The number of chapters in the work of Vasily Terkin. Interesting Facts

Alexander Tvardovsky, who wrote the poem “Vasily Terkin,” gave it a second title – “The Book about a Fighter.” In the image of the main character, to whom the story is dedicated, the writer depicted the characteristic features of a domestic soldier, faced with the need to defend the Motherland. Vasily Terkin became a favorite character during the war years and the post-war period. This is a collective patriotic image that managed to support the national spirit.

History of creation

Tvardovsky is a popular Soviet writer, poet, and journalist. The image of a Soviet soldier was created during the Great Patriotic War. Thinking through the character of the character, Tvardovsky endowed him with ingenuity and resourcefulness, inexhaustible positivity and a sense of humor. This was not enough in the everyday life of ordinary citizens during a terrible time for the country. The idea of ​​a good soldier came to the writer long before he wrote the poem. The authorship of the image belongs to a team of journalists, which included Tvardovsky.

In 1939, two feuilletons about this hero were published. In the imagination of publicists, he was a successful and strong representative of the common people. Tvardovsky began to develop the character of the main character of the future book at the front, during the years of the Soviet-Finnish War. The author set out to create a poetic work. He did not have time to publish the work because of the new war. The German attack in 1941 changed the writer’s plans, but the publicist firmly decided to call the work “A Book about a Fighter.” 1942 is the year the first lines of the book were written, which would later be accepted by the publishing house.

Although Vasily Terkin is not a real historical figure, Tvardovsky, who endured the hardships of battles and attacks on the enemy, describes the smallest details in the book. Working as a correspondent in the field, he witnessed real stories from the lives of army men and tried to reflect them in the story. The author claims to be authentic and to depict historical events in the chapters of the work.

The soldier whom the publicist described acquired new features characteristic of times of war and hardship. He was not just a good-natured person and a jokester, but a warrior on whom victory depended. The character is ready to take battle at any moment and give a worthy rebuff to the enemy in the name of the Motherland.

The first chapters of the book were published in a front-line newspaper. Then many publications began to publish it, allowing readers to be inspired by the image of a worker saving his native lands. The chapters reached both front-line soldiers and citizens remaining in the rear. “The Book about a Fighter” was loved by the public, and the author constantly received letters with questions about how the characters in the story live and whether they really exist.

Tvardovsky worked on the work during the war years. In 1943, having ended up in a military hospital after being wounded, the writer decided that he was approaching the end of the poem. Subsequently, he had to continue his work until 1945, until the victory over the fascist invaders.

The book was continued thanks to requests from readers. After the victorious spring, Tvardovsky published the final chapter of the poem, calling it “From the Author.” In it he said goodbye to the hero.

Biography

The central figure of the story is a village boy from near Smolensk. He is forced to go to the front to defend the Fatherland. A cheerful and straightforward character demonstrates remarkable courage and courage, despite the realities surrounding him. The soul of the company, from whom you can always get support, Terkin was a role model. In battle, he was the first to attack the enemy, and in his spare time he entertained his comrades by playing the accordion. A charming and charismatic guy endears himself to readers.

We meet the hero at the moment when he and his colleagues cross the river. The operation takes place in winter, but the river is not completely frozen, and the crossing is disrupted due to an enemy attack. The soldier who valiantly survived is wounded and ends up in the medical unit. Having recovered from his injury, Terkin decides to catch up with the platoon. The chapter “Harmony” is devoted to his ability to find an approach to the team and win respect and trust in them.

The soldier becomes a participant in battles and provides all possible assistance to those with whom he serves in the same unit, and to civilians. Having received leave, he refuses to travel to his native village, captured by the Germans, in order to be useful at the front. For the courage and bravery shown in the battle in which the plane was shot down, Vasily Terkin is awarded a medal. Later, the serviceman will receive a new rank. He will become a lieutenant.

Due to the enemy offensive, the front line shifts, ending up in his small homeland. Vasily's parents live in the cellar. Having made sure that the old people are alive, the soldier no longer worries about their fate. The mother is captured, but Vasily saves her from trouble. Grandmother and grandfather remain alive.

Tvardovsky does not share details of the hero’s biography. The author does not even name the other characters in the story. The image of Terkin consists of a description of his character. In the finale it remains unclear whether the hero survived or died. But this is not important for Tvardovsky. The main idea that he wants to convey to the reader is admiration for the amazing courage and heroism of the people.

The poem glorifies the Russian soldier, capable of defending the honor of the country, protecting his family and oppressed fellow citizens. The work motivated readers to new exploits. A patriotic ode in verse helped raise the morale of front-line soldiers, exhausted from daily battles, and brought a touch of optimism into their lives. The main idea of ​​the book is a confirmation of the purity of intentions and sincerity of the Russian person, capable of finding a way out of a difficult situation, not afraid of work, distinguished by courage and ingenuity, honor and dedication.

• It is interesting that readers influenced the writing of the work. Reading the published chapters of the poem one by one, people wrote letters to Tvardovsky from all over the Soviet Union. Because of this, the author decided to extend the publication of the book.
• After the resounding victory, Tvardovsky refused to describe Terkin’s life in peacetime. In his opinion, it required new heroes. The image of the soldier had to be preserved in the memory of readers. Later, imitators published stories about Terkin, but the writer himself, as promised, did not touch upon writing new chapters.

• The poem is divided into parts capable of independent existence. Tvardovsky deliberately used such a literary device. Thanks to him, the reader, who did not join the story from the beginning, could easily perceive the plot. This was important at the front, where thousands of soldiers said goodbye to their lives every day. They had time to read one chapter and might not know how it would continue.
• The name and surname of Vasily Terkin were often encountered during wartime. Readers asked the author questions related to the prototype of the hero, and certainly received an answer about a fictional and collective image. The surname Terkin is telling; it means that the person has seen a lot in his lifetime and has been “worn” by life.

Quotes

The poem vividly describes the powerful Russian character. The following lines are descriptive and reliable:

“The Russian man loves every holiday of strength, and that is why he is the sharpest in labor and fight.”

Indeed, Soviet soldiers did not spare themselves in battle, selflessly giving themselves to battles so that peace would reign in the Soviet Union.

