Interesting facts from the life of famous writers of the past. Eccentricities of famous writers

There are many interesting facts associated with Russian poets and writers that shed light on this or that event. It seems to us that we know everything, or almost everything, about the lives of great writers, but there are pages unexplored!

So, for example, we learned that Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was the initiator of the fatal duel and did everything possible to make it happen - it was a matter of honor for the poet... And Leo Tolstoy, due to his passion for gambling lost his house. And we also know how the great Anton Pavlovich loved to call his wife in correspondence - “the crocodile of my soul”... Read about these and other facts of Russian geniuses in our selection of “the most interesting facts from the life of Russian poets and writers.”

Russian writers came up with many new words: substance, thermometer ( Lomonosov), industry ( Karamzin), bungling ( Saltykov-Shchedrin), fade away ( Dostoevsky), mediocrity ( Northerner), exhausted ( Khlebnikov).

Pushkin was not handsome, unlike his wife Natalya Goncharova, who, in addition to everything, was 10 cm taller than her husband. For this reason, when attending balls, Pushkin tried to stay away from his wife, so as not to once again draw the attention of others to this contrast.

During the period of courtship for your future wife Natalya Pushkin told his friends a lot about her and usually said: “I am delighted, I am fascinated, In short, I am enchanted!”

Korney Chukovsky- it is a nickname. Real name (according to available documents) of the most published in Russia children's writer- Nikolai Vasilievich Korneychukov. He was born in 1882 in Odessa out of wedlock, was recorded under his mother’s surname, and published his first article in 1901 under the pseudonym Korney Chukovsky.

Lev Tolstoy. In his youth, the future genius of Russian literature was quite passionate. Once upon a time in card game with his neighbor, the landowner Gorokhov, Leo Tolstoy lost the main building of the inherited estate - the estate Yasnaya Polyana. The neighbor dismantled the house and took it 35 miles away as a trophy. It is worth noting that this was not just a building - it was here that the writer was born and spent his childhood years, it was this house that he remembered warmly all his life and even wanted to buy it back, but for one reason or another he did not.

Famous Soviet writer And public figure burr, that is, did not pronounce the letters “r” and “l”. This happened in childhood when, while playing, he accidentally cut his tongue with a razor, and it became difficult for him to pronounce his name: Kirill. In 1934 he took the pseudonym Konstantin.

Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov were natives of Odessa, but met only in Moscow immediately before starting work on their first novel. Subsequently, the duo worked together so well that even Ilf’s daughter Alexandra, who is involved in popularizing the writers’ heritage, called herself the daughter of “Ilf and Petrov.”

Alexander Solzhenitsyn communicated more than once with Russian President Boris Yeltsin. So, for example, Yeltsin asked his opinion about Kuril Islands(Solzhenitsyn advised giving them to Japan). And in the mid-1990s, after Alexander Isaevich returned from emigration and restored his Russian citizenship, by order of Yeltsin, he was given the Sosnovka-2 state dacha in the Moscow region.

Chekhov sat down to write, dressed in full dress. Kuprin, on the contrary, he loved working completely naked.

When a Russian satirist-writer Arkady Averchenko during the First World War, he brought a story to one of the editors military theme, the censor deleted the phrase from it: “The sky was blue.” It turns out that from these words, enemy spies could guess that the matter was happening in the south.

The real name of the satirical writer Grigory Gorin There was Ofstein. When asked about the reason for choosing the pseudonym, Gorin replied that it was an abbreviation: “Grisha Ofshtein decided to change his nationality.”

Initially at the grave Gogol In the monastery cemetery there was a stone nicknamed Golgotha ​​because of its resemblance to Mount Jerusalem. When they decided to destroy the cemetery, during reburial in another place they decided to install a bust of Gogol on the grave. And that same stone was subsequently placed on Bulgakov’s grave by his wife. In this regard, the phrase is noteworthy Bulgakov, which he repeatedly addressed to Gogol during his lifetime: “Teacher, cover me with your overcoat.”

