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

This literary hero is familiar to everyone. Even as a child, we learn about his incredible adventures.
He is often called the “father of lies.” Who else can lie so selflessly, while sincerely believing in their stories. It is not for nothing that the baron’s family coat of arms depicts an axe, ducks, a wheel, and under them the motto: “There is truth in lies.” The book about the adventures of Baron Munchausen was written two hundred years ago. Its author is Rudolf Erich Raspe. Do you know what he described? real personality
? Baron Munchausen really existed. And it’s easy to see this by visiting the small cozy town of Bodenwerder.
The city appeared in the 13th century on the banks of the Weser River. Ancient knightly castles rise on the tops of the coastal mountains.
But the biggest attraction of the town is the estate where the famous Baron Munchausen lived. But not the well-known literary hero, but the real, real Hieronymus Carl Friedrich Munchausen. He served as the prototype for the hero Raspe.
Hieronymus Munchausen was an avid hunter. He spent whole days in the saddle, chasing game.

In the evenings, after a successful hunt, neighbors, friends and acquaintances gathered at his estate to listen to stories about the incredible adventures that happened to the baron while hunting and traveling. The owner sat down in a chair, lit a pipe and, while drinking punch, told a story. And he did it masterfully. During the story, he was so carried away that his face transformed. Smoke flowed from the pipe in clouds, and a small wig bounced on his head. Imperceptibly, true events were mixed with invented ones, and truth with fiction. The Baron was distinguished by the gift of eloquence, lively humor, and knew how to give apt characterizations. His stories incredibly captivated his listeners. One day in the spring of 1773, a group of friends and visitors gathered in the baron’s living room. The owner was in a great mood after a successful hunt and told one story after another. Among the listeners was a guest in a red uniform. It was Rudolf Erich Raspe. He arrived in Bodenwerder to visit the ancient monastery. He was interested in manuscripts and ancient monuments. That's how they met - Raspe and Munchausen.: Munchausen riding a horse, the back of which, if you remember, was cut off during the battle. This museum is special. It is dedicated to the real-life Munchausen, who became famous thanks to his literary namesake. Inside the museum there is antique furniture, huge chandeliers made of deer antlers. The baron's hunting trophies and knight's armor are everywhere. There are paintings on the walls telling about episodes of Munchausen's life. A lot of books. The glass cabinet contains the Baron's famous pipe, his traveling chest and a cannonball. After visiting the museum, you will find out that young Munchausen actually visited Russia. He paraded around St. Petersburg in a red camisole, a red cloak and elk gloves. There he took part in fun adventures. The baron was most interested in horses and dogs, wolves, foxes and bears, of which there were many in Russia. As a seventeen-year-old cornet, he took part in the assault on Ochakov. Then I came to Riga. Many years later, our hero returned to his native Bodenwerder. On the family estate, the former cuirassier took up agriculture, managed the estate and hunted. And in the evenings he told stories full of boasts and inventions about his adventures.

"Munchausen" author

Author of "Munchausen" Rudolf Erich Raspe (1737-94), German writer, published The Adventures of Baron Munchausen anonymously in England in 1786. In the book, Baron Munchausen, the famous braggart and inventor, talks about his fabulous adventures and fantastic travels. The prototype of the hero is Baron K.F.I. Munchausen (1720-97), who served for some time in the Russian army.

"The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" summary

Summary of "Munchausen" reads in 10–15 minutes

A little old man with a big nose sits by the fireplace and talks about his incredible adventures, convincing listeners that these stories are pure truth.

While in Russia in winter, the baron fell asleep right in an open field, tying his horse to a small post. Waking up, M. saw that he was in the middle of the town, and the horse was tied to a cross on the bell tower - overnight the snow that had completely covered the city melted, and the small column turned out to be the snow-covered top of the bell tower. Having shot the bridle in half, the baron lowered his horse. Traveling no longer on horseback, but in a sleigh, the baron met a wolf. Out of fear, M. fell to the bottom of the sleigh and closed his eyes. The wolf jumped over the passenger and devoured the horse's hindquarters. Under the blows of the whip, the beast rushed forward, squeezed out the front of the horse and harnessed itself into the harness. Three hours later M. rode into St. Petersburg on a sleigh harnessed to a ferocious wolf.