The cheerful disposition of Vasily Terkin, a soldier distinguished by his intelligence and courage, helped his colleagues endure wartime.

“You can live without food for a day, you can do more, but sometimes in war you can’t live one minute without a joke, the most unwise joke.”

Every platoon and detachment had the soul of a company like Terkin. A merry fellow and a jokester, he charged people with positivity and gave people hope.

The main value in war remains human life. Terkin tries at any cost to help those who get in his way. Whether it's a small matter or a matter of life and death, he puts himself at risk to save his neighbor. At the same time, the soldier jokingly remarks:

“Allow me to report briefly and simply: I am a big hunter of living until I’m ninety.”

The author argues that in war the most important thing is not food, but an unwise joke, a good saying and saying, as well as the real truth, albeit bitter. The author introduces the reader to Vasily Terkin, his hero and fighter. He is dear in war, because in difficult times there should be a place for jokes and fun. The author defines the form of his narrative as a book without beginning or end and begins it right from the middle.

At a rest stop

Tyorkin ends up in the first infantry platoon and immediately becomes one of his own. On the first night after this, the platoon does not sleep, listening to the stories of the experienced fighter Vasily Terkin. His jokes help his comrades survive the hardships of military life: sleeping in wet overcoats, on bare roots, dirt, hunger and cold.

The author argues that there is such a Terkin in every company. He is unpretentious in appearance: of average height, not particularly handsome, he fought, but was not awarded, was wounded, was surrounded three times, but survived under any fire and in any position.

Before the fight

Terkin tells how he, in a group of 10 people, got out of encirclement, was a political instructor, whose only conversation consisted of the words “don’t be discouraged.” On the way, the soldiers entered the commander’s village.

The commander's wife prepared dinner for the soldiers and carefully put them to rest. The owner was waiting for her in the corner, but she still didn’t come, she clanked with dishes and sewed. Tyorkin couldn’t sleep, he felt awkward, he went out onto the porch and made a bed out of his overcoat, the soldier’s faithful friend.

The owner did not go to his wife; he chopped wood until daylight to help her. At dawn the children woke up and cried, as if realizing that their father was leaving. After the war, Terkin dreams of visiting that hostess to “bow to the kind, simple woman.”

Crossing

While crossing the river in winter, soldiers of the first, second and third platoons loaded onto the pontoons. When the first platoon was about to reach the opposite right bank, shelling began, killing many soldiers. The crossing failed, but everyone was worried about the soldiers of the first platoon.

At dawn, the watchmen saw a small point on the river in the distance. They mistook the swimming man for a dead man from those killed yesterday, but the sergeant saw a living swimmer through binoculars. Someone joked that it was Terkin, but it really turned out to be him. They dressed him, ordered him to run, then laid him on the bed and began to rub him with alcohol. Terkin asked to warm up from the inside and reported that the first platoon was asking for a light. The holy and just battle continued not for the sake of glory, but for the sake of life on earth.

About war

The life-loving Tyorkin talks about the war. When war comes, you need to forget about everything, because everyone is “responsible for Russia, for the people and for everything in the world.” In war, you must forget yourself, be united with your people. Everyone must fight, beat the German, be ready to carry out the order at the cost of his life. One can only hope for the gratitude of descendants.

Terkin is wounded

On a winter day, Tyorkin was ordered to make contact. Vasily followed the rifle company. Suddenly a shell hissed nearby. Everyone fell to the ground in fear. Terkin was the first to get up, noticed that the shell was damp, and relieved himself on it. Having handed over the coil to the soldiers, Tyorkin decided to check whether the enemy was shooting from the cellar. There was no one in the cellar; it was built to perfection. Terkin decided to defend it with two available grenades.

The fighter saw a German soldier two steps away. When a German officer jumped into the ditch and shot at Tyorkin, wounding him in the right shoulder, Tyorkin struck with a bayonet. Here heavy artillery began to hit the ditch.

The tank crews found Tyorkin bleeding when he was already losing consciousness. An unfamiliar tanker was carrying him in an embrace, warming him with his breath. There is no holier and purer friendship than in war.

About the award

Terkin argues that he doesn’t need an order, he agrees to a medal, and even then he needs it after the end of the war, when he goes on vacation, goes to the village council and finds a party on one of the collective farms. Terkin dreams that he will tell the girls how he went on the attack. The author laments that Tyorkin has no way to go to his native village council, to parties, because he is a participant in a terrible, mortal, bloody battle not for the sake of glory, but for the sake of life on earth.

Harmonic

Terkin was returning after being wounded and hospitalized to the first company of his rifle regiment. He was picked up by a truck, also heading to the front. The column stopped due to a snow jam. Two tank crews allowed Tyorkin to play the accordion for their commander, who died in yesterday’s battle.

An orphaned accordion makes everyone feel warmer. It seems to the tankers that they know Tyorkin, that they gave him a lift somewhere. The accordion helps people forget about the fear of death and killed loved ones; the fighters even dance. The tankers give Tyorkin an accordion in memory of the commander.

Two soldiers

Three miles from the war, Terkin is resting in a hut with old people. Grandfather is a soldier from the last war. Terkin helped his grandfather set up the saw, cleaned it from dust and repaired the clock. With jokes, he lures lard and even two eggs from the grandmother. After having lunch and drinking from a flask, two soldiers compare the everyday difficulties of the two wars. Terkin promises his grandfather that the German will be beaten.

About loss

The fighter lost his pouch and is very upset by this, because he lost his family, his native land. As a consolation, Terkin takes out a second hat from his duffel bag and says that it was given to the wounded Vasily by a girl who was doing a bandage. This hat became very expensive for the fighter. He hopes to meet that girl one day and give her the “headdress.” Terkin gave his comrade his pouch and noted that it is bitter to lose family, life and even a pouch, but you cannot lose Russia, your old mother, because “you and I are responsible for everything.”

Duel

Terkin fights the German to the death. The German is large, strong, dexterous, “well-fed, shaved, careful.” Tyorkin’s teeth have already been knocked out, the German’s left eye is blackened. Terkin already has poor control of his right wounded hand, he was exhausted and killed, but the enemy’s entire face was beaten. Finally, the German hit Tyorkin with his helmet, and he killed the German with an unloaded grenade.

