heroes of fairy tales had prototypes Chukovsky. But there are quite plausible versions of the emergence of bright and charismatic characters in his children's fairy tales.

In prototypes Aibolita two characters are suitable at once, one of which was a living person, a doctor from Vilnius. His name was Tsemakh Shabad (in the Russian manner - Timofei Osipovich Shabad). Dr. Shabad, having graduated from the medical faculty of Moscow University in 1889, voluntarily went to the Moscow slums to treat the poor and the homeless. He voluntarily went to the Volga region, where, risking his life, he fought the cholera epidemic. Returning to Vilnius (at the beginning of the twentieth century - Vilna), he treated the poor for free, fed children from poor families, did not refuse help when pets were brought to him, even treated injured birds that were brought to him from the street. The writer met Shabad in 1912. He visited Dr. Shabad twice and personally called him the prototype of Dr. Aibolit in his article in Pionerskaya Pravda.

In letters, Korney Ivanovich, in particular, said: “... Doctor Shabad was very loved in the city, because he treated the poor, pigeons, cats ... A thin girl would come to him, he tells her - you want me to write you a prescription ? No, milk will help you, come to me every morning and you will get two glasses of milk. So I thought how wonderful it would be to write a fairy tale about such a kind doctor.

In the memoirs of Korney Chukovsky, another story about a little girl from poor family. Dr. Shabad diagnosed her with systemic malnutrition and brought the little patient himself a white bun and hot broth. The next day, as a token of gratitude, the recovered girl brought her beloved cat as a gift to the doctor.

Today, a monument to Dr. Shabad is erected in Vilnius.

There is another contender for the role of Aibolit's prototype - this is Dr. Doolittle from the book of the English engineer Hugh Lofting. While at the front of the First World War, he came up with a fairy tale for children about Dr. Doolittle, who knew how to treat different animals, communicate with them and fight with his enemies - evil pirates. The story of Dr. Dolittle appeared in 1920.

For a long time it was believed that in cockroach» depicts Stalin (Cockroach) and the Stalinist regime. The temptation to draw parallels was very strong: Stalin was short, red-haired, with a lush mustache (Cockroach - "liquid-legged goat, bug", red with a large mustache). Big strong beasts obey him and are afraid of him. But The Cockroach was written in 1922, Chukovsky might not have known about important role Stalin, and, moreover, could not portray the regime that gained strength in the thirties.

Honorary titles and awards

1957 - Awarded the Order of Lenin; awarded the degree of Doctor of Philology

1962 - Lenin Prize (for the book Nekrasov's Mastery, published in 1952); Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Oxford.

Quotes

If you want to shoot a musician, insert a loaded gun into the piano on which he will play.

A children's writer should be happy.

With the help of the radio, the authorities are spreading rollicking vile songs among the population so that the population does not know either Akhmatova, or Blok, or Mandelstam.

The older the woman, the larger the bag in her hands.

Everything that the inhabitants want, they pass off as a program of the government.

When you are released from prison and you are going home, these minutes are worth living for!

The only thing that is permanent in my body is false teeth.

Freedom of speech is needed by a very limited circle of people, and the majority, even among the intelligentsia, do their job without it.

You have to live long in Russia.

Who is told to tweet, do not purr!

made famous children's poet Korney Chukovsky for a long time was one of the most underrated writers silver age. Contrary to popular belief, the genius of the creator manifested itself not only in poems and fairy tales, but also in critical articles.

Due to the non-ceremonial specifics of creativity, the state throughout the life of the writer tried to discredit his works in the eyes of the public. Numerous research work allowed to look at the eminent artist "with different eyes". Now the works of the publicist are read out by both people of the "old school" and young people.

Childhood and youth

Nikolai Korneichukov (real name of the poet) was born on March 31, 1882 in northern capital Russia - the city of St. Petersburg. Mother Ekaterina Osipovna, being a servant in the house of the eminent doctor Solomon Levenson, entered into a vicious relationship with his son Emmanuel. In 1799, a woman gave birth to a daughter, Maria, and three years later gave civil husband heir to Nicholas.