Seeing a flock of wild ducks on the pond near the house, the baron rushed out of the house with a gun. M. hit his head on the door - sparks flew from his eyes. Having already taken aim at the duck, the baron realized that he had not taken the flint with him, but this did not stop him: he ignited the gunpowder with sparks from his own eye, hitting it with his fist. M. was not at a loss during another hunt, when he came across a lake full of ducks, when he no longer had bullets: the baron strung the ducks on a string, luring the birds with a piece of slippery lard. The duck “beads” took off and carried the hunter all the way to the house; Having broken the necks of a couple of ducks, the baron descended unharmed into the chimney of his own kitchen. The lack of bullets did not spoil the next hunt: M. loaded the gun with a ramrod and skewered 7 partridges on it with one shot, and the birds were immediately fried on a hot rod. In order not to spoil the skin of the magnificent fox, the baron shot at it with a long needle. Having pinned the animal to a tree, M. began to whip her with a whip so hard that the fox jumped out of his fur coat and ran away naked.

And after shooting at a pig walking through the forest with his son, the baron shot off the pig’s tail. The blind pig could not go further, having lost her guide (she was holding on to the tail of the cub, who led her along the paths); M. took hold of the tail and led the pig straight into his kitchen. Soon the boar also went there: after chasing M., the boar got its tusks stuck in a tree; the baron only had to tie him up and take him home. Another time, M. loaded the gun with a cherry pit, not wanting to miss the handsome deer - however, the animal still ran away. A year later, our hunter met the same deer, between whose antlers there was a magnificent cherry tree. Having killed the deer, M. received both the roast and the compote at once. When the wolf attacked him again, the baron thrust his fist deeper into the wolf's mouth and turned the predator inside out. The wolf fell dead; Its fur made an excellent jacket.

The mad dog bit the baron's fur coat; she also went crazy and tore all the clothes in the closet. Only after the shot did the fur coat allow itself to be tied up and hung in a separate closet.

Another wonderful animal was caught while hunting with a dog: M. chased the hare for 3 days before he was able to shoot it. It turned out that the animal has 8 legs (4 on its stomach and 4 on its back). After this chase the dog died. Grieving, the baron ordered a jacket to be sewn from her skin. The new thing turned out to be difficult: it senses prey and pulls towards a wolf or a hare, which it strives to kill with shooting buttons.

While in Lithuania, the baron curbed the mad horse. Wanting to show off in front of the ladies, M. flew into the dining room on it and carefully pranced on the table without breaking anything. For such grace, the baron received a horse as a gift. Perhaps, on this very horse, the baron burst into the Turkish fortress, when the Turks were already closing the gates - and cut off the back half of M’s horse. When the horse decided to drink water from the fountain, the liquid poured out of it. Having caught the back half in the meadow, the doctor sewed both parts together with laurel twigs, from which a gazebo soon grew. And in order to scout out the number of Turkish cannons, the baron jumped on a cannonball launched at their camp. The brave man returned to his friends on an oncoming cannonball. Having fallen into a swamp with his horse, M. risked drowning, but he grabbed the braid of his wig tightly and pulled them both out.

When the baron was captured by the Turks, he was appointed bee shepherd. While fighting off a bee from 2 bears, M. threw a silver hatchet at the robbers - so hard that he threw it onto the moon. The shepherd climbed to the moon along a long stalk of chickpeas grown right there and found his weapon on a pile of rotten straw. The sun dried out the peas, so they had to climb back down on a rope woven from rotten straw, periodically cutting it and tying it to its own end. But 3-4 miles before the Earth, the rope broke and M. fell, breaking through a large hole, from which he climbed out using steps dug out with his fingernails. And the bears got what they deserved: the baron caught the clubfoot on a shaft greased with honey, into which he hammered a nail behind the impaled bear. The Sultan laughed until he dropped at this idea.