Terkin enjoys military success, because the terrible, bloody mortal battle continues.

From the author

The author decided to take a break from the “war tale.” It is good to hear about war to a person who has defeated the enemy and returned home. The author recognizes the desire of the reader-soldier in war to listen to a peaceful fairy tale. But while his native land is in captivity, the author, “a lover of peaceful life,” “sings war in war.” This explains the form of a book about a soldier: “without beginning or end, without a special plot,” because in war a soldier only carries out orders, his life does not belong to him.

Who shot

After yesterday's battle, the soldiers are sitting in the trenches not far from the enemy. A summer evening reminds us of peacetime, of peasant labor and rest. The sound of an approaching plane torments the soul. Nobody wants to die at any time of the year, especially in the spring. A guy of less than twenty years old, lying face down and waiting for shelling, remembers a peaceful life, friends, relatives, home. But one fighter decided to face death face to face. He stood up and hit the plane from his knee with a rifle. “A fast, military, black, modern, twin-engine plane” fell. Terkin became a hero, he was given an order.

About the hero

Terkin tells how in the hospital he met a hero-order bearer, a boy from near Tambov. Vasily is offended for his Smolensk side, he is not proud, but he is glad that he will receive the order. But more important to him is the Motherland, the native side that he values.

General

In the second summer of the war, Terkin “sunned himself in defense.” He washed and dried his tunic and trousers in the river when he was called to the general to award him with an order.

Turkin was timid in front of the general, but looked like an eagle. He refused a week's leave home, then the general promised that he himself would go with Tyorkin to the Smolensk side, where the war was going on. The general said goodbye to Tyorkin warmly, as if he were a son.

About Me

The author talks about how he left his father’s house in his youth, but kept it in his soul. The author recalls a forest not scarred by war, a summer day, “a courtyard, a stitch by the well” and many details of home life. A year ago, the hero could return to his homeland and hug his old mother. But now his region is suffering in captivity, and the author promises to come and return it. The author identifies himself with all people who have family and everything close to them beyond the front line. Terkin is the author’s fellow countryman, both of them are responsible for everything.

Fight in the swamp

An unknown battle in a swamp for the destroyed settlement of Borki seems pointless. It’s damp all around, it’s hungry, you can’t even smoke – everything is soggy. But Tyorkin encourages, saying that now the fighters are in their swamp and among their fighters, they have weapons, they are protected by artillery and tanks. Every person is the embodiment of Russia itself, a fighter. And a year ago, in the rear, Tyorkin was hiding in a haystack from the Germans who occupied Moscow. Tyorkin’s words amused his comrades, and they easily took the village. That long battle is not mentioned anywhere, but Russia will honor all the soldiers who died in the war.

About love

Each soldier was escorted to war by a woman. A wife's love encourages, warns, condemns, and glorifies. Wives do not complain in letters about their hard lives. The love of the wives survived the war, so the author encourages them to write more often. But no one accompanied Tyorkin on the road. The author asks the girls to take a closer look at the hero, fall in love with him and give him a heart.

Rest Tyorkin

Terkin went “straight to heaven,” a holiday home, with a warm stove, a bedroom, a bed with clean linens. But in this “paradise” there are restrictions: you cannot sit in clothes, cut bread with a bayonet, hold a rifle at your feet, or hide a spoon behind your boot. Tyorkin feels uncomfortable in such cleanliness; it seems to him that he is back in the hospital. The fighter thinks about those who are now at war and cannot sleep.

At the end of the first day, Terkin began to think that the war was not over, so, having had a bite and gathered himself, he went to join his people at the front line. In the meantime, we can only rest on the road, “wherever chance leads us,” before the next battle.

On the offensive

The soldiers became accustomed to the defensive, but the order was received to go on the offensive. Young fighters look up to Terkin, although he is just as scared to lie in the snow and wait for a break. When the general behind the battlefield gave the order to attack for the Motherland, the lieutenant running ahead was seriously wounded and died on the battlefield. Then Tyorkin led the platoon into an attack and was also seriously wounded.

Death and the Warrior

Terkin remained unpicked in the snow, and death came to him and began to call him with him, but Terkin refuses to give up. Death scares him with injury, and Tyorkin, freezing, asks Death to see victory, return home and “walk among the living.”

The fighter was found by a funeral team. While he was carefully carried to the medical battalion, death was nearby. When she saw how the living cared for each other, she fell behind.

Terkin writes

Terkin writes from his room that he survived, although it took him a long time to recover, that his leg is healing, that he wants to go to his native part, which during the war became his native land, family and hut. Tyorkin would like to reach the very border with his unit, or at least die among his own.

Terkin-Torkin

Having recovered, Terkin again found himself at home, at war, but after his absence he felt like a stranger. Suddenly, when someone asked where Vasily Terkin was, another red-haired fighter responded. Old Terkin, harboring a grudge, decided to find out who was real. It turned out that the new Terkin is Ivan, that he is also a hero, that he has two orders, that he knocked out one more car and is sure that the book is about him, and the other name is for rhyme. The new Terkin turned out to be a skilled accordionist and a joker, so Vasily Terkin even agreed to give him the championship, and he himself decided to be considered a namesake. Their dispute was resolved by the foreman, who announced that according to the regulations, each company would soon “be given its own Terkin.”

From the author

The author refutes rumors that Vasily Terkin, who was so beloved by readers, has died. Terkin, like a hero, traversed the entire land, which was given away and now returned with blood. The author turns to Mother Russia, whose victory is close, because “the saint and the sinner, the Russian miracle man” - Terkin - is going into battle.

Grandfather and grandmother

In the third spring, our troops came to the village where, during the retreat, Tyorkin repaired his grandfather and woman’s watch, and then the Germans took it off the wall as a trophy. Grandfather and woman were sitting in the cellar when the sound of shots died down and the old people heard the voices of scouts, one of whom they recognized as Tyorkin. The old people accepted Terkin as a son and even fed him lard. Terkin promised that the army would not retreat again. He undertook to bring two watches from Berlin instead of those taken by the German.