After the outbreak of World War II Marina Tsvetaeva They were sent for evacuation to the city of Elabuga, in Tatarstan. Boris Pasternak helped her pack her things. He brought a rope to tie up the suitcase, and, assuring of its strength, joked: “The rope will withstand everything, even if you hang yourself.” Subsequently, he was told that it was on her that Tsvetaeva hanged herself in Yelabuga.

The famous phrase “We all came out of Gogol’s overcoat,” which is used to express humanistic traditions Russian literature. The authorship of this expression is often attributed to Dostoevsky, but in fact the first person to say it was the French critic Eugene Vogüet, who discussed the origins of Dostoevsky’s work. Fyodor Mikhailovich himself cited this quote in a conversation with another French writer, who understood it as own words writer and published them in this light in his work.

As a remedy for a “big belly” A.P. Chekhov prescribed a milk diet to his obese patients. For a week, the unfortunate people had to eat nothing and extinguish attacks of hunger with hundred-gram doses of regular milk. Indeed, due to the fact that milk is quickly and well absorbed, a glass of the drink taken in the morning reduces appetite. So, without feeling hungry, you can hold out until lunch. This property of milk was used by Anton Pavlovich in his medical practice...

Dostoevsky made extensive use of the real topography of St. Petersburg in describing the places in his novel Crime and Punishment. As the writer admitted, he compiled a description of the yard in which Raskolnikov hides the things he stole from the pawnbroker’s apartment from personal experience- when one day, while walking around the city, Dostoevsky turned into a deserted courtyard to relieve himself.

Do you know what Pushkin received as a dowry for N.N. Goncharova bronze statue? Not the most convenient dowry! But still in mid-18th century century Afanasy Abramovich Goncharov was one of richest people Russia. The sailing fabric produced at his Linen Factory was purchased for the British Navy, and the paper was considered the best in Russia. People came to the Linen Plant for feasts, hunts, and performances. better society, and in 1775 Catherine herself visited here.

In memory of this event, the Goncharovs bought bronze statue Empress, cast in Berlin. The order was delivered already under Paul, when it was dangerous to honor Catherine. And then there was no longer enough money to install the monument - Afanasy Nikolaevich Goncharov, Natalia Nikolaevna’s grandfather, who inherited a huge fortune, left his grandchildren debts and a disorganized household. He came up with the idea of ​​giving the statue to his granddaughter as a dowry.

The poet's ordeal with this statue is reflected in his letters. Pushkin calls her “copper grandmother” and tries to sell her to the State mint for remelting (scrap non-ferrous metals!). In the end, the statue was sold to the foundry of Franz Bard, apparently after the poet's death.

The bard sold the long-suffering statue to the Ekaterinoslav nobility, who erected a monument to the founder of their city on the Cathedral Square of Ekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). But when she finally got to the city named after her, the “copper grandmother” continued to travel, changing 3 pedestals, and after the fascist occupation she disappeared completely. Has “grandmother” found peace, or continues her movements around the world?

Main plot immortal work N.V. Gogol’s “The Inspector General” was suggested to the author by A.S. Pushkin. These great classics were good friends. Once Alexander Sergeevich told Nikolai Vasilyevich an interesting fact from the life of the city of Ustyuzhna, Novgorod province. It was this incident that formed the basis of the work of Nikolai Gogol.

Throughout the time he was writing The Inspector General, Gogol often wrote to Pushkin about his work, told him what stage it was in, and also repeatedly announced that he wanted to quit it. However, Pushkin forbade him to do this, so “The Inspector General” was still completed.

By the way, Pushkin, who was present at the first reading of the play, was completely delighted with it.

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov in correspondence with his wife Olga Leonardovna, Knipper used standard compliments and kind words very unusual: “actress”, “dog”, “snake” and - feel the lyricism of the moment - “the crocodile of my soul”.

Alexander Griboyedov was not only a poet, but also a diplomat. In 1829, he died in Persia along with the entire diplomatic mission at the hands of religious fanatics. To atone for their guilt, the Persian delegation arrived in St. Petersburg with rich gifts, among which was the famous Shah diamond weighing 88.7 carats. Another purpose of the embassy's visit was to mitigate the indemnity imposed on Persia under the terms of the Turkmanchay Peace Treaty. Emperor Nicholas I went to meet the Persians halfway and said: “I consign the ill-fated Tehran incident to eternal oblivion!”