Having set off home from captivity, M., on a narrow path, could not miss the oncoming crew. I had to take the carriage on my shoulders, and the horses under my arms, and in two passes I had to carry my belongings through another carriage. The baron's coachman diligently blew his horn, but could not blow out a single sound. At the hotel, the horn thawed and thawed sounds poured out of it.

When the baron was sailing off the coast of India, a hurricane tore out several thousand trees on the island and carried them to the clouds. When the storm ended, the trees fell into place and took root - all except one, from which two peasants were collecting cucumbers (the only food of the natives). The fat peasants tilted the tree and it fell on the king, crushing him. The inhabitants of the island were extremely happy and offered the crown to M., but he refused because he did not like cucumbers. After the storm, the ship arrived in Ceylon. While hunting with the governor's son, the traveler got lost and came across a huge lion. The baron started to run, but a crocodile had already crept up behind him. M. fell to the ground; The lion jumped on him and fell straight into the crocodile's mouth. The hunter cut off the lion's head and drove it so deep into the crocodile's mouth that he suffocated. The governor’s son could only congratulate his friend on his victory.

Then M. went to America. Along the way, the ship encountered an underwater rock. From a strong blow, one of the sailors flew into the sea, but grabbed the heron’s beak and stayed on the water until rescued, and the baron’s head fell into his own stomach (for several months he pulled it out of there by the hair). The rock turned out to be a whale that woke up and, in a fit of rage, dragged the ship by its anchor across the sea all day. On way back the crew found the body giant fish and cut off his head. In the hole of a rotten tooth, the sailors found their anchor along with the chain. Suddenly water rushed into the hole, but M. plugged the hole with his own butt and saved everyone from death.

Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy, the baron was swallowed by a fish - or rather, he himself shrank into a ball and rushed straight into the open mouth so as not to be torn to pieces. Because of his stomping and fuss, the fish screamed and stuck its muzzle out of the water. The sailors killed her with a harpoon and cut her with an ax, freeing the prisoner, who greeted them with a kind bow.

The ship was sailing to Turkey. The Sultan invited M. to dinner and entrusted him with business in Egypt. On the way there, M. met a small walker with weights on his legs, a man with sensitive hearing, an accurate hunter, a strong man and a hero, who turned the blades of a mill with air from his nostrils. The baron took these guys as his servants. A week later the baron returned to Turkey. During lunch, the Sultan took out a bottle especially for his dear guest good wine from a secret cabinet, but M. said that the Chinese Bogdykhan had better wine. To this the Sultan replied that if, as proof, the baron did not deliver a bottle of this very wine by 4 o’clock in the afternoon, the braggart’s head would be cut off. As a reward, M. demanded as much gold as 1 person could carry at a time. With the help of new servants, the baron obtained wine, and the strong man carried out all the Sultan's gold. With all sails set, M. hurried to go to sea.

The entire navy of the Sultan set off in pursuit. The servant with powerful nostrils sent the fleet back to the harbor, and drove his ship all the way to Italy. M. became a rich man, but a quiet life was not for him. The baron rushed to the war between the English and the Spaniards, and even made his way into the besieged English fortress of Gibraltar. On M.'s advice, the British pointed the muzzle of their cannon exactly towards the muzzle of the Spanish cannon, as a result of which the cannonballs collided and both flew towards the Spaniards, with the Spanish cannonball piercing the roof of one shack and getting stuck in the throat of an old woman. Her husband brought her a snuff of tobacco, she sneezed and the cannonball flew out. In gratitude for the practical advice, the general wanted to promote M. to colonel, but he refused. Disguised as a Spanish priest, the baron sneaked into the enemy camp and threw dadelko cannons from the shore and burned wooden vehicles. The Spanish army fled in horror, deciding that a countless horde of Englishmen had visited them at night.

Having settled in London, M. once fell asleep in the mouth of an old cannon, where he hid from the heat. But the gunner fired in honor of the victory over the Spaniards, and the baron hit his head in a haystack. For 3 months he stuck out of the haystack, losing consciousness. in the fall, when the workers were stirring up a haystack with a pitchfork, M. woke up, fell on the owner’s head and broke his neck, which everyone was happy about.