On the Dnieper

Throughout the war, Terkin felt guilty about his native land; it was not he who liberated his native village. The front advanced towards the Dnieper. At the end of the Indian summer at dawn there was a battle on the Dnieper. And now the “trash of war” still lies at the bottom. Vasily Terkin, like all the infantry, swam across to the right bank. A little further south, the Germans were crossing to the right bank, ready to surrender. They only made people laugh. But Tyorkin, feeling guilty before the now liberated Motherland, even cried.

About an orphan soldier

All the soldiers liberating the city outside the city had relatives waiting somewhere, and the orphan soldier had nowhere to write. When they were advancing near Smolensk, this soldier asked to go to his native village of Krasny Most, but the residents said that his wife and son were no longer alive. Returning to the battalion, the soldier cried for his family and himself. His tears are sacred to us, we must exact retribution and remember the orphan soldier on the bright day of victory.

On the way to Berlin

The road to Berlin is a foreign land, an unfriendly side, in which red tiles, signs in a foreign language and foreign speech are unusual. For soldiers, Mother Earth is desired, on which it is even better to die. But the warriors, servants of the people, dream of returning alive from a four-year campaign.

Along the roads to the east, “as if from the gates of hell,” people flow. The French, British, Poles look at Russian soldiers friendly. The liberating soldier, having met a fellow countrywoman, a soldier's mother, who was returning across the Dnieper to her destroyed yard, gave her equipment, a horse with full harness, a cow, a sheep, and household utensils.

In the bath

At the end of the war, in the depths of Germany, a bathhouse is a father’s home in a foreign land. The soldier undresses, and all the healed wounds that he received in different battles become visible. The soldiers rejoice that the war is ending and the holiday is not far away. After taking a steam bath, the soldiers complete the “desired bath work.” The fighter puts on clean clothes and a tunic with orders and medals, and his comrades compare his jokes with Tyorkin’s jokes.

From the author

The author says goodbye to Tyorkin, who became unnecessary after the war, because now it’s time for a different song. This book about a fighter is dear to the author, because Tyorkin is his pain, joy, rest and feat. The author wrote these lines to please the reader. Now the author hopes that the soldiers who went through the war will remember Tyorkin. The author dedicates this book to all the fallen, all “wartime friends.”

Encyclopedic YouTube

1 / 5

✪ Vasily Terkin. Alexander Tvardovsky

✪ A.T. Tvardovsky. Poem "Vasily Terkin"

✪ Vasily Terkin - Crossing (Verse and Me)