Despite the fact that the relationship of the offspring of a noble family with a peasant woman in the eyes of the society of that time looked like a blatant misalliance, they lived together for seven years. The poet's grandfather, who did not want to be related to a commoner, in 1885, without explanation, put his daughter-in-law on the street with two babies in her arms. Since Ekaterina could not afford separate housing, together with her son and daughter, she went to relatives in Odessa. Much later, in the autobiographical story "Silver Emblem", the poet admits that the southern city never became his home.

The childhood years of the writer passed in an atmosphere of devastation and poverty. The publicist's mother worked in shifts either as a seamstress or a laundress, but there was a catastrophic lack of money. In 1887, the world saw the Circular on the Cook's Children. In it, the Minister of Education I.D. Delyanov recommended that the directors of gymnasiums accept only those children whose origin did not raise questions in the ranks of students. Due to the fact that Chukovsky did not fit this “definition”, in the 5th grade he was expelled from the privileged educational institution.

In order not to wander around idle and benefit the family, the young man took on any job. Among the roles that Kolya tried on himself were a newspaper peddler, a roof cleaner, and a poster sticker. At that time, the young man began to take an interest in literature. He read adventure novels, studied works and, in the evenings, under the sound of the surf, recited poetry.

Among other things, a phenomenal memory allowed the young man to learn English in such a way that he translated texts from a sheet, never stammering. At that time, Chukovsky did not yet know that Ohlendorf's self-instruction manual did not contain pages on which the principle of correct pronunciation was described in detail. Therefore, when Nikolai visited England years later, the fact that locals practically did not understand him, incredibly surprised the publicist.

Journalism

In 1901, inspired by the works of his favorite authors, Korney wrote a philosophical opus. The poet's friend Vladimir Zhabotinsky, having read the work from cover to cover, took it to the Odessa News newspaper, thereby marking the beginning of the 70-year literary career Chukovsky. For the first publication, the poet received 7 rubles. For a lot of money at that time, the young man bought himself a presentable-looking pants and shirt.

After two years of work in the newspaper, Nikolai was sent to London as a correspondent for Odessa News. For a year he wrote articles, studied foreign literature and even copied the catalogs in the museum. During the trip period, eighty-nine works by Chukovsky were published.

The writer fell in love with British aestheticism so much that after many, many years he translated Whitman's works into Russian, and also became the editor of the first four-volume book, which in the blink of an eye acquired the status of a reference book in all lovers of literature families.

In March 1905, the writer moved from sunny Odessa to rainy St. Petersburg. There, a young journalist quickly finds a job: he gets a job as a correspondent for the newspaper " Theatrical Russia”, where in each issue his reports on the performances viewed and the books read are published.

The subsidy of the singer Leonid Sobinov helped Chukovsky to publish the Signal magazine. The publication printed exclusively political satire, and among the authors were, and even Teffi. Chukovsky was arrested for ambiguous cartoons and anti-government writings. The eminent lawyer Gruzenberg managed to achieve an acquittal and release the writer from prison nine days later.

Further, the publicist collaborated with the magazines "Vesy" and "Niva", as well as with the newspaper "Rech", where Nikolai published critical essays on contemporary writers. Later, these works were scattered among the books: "Faces and Masks" (1914), "Futurists" (1922), "From to Our Days" (1908).

In the autumn of 1906, the writer's place of residence was a dacha in Kuokkale (the shore of the Gulf of Finland). There, the writer was lucky to meet the artist, poets and. Later, Chukovsky spoke about cultural figures in his memoirs Repin. . Mayakovsky. . Memories "(1940).

The humorous handwritten almanac "Chukokkala" published in 1979 was also collected here, where they left their creative autographs, and. At the invitation of the government in 1916, Chukovsky, as part of a delegation of Russian journalists, again went on a business trip to England.

Literature

In 1917, Nikolai returned to St. Petersburg, where, accepting the offer of Maxim Gorky, he took over as head of the children's department of the Parus publishing house. Chukovsky tried on the role of a storyteller while working on the almanac "Firebird". Then he revealed to the world a new edge his literary genius, writing "Chicken", "Dog Kingdom" and "Doctor".