The famous traveler Finn invited the baron on an expedition to North Pole, where M. was attacked polar bear. The baron dodged and cut off 3 toes on the beast's hind leg, he released him and was shot. Several thousand bears surrounded the traveler, but he pulled on the skin of a dead bear and killed all the bears with a knife to the back of the head. The skins of the killed animals were torn off, and the carcasses were cut into hams.

In England, M. had already given up traveling, but his rich relative wanted to see the giants. In search of the giants, the expedition sailed across the Southern Ocean, but a storm lifted the ship beyond the clouds, where, after a long “voyage,” the ship moored to the Moon. The travelers were surrounded by huge monsters on three-headed eagles (radishes instead of weapons, fly agaric shields; the belly is like a suitcase, only 1 finger on the hand; the head can be removed, and the eyes can be removed and replaced; new residents grow on trees like nuts, and when they grow old, they melt into air).

And this voyage was not the last. On a half-broken Dutch ship, M. sailed on the sea, which suddenly turned white - it was milk. The ship moored to an island made of excellent Dutch cheese, on which even grape juice was milk, and the rivers were not only dairy, but also beer. Locals were three-legged, and the birds built huge nests. Travelers here were severely punished for lying, with which M. could not but agree, because he cannot stand lies. When his ship sailed, the trees bowed twice after him. Wandering the seas without a compass, sailors encountered various sea monsters. One fish, quenching its thirst, swallowed the ship. Her belly was literally full of ships; when the water subsided, M. and the captain went for a walk and met many sailors from all over the world. At the baron's suggestion, the two tallest masts were placed upright in the fish's mouth, so the ships could float out - and found themselves in the Caspian Sea. M. hurried ashore, declaring that he had had enough of adventures.

But as soon as M. got out of the boat, the bear attacked him. The Baron squeezed his front paws so hard that he roared in pain. M. held the clubfoot for 3 days and 3 nights, until he died of hunger, since he could not suck his paw. Since then, not a single bear has dared to attack the resourceful baron.

German literature

Baron Munchausen

Baron Munchausen is the main liar of world literature. Please note, not a liar, not a malicious deceiver, but a liar - “a talker, a teller, an amusing idle talker, a joker, a buffoon” * or “one who likes to tell absurd, absurd, etc. things, making them up as we go along." This is how young children usually tell “true” stories, having their own ideas about the world order and the place of man in nature and society. As we grow older, the gift of liar dissolves into knowledge. All that remains is to be surprised and admire those exceptional personalities, who, throwing aside philosophy, science and everyday knowledge, manages to lie to us so sincerely, so funny and captivatingly, stories that allow us to leave everyday life, at least for a short time, and plunge into the world of childish spontaneity.
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* V. Dahl. Dictionary. T.I.M.: State Publishing House " Fiction", 1935.
** Dictionary of the Russian language. T.I.M.: Russian language, 1985.

Such people included Rudolf Erich Raspe*, the creator of Baron Munchausen as literary hero. We'll talk about the prototype of the great liar later.
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* In Russian literature they also write Raspe - both spellings are correct.

Raspe was born in Hanover in 1737 into the impoverished family of a noble official*.
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* One of Raspe's ancestors was the Margrave of Thuringia, and Gerlach von Munchausen founded the famous University of Göttingen.

At the age of eighteen he entered the University of Göttingen, a year later he moved to the University of Leipzig, where he graduated, having studied the history of antiquity, archeology and geology. In those years, among friends and acquaintances, Raspe was known as a lively, cheerful person, who liked to joke, it was not for nothing that he was nicknamed Swift.
Having received a master's degree, he returned to Hanover, where in 1760 he entered the service in Royal Library. At that time, Hanover was part of the possession of the English royal house.
The variety of interests and breadth of knowledge allowed Raspa to enter into correspondence with many outstanding people of its time. Among them were I.I. Winkelman*, G.E. Lessing**, I.G. Herder***, B. Franklin**** and many others. Seven years later, Raspe was already widely known among scientists and literary circles Europe and America. By this time, his first works had been published - the poem “Spring Thoughts”, one act comedy“The Lost Peasant,” the novel “Hermin and Gunilda, a story from the times of chivalry, which happened in Schäferberg between Adelepsen and Uslar, accompanied by a prologue about the times of chivalry in the form of allegories.”
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* Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-1768) - an outstanding German historian ancient art, archaeologist; founder of the aesthetics of classicism, which revived public interest in culture Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
** Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781) - German philosopher-educator, writer, critic, founder of the national German theater.
*** Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-1803) - outstanding German cultural historian, founder historical understanding art, critic, poet.
**** Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) - American scientist, prominent statesman.