✪ 79 Alexander Tvardovsky Vasily Terkin

✪ Vasily Terkin summary (A. Tvardovsky). Grade 11

Subtitles

Friends, if you do not have the opportunity to read Alexander Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin,” watch this video. This is a collection of stories about one soldier during the Great Patriotic War. Tvardovsky wrote the poem in 1945. Another name for the poem is “The Book about a Fighter.” The poem consists of 30 chapters. Each chapter is a separate story from Tyorkin’s front-line life. During the war, Tvardovsky (who himself fought at the front) read to them individual chapters from the poem to maintain the morale of the soldiers. So... The author writes that in war it is very important to have water and food. But humor is needed just as much in war. After all, without it you can go completely crazy. That’s why the soldiers valued Vaska Tyorkin, a guy who could cheer everyone up. And Tvardovsky himself thanks his hero for helping him become a popular writer. Vaska, a newcomer to the infantry company, tells the guys that this is already his second war. Explains to them what the word “sabantuy” means. In general, when the battlefield is a complete mess, when there are a lot of German tanks, this is the main sabantuy. And when they shoot a little, it’s like that... a light sabantuy. The soldiers immediately liked Vaska. Vaska Terkin was a very ordinary guy. The first story is about how Vaska and the guys made their way from the rear of the German side to their own at the front. The guys were thin and barefoot. There were about 10 of them, led by a commander. (Let me remind you that during the first two years of the war, Soviet troops were mostly retreating). And of course this bothered the soldiers. But Vaska constantly insisted that they would return to their lands. The commander told him that his native village would be on the way. - What's the question? - Vaska answered. - Let's go in. The detachment arrived in the village late at night. The commander brought the guys to his house. His wife fed everyone and put everyone to bed. But the commander wants this with his wife... And there are so many guys nearby. Everyone seemed to have fallen asleep. Vaska couldn’t sleep, he understood everything and went out into the street so as not to disturb the commander... In the morning, the commander cut firewood for his wife, waited until his children woke up, and the soldiers moved on, realizing that today the Germans could come to this village. It was in November. The soldiers approached the crossing. At night, having broken off the ice, the first platoon boarded the pontoons. Then the second one. Then the third. The Germans opened fire. Many guys died then. Some managed to cross, others did not. Those who did not make it in time waited for dawn, and with it, help. Two watchmen saw that someone was swimming towards them. - Yah. This cannot be, said one. - In such cold water? - Maybe this is the body of one of ours? – thought the second one. We looked closer and saw someone alive swimming. It was Vaska Terkin. They immediately took him to the hut and rubbed him with alcohol. “Let’s go inside, not on the skin,” Vaska asked. Dali. Vaska drank and began to talk. He said that their platoon on the right bank was ready to help with the crossing. We just need covering fire from this shore. He said, drank more and swam back. Another time, Terkin established telephone communications. He followed his company with a coil of wires. On the phone he asked the guys from Tula to help them fire at the Germans. Suddenly a shell fell next to him. Vaska fell to the ground and waited for the explosion. But for some reason there was no explosion. I looked, realized that it would not explode and pissed on this shell. And then Vaska saw a German officer approaching him. The German did not see him. Then Vaska pierced him with a bayonet. The German managed to wound Vaska. And so the guy lay there, bleeding and saw how Tula began to fire at the position where he himself was lying. It would be a shame to die from your own people. Lucky. Our tanks arrived. The tank guys saw Vaska and helped him. Otherwise Vaska would have died. Vaska thinks that it would be great to get a medal. He would then come home and brag about her in the village council. And then he would go to any party, and all the girls would be his. “That’s why I need a medal, guys,” Vaska told the guys. “I don’t even need an order, I agree to a medal.” Lonely Terkin walked along the front-line winter road. He was catching up with his rifle regiment. A truck overtook him. The driver looked out: “Get in, infantry.” I'll give you a ride. They drive, smoke, chat. They see a convoy of vehicles blocking the road ahead. It's cold for everyone. Vaska asks if anyone has an accordion. “Yes, there is,” the tanker answers. -Whose is she? - The killed commander. The guys gave Vaska an accordion. He started with a sad melody. And suddenly, it was as if everyone felt warmer from the music. Immediately other guys began to follow the sounds of the accordion. Vaska sang about three tanker friends. And then somehow it became more fun. Two tank crews took a closer look at Vaska: “Listen, did we then find you covered in blood and take you to the medical battalion?” “Maybe me too,” Vaska answered. And then the guys told him to take the accordion for himself and entertain his friends with it. In winter, an old woman lay on the stove in the hut. Fighting was heard three miles away. The grandfather-owner was sitting by the window. Then he took a saw and began to sharpen it, so as not to be idle. - Grandfather, she’s normal. We need to break it up. “Get the wiring,” Vaska Tyorkin told his grandfather. I did everything as needed. I gave the saw to my grandfather. I saw a non-working clock on the wall. Removed and repaired. - Do you want me to tell you, grandma, where your lard is hidden? – Vaska suddenly asked. The grandmother blew herself up and fried the soldier lard and eggs. Vaska sat down with his grandfather, drank, talked about life, about the war. Grandfather also once fought, was also a soldier. - You tell me, guy: are we going to beat the German? “We’ll beat you, father,” Vaska answered and went to fight. One bearded soldier lost his pouch. (A tobacco pouch is a pouch for tobacco). The man was upset. First I lost my family, and now I lost my pouch. Terkin saw all this and, to cheer up the bearded man, told his story about the fur hat. I took it out of the bag as proof. And there is another one on the head. “Once they brought me, wounded, to the medical battalion. The hat fell off somewhere. What can I do in winter without a hat? No way. I tell the girl who bandaged me that I feel bad without a hat. So she gave me hers. I keep it as a memory. The soldiers thought that in war it was better to be single. He doesn't think about his wife and children that way. Vaska gave the bearded man his pouch. “The fact that you lost your family is not your fault,” said Vaska. – And you can also survive the loss of your pouch. Although, I agree, it’s a shame. But the loss of the Motherland cannot be allowed. One day Vaska went on reconnaissance, and he had the chance to fight hand-to-hand with a German. Strong, dexterous and well-fed. Vaska understood that the advantage was on the German side. They hit each other, be healthy! They approached. And the German's breath stinks of garlic. - Oh, you fascist bitch! And Vaska hit him with an unloaded grenade. The German fell, but was alive. Vaska understood that it was better not to kill the German, but to bring him to his own people to interrogate him. The author writes that in war a soldier must do what he is ordered. He can’t even fall in love without permission, he can’t even change his footcloths. Our guys were sitting in the trenches. And then they hear: a German plane is flying. The guys crouched to the ground. Except one. The soldier took out a rifle, took aim at the plane and hit it! The plane went towards the ground. The general from headquarters immediately called with the question: “Who shot?” This is how Vaska Tyorkin received the order. He was the one who shot. Once Tyorkin had a chance to stay in the hospital for several days. And he saw there the most ordinary boy. And already a hero. Vaska asked where the guy was from. I thought, maybe a fellow countryman. “I’m from near Tambov,” the guy said. And Vaska was from Smolensk. And he felt so offended that there was no hero in his native Smolensk. And then Vaska firmly decided to receive the order. And received! “But all these awards are nonsense,” Vaska thought. “The main thing is to have a homeland.” The war was already in its second year. Terkin was washing his clothes by the river and lay down on the grass. Good for him! They called to the general. The general awarded Tyorkin an order, praised him for the downed plane and allowed him to go home on vacation for a week. - Yes, a week is not enough for me, Comrade General. The Germans are where my village is. But I know the area well. - It's clear. So I need you. And you’ll go on vacation another time. The village of Borki stood behind the swamp. And in this swamp there was a battle in the summer. The guys felt bad, but Terkin joked and encouraged the guys. There, many of our guys died for the unknown Borki. But the main thing is that these Borks were part of the Motherland. Every soldier was accompanied to war by at least one woman - mother, sister, wife, girlfriend or daughter. Letters from them always warmed the soldier’s soul and reminded him for whom they should fight. And the wives became so good during the war. Although before that they could have been damn witches. Soldiers escaped from such people during the war. It’s better to have bullets whistling overhead than to have such a wife at your side. The war will end sooner or later, and then the soldier will return to his women. But Vaska Terkin did not have a woman who would love him. And the author appeals to the girls so that they fall in love with such a good guy as Vaska. In war, every soldier dreams of a good night's sleep. And when he finds himself at home on vacation, it’s like he’s in heaven. There you can sleep on a clean, warm bed, in only underwear, and you can eat there 4 times a day. And from the table, not from your knee. And without a rifle, always lying nearby. And you don’t have to hide the spoon in your boot. And so our Vaska Terkin found himself in such a paradise. But somehow Vaska can’t sleep in such a bed. I put on my combat cap and immediately fell asleep. And the next day Vaska decided to return to his comrades. I boarded a passing truck and arrived at the company. - Well, guys, how are you here without me? Winter. Another battle near the village. The lieutenant led the boys into the attack. But very soon he was shot. And then Vaska Terkin led the guys behind him. The village was taken. And Vaska was seriously wounded. He lay in the snow, and death came to him. - Well, my friend, did you fight back? “Come with me,” she told him. - Fuck you! “I’m still alive,” Vaska answered her. Death began to persuade him to give up and submit to it. But Terkin refused to die and continued to hold on. - They won’t find you anymore. Give up. And you will immediately feel warm. Chesslovo. - Nope. I haven't lived long enough. I want more. I still need to defeat the German. But hope was leaving, and then Vaska asked death to allow him to be among the living on Victory Day over the Germans. - On this condition, take me. - Not. “It won’t work,” answered death. - Then get the fuck out! And then Vaska saw the guys from the funeral team walking. Vaska shouted to them, the boys were surprised that he was still alive and carried him to the medical battalion. Death walked side by side for some time, and then realized that she had nothing to catch here and left to look for other victims. From the hospital, Vaska writes a letter to the guys from his company. He writes that he misses him and wants to join them again as soon as possible. When Tyorkin returned to his people, something changed: new people appeared. And among them was Terkin. But not Vaska, but Ivan, the red one. And also a joker, and also a hero, and also with an order, and also knew how to play the accordion. Then the foreman said that each company would have its own Terkin. Remember the village where Vaska repaired a saw and a clock in the house of his grandfather and old woman? The German took that clock off the wall and took it with him. Our intelligence guys approached this hut. The grandfather with an ax was ready to defend his house, but he heard Russian speech and was happy about the guys. And then I recognized Vaska Tyorkin in one of them. Already an officer! Vaska promised to bring his grandfather and grandmother two new watches from Berlin. The time came when Soviet troops began to recapture previously given lands. Vaska and the guys were approaching their native Smolensk region. And this made his heart ache. The Dnieper was ahead. The guys crossed the river. And Vaska’s native village was left behind. Vaska tells a story about a cheerful soldier with whom he served. He used to be cheerful until he found out that he no longer had a family - neither a wife nor a small son. When our detachments passed near Smolensk, that guy asked the commander to go home on a short vacation. But the soldiers of his village did not recognize him - he was wiped off the face of the earth. He returned to the detachment already homeless. I cried all the time. But he was not the only one in this situation - many soldiers had the same situation. And they got up and moved on to Berlin. On the way we met an old woman who was walking home from abroad. Vaska said that it was not right for a soldier’s mother to go such a distance. And he gave her a horse, a cow, a sheep. - What if on the way they ask where I got my cattle from? - asked the old woman. - Tell me that Vaska Terkin supplied it. They will let you through everywhere. And now Soviet troops are already in Germany. Our guys washed themselves in the bathhouse. One soldier had a good steam bath and went to get dressed. He had orders and medals on his gymnast. - Did you buy it at a military store? - the guys are trolling him. “That’s not all,” he answered them. These, friends, are war stories about an ordinary Soviet soldier Vasily Tyorkin.