Gorky saw great potential in his colleague's tales and suggested that Korney "try his luck" and create for children's application magazine "Niva" another work. The writer was worried that he would not be able to release a workable product into the world, but the inspiration itself found the creator. It was on the eve of the revolution.

Then, with his sick son Kolya, the publicist was returning from his dacha to St. Petersburg. In order to distract his beloved child from bouts of illness, the poet began to invent a fairy tale on the go. There was no time to develop the characters and the plot.

The whole bet was on the fastest alternation of images and events, so that the boy did not have time to moan or cry. And so the work "Crocodile" published in 1917 was born.

After October revolution Chukovsky travels around the country with lectures and collaborates with various publishing houses. In the 1920s and 1930s, Korney wrote the works “Moydodyr” and “Cockroach”, and also adapted the texts folk songs For children's reading, releasing the collections "Red and Red" and "Skok-jump". The poet published ten poetic tales one after another: “Fly-Tsokotuha”, “Wonder Tree”, “Confusion”, “What Mura did”, “Barmaley”, “Telephone”, “Fedorino grief”, “Aibolit”, "The Stolen Sun", "Toptygin and the Fox".

Korney ran around the publishing houses, not for a second parting with the proofs, and followed every printed line. Chukovsky's works were published in the magazines "New Robinson", "Hedgehog", "Bonfire", "Chizh" and "Sparrow". For the classic, everything developed in such a way that at some point the writer himself believed that fairy tales were his calling.

Everything changed after critical article, in which a revolutionary who did not have children called the works of the creator "bourgeois dregs" and argued that not only an anti-political message was masked in Chukovsky's works, but also false ideals.

After that secret meaning seen in all the works of the writer: in "Fly-Tsokotukha" the author popularized the individualism of Komarik and the frivolity of the Fly, in the fairy tale "Fedorino Grief" he glorified petty-bourgeois values, in "Moydodyr" he purposefully did not voice the importance of the leading role of the Communist Party, and in the main character of "Cockroach" censors and completely discerned the caricature image.

The persecution brought Chukovsky to the extreme degree of despair. Korney himself began to believe that no one needed his fairy tales. In December 1929, the Literaturnaya Gazeta published a letter from the poet, in which he, renouncing old works, promises to change the direction of his work by writing a collection of poems, Merry Collective Farm. However, the work never came out from under his pen.

The fairy tale of the war years “Let's overcome Barmaley” (1943) was included in the anthology of Soviet poetry, and then crossed out personally by Stalin. Chukovsky wrote another work, The Adventures of Bibigon (1945). The story was printed in "Murzilka", recited on the radio, and then, calling it "ideologically harmful", was banned from reading.

Tired of fighting critics and censors, the writer returned to journalism. In 1962, he wrote the book "Alive as Life", in which he described the "diseases" that affected the Russian language. Do not forget that the publicist who studied creativity published complete collection writings of Nikolai Alekseevich.

Chukovsky was a storyteller not only in literature, but also in life. He repeatedly did things that his contemporaries, due to their cowardice, were not capable of. In 1961, the story "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" fell into his hands. Having become its first reviewer, Chukovsky, together with Tvardovsky, convinced him to print this work. When Alexander Isaevich became persona non grata, it was Korney who hid him from the authorities at his second dacha in Peredelkino.

In 1964, the trial began. Korney, together with - one of the few who were not afraid to write a letter to the Central Committee with a request to release the poet. literary heritage The writer was preserved not only in books, but also in cartoons.

Personal life

From the first and only wife Chukovsky met at the age of 18. Maria Borisovna was the daughter of the accountant Aron-Ber Ruvimovich Goldfeld and the housewife Tuba (Tauba). The noble family never approved of Korney Ivanovich. At one time, the lovers even planned to escape from Odessa, hated by both, to the Caucasus. Despite the fact that the escape did not take place, in May 1903 the couple got married.

Many Odessa journalists came to the wedding with flowers. True, Chukovsky needed not bouquets, but money. After the ceremony, the resourceful guy took off his hat and began to walk around the guests. Immediately after the celebration, the newlyweds left for England. Unlike Korney, Maria stayed there for a couple of months. Upon learning that his wife was pregnant, the writer immediately sent her to her homeland.