In 1766, a vacancy opened up in Kassel for a library keeper and professor at Charlemagne College. Landgrave * Frederick II (1720-1785) offered this court post to Rudolf Raspa, and he, having agreed, moved to Kassel - one of the most beautiful cities Germany. In addition to lectures at the college, Raspe's duties included putting in order the collection of antiquities collected by the Landgrave, which numbered 15 thousand valuable items.
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* Title of the sovereign prince in Germany.

Raspe rose to the rank of Privy Councilor and during this time published a number of valuable scientific works, thanks to which he became a member of the Royal Society of London, a member of the Netherlands Society of Sciences in Haarlem, a member of the German and historical institutions in Göttingen, honorary member of the Marburg Literary Society, secretary of the New Kassel Society of Agriculture and Applied Sciences.

However, court life required significant expenses. The frivolous Raspe got into huge debts. And then the unexpected happened - Frederick II set out to hit on the scientist’s young wife and sent him as ambassador to Venice. Raspa was not allowed to take his family with him. And then the jealous husband went on an adventure - he allegedly went to Venice, but in fact went to Berlin, and his wife and children joined him on the way. As soon as they learned about the deception in Kassel, an investigation immediately began. Immediately rumors spread that in order to replenish funds, Raspe stole valuable coins and gems from the collection of antiquities. Upon inspection, a large shortage was discovered. The investigation could not establish whether Raspe really stole the valuables, but since that time, for the third century, the theft has been invariably attributed to him. Even the return of the fugitive, who was immediately offered to return 5 thousand thalers to the treasury, did not help. And Raspe really went on the run.

Four days after the run, on November 19, 1775, he was arrested in Clausthalle. On the way back to Kassel, Raspe told the policeman accompanying him his story. At the end, he silently walked to the window into the garden, opened it wide and left the room.

For some time, Raspe disappeared from the field of view of biographers. He showed up in England and began making a living there by translating German books into English.

In 1781, the Berlin humorous almanac “Guide for Merry People” published sixteen anecdotes under common name"Stories of M-h-z-na." Two years later, “Two More Fables by M.” appeared in the same magazine.

The author of these stories is still debated to this day. There is even an opinion that Baron Munchausen himself wrote them, but most literary historians do not agree with this point of view. The magazine fell into the hands of Raspe, and in 1785 he published a small book with his author’s transcription of these stories - “Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of His Wonderful Travels and Campaigns in Russia.” The book became popular, but the author of the “Narrative” remained unknown - Raspe chose to publish it anonymously.

The writer's subsequent life was sad: lonely - Raspe's family remained in Germany - he rushed around England, trying to earn capital with his knowledge of geology. Once in Ireland, he fell ill with typhus there in 1794 and died. Raspe's grave has not survived.

In 1786-1788 poet G.A. Burger* translated Raspe's book into German, trying to make it a political satire. Although Bürger’s “The Adventures of Munchausen” was also published anonymously, until 1847 it was he who was considered their author, until the poet’s biographer Heinrich Doring spoke about the authorship of the forgotten Raspe.
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* Gottfried August Burger (1747-1794) - German poet, one of the exponents of the ideas of the Sturm and Drang movement; created a new one for German literature genre of serious ballad.

And now about the prototype of the great liar.

Baron Carl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchausen (1720-1797) belonged to one of the most distinguished aristocratic families in Germany. He was born in the small German town of Bodenwerder.