About the product

The coincidence of the name of the main character with the name of the hero of the novel by the 19th-century writer P. D. Boborykin turned out to be accidental.

The Red Army soldier Tyorkin had already begun to enjoy a certain popularity among readers of the district newspaper, and Tvardovsky decided that the topic was promising and needed to be developed within the framework of a large-scale work.

On June 22, 1941, Tvardovsky curtailed his peaceful literary activities and left for the front the next day. He becomes a war correspondent for the Southwestern and then the 3rd Belorussian Front. In 1941-1942, together with the editorial staff, Tvardovsky found himself in the hottest spots of the war. Retreats, finds himself surrounded and leaves it.

In the spring of 1942, Tvardovsky returned to Moscow. Having collected scattered notes and sketches, he again sits down to work on the poem. “War is serious, and poetry must be serious”- he writes in his diary. On September 4, 1942, the publication of the first chapters of the poem (introductory “From the Author” and “At a Rest”) began in the newspaper of the Western Front “Krasnoarmeyskaya Pravda”.

The poem gains fame, it is reprinted by the central publications “Pravda”, “Izvestia”, “Znamya”. Excerpts from the poem are read on the radio by Orlov and Levitan. At the same time, famous illustrations created by the artist Orest Vereisky began to appear. Tvardovsky himself reads his work, meets with soldiers, and visits hospitals and work groups with creative evenings.

The work was a great success among readers. When Tvardovsky wanted to finish the poem in 1943, he received many letters in which readers demanded a continuation. In 1942-1943, the poet experienced a severe creative crisis. In the army and in the civilian readership, “The Book about a Fighter” was received with a bang, but the party leadership criticized it for its pessimism and lack of reference to the leading role of the party. Secretary of the Union of Writers of the USSR Alexander Fadeev admitted: "the poem answers his heart", But “...we must follow not the inclinations of the heart, but the party guidelines”. Nevertheless, Tvardovsky continues to work, extremely reluctantly agreeing to censorship edits and cuts of the text. As a result, the poem was completed in 1945 along with the end of the war. The last chapter (“In the Bath”) was completed in March 1945. Even before finishing work on the work, Tvardovsky was awarded the Stalin Prize.

Finishing work on the poem, Tvardovsky, back in 1944, simultaneously began the next poem, “Terkin in the Other World.” Initially, he planned to write it as the last chapter of the poem, but the idea grew into an independent work, which also included some uncensored excerpts from Vasily Terkin. “Terkin in the Next World” was prepared for publication in the mid-1950s and became another programmatic work of Tvardovsky - a vivid anti-Stalin pamphlet. On July 23, the Secretariat of the Central Committee, chaired by N. S. Khrushchev, adopted a resolution condemning Tvardovsky for the poem “Terkin in the Next World” prepared for publication. During the campaign to “expose Stalin,” on August 17, 1963, the poem was first published in the newspaper Izvestia. During wartime, the poem (more precisely, its excerpts) was memorized by heart, newspaper clippings were passed on to each other, considering its main character a role model.

Criticism and artistic features

There is no plot as such in the poem ( “There is no plot in war”), but it is built around the connecting idea of ​​a military road along which Tyorkin, together with the entire Soviet army, goes to the goal. It is not for nothing that most critics consider the chapter “The Crossing” to be the central chapter. At the beginning of the poem, the continuity with Tvardovsky’s previous work is clearly visible - the utopian poem “The Country of Ant,” which also begins with a story about the road along which the hero has to go. The role of authorial digressions in the narrative is also very important. The peculiar dialogue between the author and the main character occupies a significant place in the text of the poem.

In the poem, Tyorkin acts as a collective image, embodying the best traits inherent in a Soviet soldier. The heroes surrounding Tyorkin are nameless and abstract: the soldier’s colleagues, the general, the old man and the old woman, Death - as if borrowed from a folk tale ( in fact, this is a complete rethinking of the poem “Anika the Warrior” with the opposite outcome: even the angels serving Death - who took on the everyday appearance of a funeral team - are on the side of the Warrior [ ]). The language of the poem, despite its apparent simplicity, is an example of the poet’s recognizable style. It feeds on folk, oral speech. The intonationally rich text of the work is interspersed with phrases that sound like sayings and lines of ditties (“It’s good when someone lies cheerfully and smoothly”, “Well done, but there will be a lot - two at once. - So there are two ends ...”). The author conveys in an accurate and balanced style Tyorkin’s speech, a lyrically sublime description of nature and the harsh truth of war.