On June 2, 1904, Chukovsky received a telegram stating that his wife had safely given birth to a son. On that day, the feuilletonist arranged a holiday for himself and went to the circus. Upon his return to St. Petersburg, the baggage of knowledge and life experiences accumulated in London allowed Chukovsky to very quickly become the leading critic of St. Petersburg. Sasha Cherny, not without malice, called him Korney Belinsky. In just two years, yesterday's provincial journalist was on friendly terms with all the literary and artistic beau monde.

While the artist traveled around the country with lectures, his wife raised children: Lydia, Nikolai and Boris. In 1920, Chukovsky became a father again. Daughter Maria, whom everyone called Murochka, became the heroine of many of the writer's works. The girl died in 1931 from tuberculosis. 10 years later he died in the war younger son Boris, and 14 years later, the publicist's wife, Maria Chukovskaya, also died.

Death

Korney Ivanovich passed away at the age of 87 (October 28, 1969). The cause of death is viral hepatitis. The dacha in Peredelkino, where the poet lived in recent years, was turned into a house-museum of Chukovsky.

To this day, lovers of the writer's work can see with their own eyes the place where the eminent artist created his masterpieces.

Bibliography

• "Solar" (story, 1933);
• "Silver Coat of Arms" (story, 1933);
• "Chicken" (fairy tale, 1913);
• "Aibolit" (fairy tale, 1917);
• "Barmaley" (fairy tale, 1925);
• Moydodyr (fairy tale, 1923);
• "Fly-Tsokotuha" (fairy tale, 1924);
• “We will overcome Barmaley” (fairy tale, 1943);
• "The Adventures of Bibigon" (fairy tale, 1945);
• "Confusion" (fairy tale, 1914);
• "The Kingdom of the Dog" (fairy tale, 1912);
• "Cockroach" (fairy tale, 1921);
• "Telephone" (fairy tale, 1924);
• Toptygin and the Fox (fairy tale, 1934);

The mother of the future writer is a simple peasant woman from the Poltava province, Ekaterina Osipovna Korneichukova, who gave birth to the then student Emmanuil Solomonovich Levenson. Korney Ivanovich's childhood passed in the city of Odessa, where his mother was forced to move. Cause this decision was that the writer's father left her as a woman "out of her circle."

The first publications of Korney Ivanovich were published in the Odessa News newspaper, which was facilitated by his friend Zhabotinsky. Then the works - articles, essays, stories and others - simply “flowed like a river”, and already in 1917 the writer set to work on Nekrasov's work.

Then Korney Ivanovich took many other literary figures as a subject of study, and already in 1960 the writer set about one of the main works of his life - a specially retold exposition of the Bible.

main museum The writer is currently working in Peredelkino near Moscow, where Korney Ivanovich ended his life on October 28, 1969 as a result of an illness viral hepatitis. In Peredelkino, Chukovsky's dacha is located near the place where Pasternak lived.

Creativity Chukovsky

For younger generation Korney Ivanovich wrote a large number of interesting and entertaining fairy tales, the most famous of which are such works - "Crocodile", "Cockroach", "Moidodyr", "Fly-sokotuha", "Barmaley", "Fedorino grief", "The Stolen Sun", "Aibolit", " Toptygin and the moon", "Confusion", "telephone" and "The Adventures of Bibigon".

Chukovsky's most famous children's poems are the following "Glutton", "Elephant Reads", "Zakalyaka", "Piglet", "Hedgehogs Laugh", "Sandwich", "Fedotka", "Turtle", "Pigs", "Garden", " Camel" and many others. It is remarkable that almost all of them have not lost their relevance and liveliness at the present time, therefore they are often included in almost all collections of books intended for the younger generation.

Wrote Korney Ivanovich and several stories. For example, "Solnechnaya" and "Silver Emblem".

The writer was keenly interested in issues and problems child education. It is to him that readers owe the emergence interesting work O preschool education"From two to five."

The following articles by Korney Ivanovich are also interesting for literary critics - “The History of Aibolit”, “How The Fly-Tsokotukha Was Written”, “About Sherlock Holmes”, “Confessions of an Old Storyteller”, “Chukokkala Page” and others.