Lev Tolstoy was skeptical about his novels, including War and Peace. In 1871, he sent Fet a letter: “How happy I am... that I will never write verbose rubbish like “War” again.” An entry in his diary in 1908 reads: “People love me for those trifles - “War and Peace”, etc., which seem very important to them.”

The duel, in which Pushkin was mortally wounded, was not initiated by the poet. Pushkin sent a challenge to Dantes in November 1836, the impetus for which was the spread of anonymous lampoons exposing him as a cuckold. However, that duel was canceled thanks to the efforts of the poet’s friends and the proposal made by Dantes to Natalya Goncharova’s sister. But the conflict was not settled, the spread of jokes about Pushkin and his family continued, and then the poet sent Dantes’ adoptive father Heckern an extremely offensive letter in February 1837, knowing that this would entail a challenge from Dantes. And so it happened, and this duel became Pushkin’s last. By the way, Dantes was a relative of Pushkin. At the time of the duel, he was married to the sister of Pushkin’s wife, Ekaterina Goncharova.

Having fallen ill, Chekhov sent a messenger to the pharmacy for castor oil capsules. The pharmacist sent him two large capsules, which Chekhov returned with the inscription “I am not a horse!” Having received the writer’s autograph, the pharmacist happily replaced them with normal capsules.

Passion Ivan Krylov there was food. Before dinner at a party, Krylov read two or three fables. After the praise, he waited for lunch. With the ease of a young man, despite all his obesity, he went to the dining room as soon as it was announced: “Dinner is served.” The Kyrgyz footman Emelyan tied a napkin under Krylov’s chin, spread the second one on his knees and stood behind the chair.

Krylov ate a huge plate of pies, three plates of fish soup, huge veal chops - a couple of plates, a fried turkey, which he called “Firebird”, and also a pickle: Nezhin cucumbers, lingonberries, cloudberries, plums, eating Antonov apples, like plums, finally began to eat Strasbourg pate, freshly prepared from the freshest butter, truffles and goose livers. After eating several plates, Krylov drank kvass, after which he washed down his food with two glasses of coffee with cream, into which you stick a spoon - it stands.

Writer V.V. Veresaev recalled that all the pleasure, all the bliss of life for Krylov lay in food. At one time he received invitations to small dinners with the Empress, about which he later spoke very unflatteringly because of the meager portions of the dishes served to the table. At one of these dinners, Krylov sat down at the table and, without greeting the hostess, began to eat. The poet who was present Zhukovsky exclaimed in surprise: “Stop it, let the queen at least treat you.” “What if he doesn’t serve you?” answered Krylov, without looking up from his plate. At dinner parties he usually ate a dish of pies, three or four plates of fish soup, several chops, roast turkey and a few "trifles." Arriving home, I ate it all in a bowl. sauerkraut and black bread.

By the way, everyone believed that the fabulist Krylov died of volvulus due to overeating. In fact, he died from double pneumonia.

Gogol had a passion for handicrafts. I knitted scarves, cut out dresses for my sisters, wove belts, and sewed scarves for myself for the summer.

Did you know that the typical Russian name Svetlana is only 200 years old? Before it was invented in 1802 by A.Kh. Vostokov, such a name did not exist. It first appeared in his romance “Svetlana and Mstislav.” Then it was fashionable to call literary heroes pseudo-Russian names. This is how Dobrada, Priyata, Miloslava appeared - purely literary, not listed in the calendar. That’s why they didn’t call children that.

Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky took the name for the heroine of his ballad from Vostokov’s romance. "Svetlana" has become very popular work. In the 60s and 70s of the 19th century, “Svetlana” stepped into the people from the pages of books. But in church books there was no such name! Therefore, girls were baptized as Photinia, Faina, or Lukerya, from the Greek and Latin words, meaning light. Interestingly, this name is very common in other languages: Italian Chiara, German and French Clara and Claire, Italian Lucia, Celtic Fiona, Tajik Ravshana, ancient Greek Faina - all mean: light, bright. Poets simply filled a linguistic niche!