The choice of trochaic tetrameter as the size of the poem is not accidental. It is this size that is characteristic of the Russian ditty and fits well with the narrative rhythm of the poem. Critics also believe that in the poem “Vasily Terkin” the influence of Russian folk tales is clearly felt, in particular, “The Little Humpbacked Horse” by Ershov.

A distinctive feature of the work, reminiscent of a legend about a folk hero, was the absence of an ideological principle. The poem does not contain the usual glorifications of Stalin for works of those years. The author himself noted that a ritual mention of the leading and guiding role of the party “would destroy both the concept and the figurative structure of the poem about the people’s war.” This circumstance subsequently created great problems for publication and delayed the publication of the final version of the poem.

The secret of Tvardovsky’s work is not only in the ease of rhythm and masterly use of spoken language, but also in the writer’s unmistakable instinct, which allowed him to stay on the right side in the propaganda war, without succumbing to the temptation of lies. The book tells as much truth as circumstances allowed.

Original text (English)

The secret of Tvardovsky's, besides his easy rhythms is his virtuosic command of colloquial Russian and his unerring tact in staying on the “right” side of the propaganda line of the moment without telling outright lie, while also propounding as much of the truth as was at all possible under the current circumstances.

Cultural significance

The poem “Vasily Terkin” is one of the most famous works created during the Great Patriotic War, glorifying the feat of an unnamed Russian soldier. The poem was published in large numbers, translated into many languages, was included in the school curriculum of the USSR and Russia and was well known to any schoolchild.

Tvardovsky, who himself went through the front, absorbed sharp and accurate soldier observations, phrases and sayings into the language of the poem. Phrases from the poem became catchphrases and entered oral speech.

He spoke highly of Tvardovsky’s work

There is a new guy in the infantry company, Vasily Terkin. He is fighting for the second time in his life (the first war was Finnish). Vasily does not mince his words, he is a good eater. In general, “the guy is anywhere.”

Terkin recalls how he, in a detachment of ten people, during the retreat, made his way from the western, “German” side to the east, to the front. Along the way there was the commander’s native village, and the detachment went to his house. The wife fed the soldiers and put them to bed. The next morning the soldiers left, leaving the village in German captivity. On the way back, Tyorkin would like to go to this hut to bow to the “good simple woman.”

The river is being crossed. Platoons are loaded onto pontoons. Enemy fire disrupted the crossing, but the first platoon managed to move to the right bank. Those who remained on the left are waiting for dawn, do not know what to do next. Terkin swims from the right bank (winter, icy water). He reports that the first platoon is able to ensure the crossing if it is supported by fire.

Terkin establishes communication. A shell explodes nearby. Seeing a German cellar, Tyorkin takes it. There, in ambush, the enemy is waiting. He kills a German officer, but he manages to wound him. Our people start hitting the cellar. And Tyorkin is discovered by tank crews and taken to the medical battalion...

Terkin jokingly argues that it would be nice to receive a medal and come with it to a party in the village council after the war.

Leaving the hospital, Tyorkin catches up with his company. He is transported by truck. Ahead is a stopped column of transport. Freezing. And there is only one accordion - the tankers. It belonged to their fallen commander. The tankers give the accordion to Tyorkin. He plays first a sad melody, then a cheerful one, and the dancing begins. The tankers remember that it was they who delivered the wounded Tyorkin to the medical battalion, and give him an accordion.

There is a grandfather (an old soldier) and a grandmother in the hut. Terkin comes to see them. He repairs saws and watches for old people. He guesses that the grandmother has hidden lard... The grandmother treats Tyorkin. And the grandfather asks: “Shall we beat the German?” Tyorkin answers, already leaving, from the threshold: “We’ll beat you, father.”

The bearded fighter lost his pouch. Terkin recalls that when he was wounded, he lost his hat, and the girl nurse gave him hers. He still keeps this hat. Terkin gives the bearded man his tobacco pouch and explains: in war you can lose anything (even life and family), but not Russia.

Terkin fights hand-to-hand with a German. Wins. Returns from reconnaissance, bringing “tongue” with him.

It's spring at the front. The buzz of the cockchafer gives way to the roar of a bomber. The soldiers are lying prone. Only Terkin gets up, fires at the plane with a rifle and shoots it down. Tyorkin is given an order.

Terkin recalls how in the hospital he met a boy who had already become a hero. He proudly emphasized that he was from near Tambov. And his native Smolensk region seemed like an “orphan” to Tyorkin. That's why he wanted to become a hero.

The general lets Tyorkin go home for a week. But the Germans still have his village... And the general advises him to wait for his vacation: “You and I are on the same path.”

The battle in the swamp for the small village of Borki, of which nothing remains. Terkin encourages his comrades.

Tyorkin is sent to rest for a week. This is “paradise” - a hut where you can eat four times a day and sleep as much as you like, on the bed, in the bed. At the end of the first day, Terkin begins to think... he catches a passing truck and goes to his home company.

Under fire, the platoon goes to take the village. the “dapper” lieutenant leads everyone. They kill him. Then Terkin understands that “it’s his turn to lead.” The village has been taken. And Terkin himself is seriously wounded. Terkin lies in the snow. Death persuades him to submit to her. But Vasily does not agree. People from the funeral team find him and carry him to the medical battalion.

After the hospital, Terkin returns to his company, and there everything is different, the people are different. There... a new Terkin appeared. Only not Vasily, but Ivan. They are arguing who is the real Terkin? We are already ready to concede this honor to each other. But the foreman announces that each company “will be assigned its own Terkin.”

The village where Tyorkin repaired his saw and watch is under the Germans. The German took the watch from his grandfather and grandmother. The front line ran through the village. The old people had to move into the cellar. Our scouts come to them, among them is Terkin. He is already an officer. Turkin promises to bring new watches from Berlin.