In his youth, the baron served at the court of Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick*, being a page of whom, in 1733, thirteen-year-old Munchausen came to Russia. It was then that the famous Field Marshal Minich** called the young man “neither fish nor fowl” due to his insignificance in all respects.
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* Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick (1714-1774) - father Russian Emperor Ivan VI Antonovich, deposed in infancy by the daughter of Peter I, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna; Generalissimo of the Russian Army; husband of the ruler Anna Leopoldovna, niece and heiress of the Empress Anna Ioannovna. From 1740, after the coup, he was in exile with his family until his death.
** Burchard-Christopher Minich (1683-1767) - count, field marshal, outstanding statesman of Russia.

In 1737, Munchausen left with the Russian army on a campaign against the Turks and took part in the siege of Ochakov. On the day of the decisive assault near Anton Ulrich, next to whom Munchausen was, a horse was killed, one of the duke's associates was seriously wounded, a page was killed, another was wounded.

During the coup d'etat of 1740, Munchausen went into the service of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. In 1744, as the chief of the guard, he participated in the meeting at the border of the bride of the heir to the Russian throne, Peter Petrovich, Princess Sophia of Zerbst ( future empress Catherine II) and her mother.

In 1750, Munchausen retired with the rank of captain, got married and returned to his homeland.

Then his life proceeded quietly and serenely. The baron was engaged in agriculture, managed the estate and indulged in his passion - hunting. And in the evenings he told random guests stories full of harmless boasting and fiction about his adventures in Russia.

But 1781 came, stories appeared in the “Guide for Merry People,” and everyone immediately recognized M-h-z-not as a noble baron. The poor fellow was only slightly upset at the time. But when in 1786 the anonymous German translation"Munchausen", dark times have come for the baron. Everyone laughed at him, declared him a liar and a braggart, his relatives said that the old man had disgraced all of them. ancient family... And Munchausen didn’t even have anyone to challenge to a duel in order to get satisfaction. So he died unavenged, but remained in eternity one of the most beloved literary heroes.

We have to admit that both Raspe and Burger tried to declare “The Adventures of Munchausen” a moralizing or even satirical book, following the example of Swift’s “Lemuel Gulliver’s Travels.” Thus, Raspe assured that the main idea of ​​his book is the punishment of lies, for with his stories about travels, campaigns and funny adventures, the baron denounces the art of lying and gives into the hands of everyone who finds himself in the company of inveterate braggarts, a means that he could use in any case. appropriate occasion. “The Punisher of Lies” is how the author defined the moral and educational meaning of his book.

In vain. And it is just as in vain that these days they are trying to squeeze out of “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” a far-fetched philosophy from hackneyed liberal cliches. The great liar Baron Munchausen is great and eternal in that with his very existence he gives each of us the bright world of childhood again.

Munchausen became the unique hero of numerous brilliant engravings by Gustave Doré. This is how we always remember his appearance.

Filmmakers have repeatedly filmed Raspe's book, but each time they tried to extract morality or, even worse, philosophy from it. So all the films were failures.

But it is necessary to note the wonderful Soviet animated series"The Adventures of Munchausen", which clearly reflected true essence great liar. The directors of the series A.I. Solin* and N.O. Lerner**, artist I.A. Wheat***.
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* Anatoly Ivanovich Solin (b. 1939) - Soviet and Russian animator director and artist. His works “Notes of a Pirate”, “The Adventures of Pig Funtik”, “The Magnificent Gosha”, etc. are widely known.
** Nathan Oziasovich Lerner (1932-1993) - Soviet animator director. The author of such famous cartoons as “Muk-Skorokhod” (based on the fairy tale by V. Gauff), “Plyukh and Plikh” (based on D. Kharms), “The Stolen Sun” (based on the fairy tale by K. Chukovsky), etc.
*** Inna Aleksandrovna Pshenichnaya (b. 1945) - Soviet and Russian animator and artist. Spouse A.I. Solina, together with whom she has produced a number of famous Russian cartoons since 1969.