With the advance, Tyorkin passes by his native Smolensk village. Others take it. There is a crossing across the Dnieper. Terkin says goodbye to his native side, which remains no longer in captivity, but in the rear.

Vasily talks about an orphan soldier who came to his native village on leave, and there was nothing left there, the whole family died. The soldier needs to continue to fight. And we need to remember about him, about his grief. Don't forget about this when victory comes.

Road to Berlin. The grandmother returns home from captivity. The soldiers give her a horse, a cart, things... “Tell her what Vasily Terkin supplied.”

A bathhouse in the depths of Germany, in some German house. The soldiers are steaming. Among them is one - he has a lot of scars from wounds, he knows how to steam very well, he doesn’t mince his words, he dresses like a tunic with orders and medals. The soldiers say about him: “It’s the same as Terkin.”

Retold

The poem “Vasily Terkin” is dated 1941-1945 - the difficult, terrible and heroic years of the struggle of the Soviet people against the Nazi invaders. In this work, Alexander Tvardovsky created the immortal image of a simple Soviet soldier, defender of the Fatherland, who became a kind of personification of deep patriotism and love for his Motherland.

History of creation

The poem began to be written in 1941. Selected excerpts were published in newspaper versions between 1942 and 1945. Also in 1942, the still unfinished work was published separately.

Oddly enough, work on the poem was started by Tvardovsky back in 1939. It was then that he already worked as a war correspondent and covered the progress of the Finnish military campaign in the newspaper “On Guard of the Motherland”. The name was coined in collaboration with members of the newspaper's editorial board. In 1940, a small brochure “Vasya Terkin at the Front” was published, which was considered a great reward among the soldiers.

The newspaper's readers liked the image of the Red Army soldier from the very beginning. Realizing this, Tvardovsky decided that this topic was promising and began to develop it.

From the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, being at the front as a war correspondent, he found himself in the hottest battles. He gets surrounded with soldiers, gets out of it, retreats and goes on the attack, experiencing first-hand everything that he would like to write about.

In the spring of 1942, Tvardovsky arrived in Moscow, where he wrote the first chapters “From the Author” and “At a Rest”, and they were immediately published in the newspaper “Krasnoarmeyskaya Pravda”.

Tvardovsky could not have imagined such an explosion of popularity even in his wildest dreams. The central publications “Pravda”, “Izvestia”, “Znamya” reprint excerpts from the poem. On the radio, texts are read by Orlov and Levitan. The artist Orest Vereisky creates illustrations that finally formulate the image of a fighter. Tvardovsky holds creative evenings in hospitals, and also meets with work teams in the rear, raising morale.

As always, what the common people liked did not receive the support of the party. Tvardovsky was criticized for pessimism, for not mentioning that the party is in charge of all accomplishments and achievements. In this regard, the author wanted to finish the poem in 1943, but grateful readers did not allow him to do this. Tvardovsky had to agree to censorship edits, in return he was awarded the Stalin Prize for his now immortal work. The poem was completed in March 1945 - it was then that the author wrote the chapter “In the Bath”.

Description of the work

The poem has 30 chapters, which can be roughly divided into 3 parts. In four chapters, Tvardovsky does not talk about the hero, but simply talks about the war, about how much ordinary Soviet men who stood up to defend their Motherland had to endure, and hints at the progress of work on the book. The role of these digressions cannot be downplayed - this is a dialogue between the author and the readers, which he conducts directly, even bypassing his hero.

There is no clear chronological sequence in the course of the story. Moreover, the author does not name specific battles and battles, however, individual battles and operations highlighted in the history of the Great Patriotic War are discernible in the poem: the retreat of Soviet troops, so common in 1941 and 1942, the battle of the Volga, and, of course, the capture Berlin.

There is no strict plot in the poem - and the author did not have the task of conveying the course of the war. The central chapter is “Crossing”. The main idea of ​​the work is clearly visible there - a military road. It is along this path that Terkin and his comrades move towards achieving their goal - complete victory over the Nazi invaders, and therefore, towards a new, better and free life.

Hero of the work

The main character is Vasily Terkin. A fictional character, cheerful, cheerful, straightforward, despite the difficult circumstances in which he lives during the war.

We observe Vasily in different situations - and everywhere we can note his positive qualities. Among his brothers-in-arms, he is the life of the party, a jokester who always finds an opportunity to joke and make others laugh. When he goes on the attack, he is an example for other fighters, showing his qualities such as resourcefulness, courage, and endurance. When he rests after a fight, he can sing, he plays the accordion, but at the same time he can answer quite harshly and with humor. When soldiers meet civilians, Vasily is all charm and modesty.

Courage and dignity, shown in all, even the most hopeless situations, are the main features that distinguish the main character of the work and form his image.

All the other characters in the poem are abstract - they don’t even have names. The brothers-in-arms, the general, the old man and the old woman - they all just play along, helping to reveal the image of the main character - Vasily Terkin.

Analysis of the work

Since Vasily Terkin does not have a real prototype, we can safely say that this is a kind of collective image that was created by the author, based on his real observations of soldiers.

The work has one distinctive feature that sets it apart from similar works of that time - the absence of an ideological principle. The poem contains no praise for the party or Comrade Stalin personally. This, according to the author, “would destroy the idea and figurative structure of the poem.”

The work uses two poetic meters: tetrameter and trimeter trochee. The first dimension occurs much more often, the second - only in certain chapters. The language of the poem became a kind of Tvardovsky card. Some moments that look like sayings and lines from funny songs, as they say, “went among the people” and began to be used in everyday speech. For example, the phrase “No, guys, I’m not proud, I agree to a medal” or “Soldiers surrender cities, generals take them from them” are used by many today.

It was on people like the main character of this poem in verse that all the hardships of the war fell. And only their human qualities - fortitude, optimism, humor, the ability to laugh at others and at themselves, in time to defuse a tense situation to the limit - helped them not only win, but also survive in this terrible and merciless war.

The poem is still alive and loved by the people. In 2015, the Russian Reporter magazine conducted sociological research into hundreds of the most popular poems in Russia. Lines from “Vasily Terkin” took 28th place, which suggests that the memory of the events of 70 years ago and the feat of those heroes is still alive in our memory.