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

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

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

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

Later years

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

The appearance of a fairy tale

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

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

Prototype

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

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

Last years and death

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

Report from the company commander Munchhausen to the regimental chancellery (written by a clerk, hand-signed Lieutenant v. Munchhausen). 02/26/1741

Munchausen's wedding. Latvian postcard. In the background is the church in Pernigel (Lielupe) near Riga, where Munchausen actually got married.

Carl Friedrich Hieronymus Baron von Munchausen(German) , May 11, Bodenwerder - February 22, ibid.) - German Freiherr (baron), descendant of the ancient Lower Saxon family of Munchausens, captain of the Russian service, historical figure and literary character. The name Munchausen has become a household name as a designation for a person who tells incredible stories.

Biography

Youth

Karl Friedrich Hieronymus was the fifth of eight children in the family of Colonel Otto von Munchausen. The father died when the boy was 4 years old, and he was raised by his mother’s sister, Aderkas, who was taken as governess to Anna Leopoldovna. The mother died three days after giving birth. In 1735, 15-year-old Munchausen entered the service of the sovereign Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Ferdinand Albrecht II as a page.

Service in Russia

Return to Germany

Having received the rank of captain, Munchausen took a year's leave “to correct extreme and necessary needs” (specifically, to divide the family estates with his brothers) and left for Bodenwerder, which he got during the division (). He extended his leave twice and finally submitted his resignation to the Military College, with the assignment of the rank of lieutenant colonel for blameless service; received an answer that the petition should be submitted on the spot, but he never went to Russia, as a result of which in 1754 he was expelled as having left the service without permission. Munchausen for some time did not give up hope of achieving a lucrative retirement (which, in addition to a prestigious rank, gave him the right to a pension), as evidenced by his petition to the Military Collegium cousin- Chancellor of the Principality of Hanover Baron Gerlach Adolf Munchausen; however, this had no results, and until the end of his life he signed as a captain in the Russian service. This title turned out to be useful to him during the Seven Years' War, when Bodenwerder was occupied by the French: the position of an officer in the army allied with France spared Munchausen from standing and other hardships associated with the occupation.

Life in Bodenwerder

From 1752 until his death, Munchausen lived in Bodenwerder, communicating mainly with his neighbors, to whom he told amazing stories about his hunting adventures and adventures in Russia. Such stories usually took place in a hunting pavilion built by Munchausen and hung with the heads of wild animals and known as the “pavilion of lies”; others favorite place for Munchausen's stories there was an inn at the King of Prussia Hotel in nearby Göttingen. One of Munchausen’s listeners described his stories this way:

The baron's stories (such subjects that undoubtedly belonged to him as the entry into St. Petersburg on a wolf harnessed to a sleigh, a horse cut in half in Ochakovo, a horse in a bell tower, fur coats gone wild, or a cherry tree growing on a deer's head) spread widely throughout the surrounding area and even penetrated in print, but maintaining decent anonymity. For the first time, three plots of Munchausen (anonymous, but knowledgeable people it was well known who their author was) appear in the book “Der Sonderling” by Count Rox Friedrich Linard (). In 1781, a collection of such stories (16 stories, including scenes from Linar, also some “wandering” stories) was published in the Berlin almanac “Guide for Merry People”, indicating that they belonged to Mr. M-g-, famous for his wit. z-well, living in G-re (Hannover); in 1783, two more stories of this kind were published in the same almanac (it is unclear whether the baron himself played a role in their publication). However, the publication of Raspe's book, or, more precisely, its German version of Burger, published in 1786 near the baron, in Göttingen, infuriated the baron due to the fact that the hero was supplied with his full name. The Baron considered his name dishonored and was going to sue Burger (according to other sources, he did, but was refused on the grounds that the book was a translation of an English anonymous publication). In addition, Raspe-Bürger’s work immediately gained such popularity that onlookers began to flock to Bodenwerder to look at the “liar baron,” and Munchausen had to station servants around the house to ward off the curious.

Last years

Munchausen's last years were overshadowed by family troubles. His wife Jacobina died in 1790. 4 years later, Munchausen married 17-year-old Bernardine von Brun, who led an extremely wasteful and frivolous lifestyle and soon gave birth to a daughter, whom 75-year-old Munchausen did not recognize, considering the father of the clerk Huden. Munchausen started a scandalous and expensive divorce case, as a result of which he went bankrupt and his wife fled abroad. This sapped Munchausen's strength, and he died shortly afterwards in poverty from apoplexy. Before his death, he made his last characteristic joke: when asked by the only maid caring for him how he lost two toes (frostbitten in Russia), Munchausen replied: “They were bitten off by a polar bear while hunting.”

Carl Friedrich Munchausen
German Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Freiherr von Münchhausen
Illustration by Gustave Doré
Creator:	R. E. Raspe
Works:	"Stories of Baron Munchausen about his amazing travels and campaigns in Russia"
Role played by:	Yuri Sarantsev; Oleg Yankovsky

Munchausen - literary character

The literary Baron Munchausen became a well-known character in Russia thanks to K. I. Chukovsky, who adapted the book by E. Raspe for children. K. Chukovsky translated the baron's surname from English “Münchausen” into Russian as “Munhausen”. On German it is written "Münchhausen" and is transliterated into Russian as "Munchausen". Many foreign and Russian authors, both in the past and present, complementing the formed image (character) with new features and adventures. The image of Baron Munchausen received the most significant development in Russian - Soviet cinema, in the film “That Same Munchausen”, where the scriptwriter Grigory Gorin gave the baron bright romantic traits character, while distorting some facts of the personal life of Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchausen. In the cartoon "The Adventures of Munchausen" the baron is endowed with classic features, bright and magnificent.

Evgeny Vishnev wrote and in 1990 published a fantasy story “The Herd of Star Dragons”, preserving Raspe’s style of presentation, where a distant descendant of Baron Munchausen acts (in the distant future, in space). Vishnev’s character is also an amateur astronomer, and he names the comet he discovered after his ancestor.

In 2005, the book by Nagovo-Munchausen V. “The Adventures of the Childhood and Youth of Baron Munchausen” (“Munchhausens Jugend- und Kindheitsаbenteuer”) was published in Russia, which became the first book in world literature about the childhood and youthful adventures of Baron Munchausen, from the birth of the baron to his departure to Russia.

Appearance of real and literary Munchausen

The only portrait of Munchausen by G. Bruckner (), depicting him in the uniform of a cuirassier, was destroyed during the Second World War. Photographs of this portrait and descriptions give an idea of ​​Munchausen as a man of a strong and proportionate physique, with a round, regular face (physical strength was a hereditary quality in the family: Munchausen’s nephew Philip could put three fingers into the muzzles of three guns and raise them). The mother of Catherine II especially notes in her diary the “beauty” of the commander of the honor guard. The visual image of Munchausen as a literary hero represents a wizened old man with a dashingly curled mustache and a goatee. This image was created by illustrations by Gustave Doré (). It is curious that, by giving his hero a beard, Doré (generally very accurate in historical details) allowed an obvious anachronism, since in the 18th century they did not wear beards. However, it was during Doré's time that goatees were reintroduced into fashion by Napoleon III. This gives rise to the assumption that the famous “bust” of Munchausen, with the motto “Mendace veritas” (Latin: “Truth in lies”) and the image of three ducks on the “coat of arms” (cf. three bees on the Bonaparte coat of arms), had a political meaning that was understandable to contemporaries subtext of the caricature of the emperor (see portrait of Napoleon III).

Film adaptations

Musicals

The world's second monument to Baron Munchausen was erected in 1970 in the USSR, the city of Khmelnitsky, Ukraine. The authors of the sculpture - M. Andreychuk and G. Mamona - captured an episode from the baron's story, in which Munchausen was forced to ride half a horse.

Categories:

• Personalities in alphabetical order
• Born on May 11
• Born in 1720
• Born in Lower Saxony
• Deaths on February 22
• Died in 1797
• Died in Lower Saxony
• Characters in alphabetical order
• Munchausenian
• Nobles of Germany
• History of the 18th century
• Prototypes of literary characters
• Characters of the Famous Captains Club

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