After October revolution a wave of new names swept over Russia. Svetlana was perceived as a patriotic, modern and understandable name. Even Stalin named his daughter that. And in 1943, this name finally made it into the calendar.

Another interesting fact: this name also had men's uniform-Svetlana and Svet. Demyan Poor Light named his son.

How many monuments to the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin are there in the world? The answer to this question is contained in the book of the Voronezh postcard collector Valery Kononov. All over the world there are them - 270 . No literary figure has ever been awarded so many monuments. The book contains illustrations of one hundred best monuments to the poet. Among them are monuments of the era Tsarist Russia and Soviet times, monuments erected abroad. Pushkin himself was never abroad, but there are monuments to him in Cuba, India, Finland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Spain, China, Chile and Norway. There are two monuments each in Hungary and Germany (in Weimar and Dusseldorf). In the USA, one was staged in 1941 in Jackson, New Jersey, the other in 1970 in Monroe, New York. V. Kononov drew one pattern: monuments to Pushkin are usually erected not in large squares, but in parks and squares.

I.A. Krylov in everyday life he was very unkempt. His disheveled, unkempt hair, stained, wrinkled shirts and other signs of sloppiness caused ridicule from his acquaintances. One day the fabulist was invited to a masquerade. - How should I dress to remain unrecognized? - he asked a lady he knew. “Wash yourself, comb your hair, and no one will recognize you,” she answered.

Seven years before death Gogol in his will he warned: “I bequeath my body not to be buried until obvious signs of decomposition appear.” They did not listen to the writer, and when the remains were reburied in 1931, a skeleton with a skull turned to one side was found in the coffin. According to other data, the skull was completely absent.

The duels were quite diverse both in weapons and in form. For example, few people know that there was such a interesting shape like a "quadruple duel". In this type of duel, their seconds fired after the opponents.

By the way, the most famous quadruple duel was over the ballerina Avdotya Istomina: the opponents Zavadovsky and Sheremetev had to shoot first, and the seconds Griboyedov and Yakubovich - second. That time, Yakubovich shot Griboyedov in the palm of his left hand. It was from this wound that it was later possible to identify the corpse of Griboyedov, who was killed by religious fanatics during the destruction of the Russian embassy in Tehran.

An example of the wit of a fabulist Krylova serves famous case V Summer Garden where he liked to walk. Once he met a group of young people there. One of this company decided to make fun of the writer’s physique: “Look what a cloud is coming!” Krylov heard, but was not embarrassed. He looked at the sky and added sarcastically: “It’s really going to rain. That’s why the frogs started croaking.”

Nikolay Karamzin belongs to a brief description of public life in Russia. When, during his trip to Europe, Russian emigrants asked Karamzin what was happening in his homeland, the writer answered with one word: “they are stealing.”

Leo Tolstoy the handwriting was terrible. Only his wife could understand everything that was written, who, according to literary researchers, rewrote his “War and Peace” several times. Perhaps Lev Nikolaevich simply wrote so quickly? The hypothesis is quite realistic, given the volume of his works.

Manuscripts Alexandra Pushkina always looked very beautiful. So beautiful that it is almost impossible to read the text. Vladimir Nabokov also had the most terrible handwriting, whose sketches and famous cards could only be read by his wife.

Sergei Yesenin had the most legible handwriting, for which his publishers thanked him more than once.

The source of the expression “No brainer” is a poem Mayakovsky(“It’s clear even to a no brainer - / This Petya was a bourgeois”). It became widespread first in the Strugatskys’ story “The Country of Crimson Clouds”, and then in Soviet boarding schools for gifted children. They recruited teenagers who had two years left to study (classes A, B, C, D, E) or one year (classes E, F, I). Students of the one-year stream were called “hedgehogs”. When they came to the boarding school, the two-year students were already ahead of them in the non-standard program, so at the beginning school year The expression “no brainer” was very relevant.

Determination of Agnia Barto. She was always determined: she saw the goal - and forward, without swaying or retreating. This trait of hers showed up everywhere, in every little detail. Once upon a time in torn Civil War Spain, where Barto went to the International Congress for the Defense of Culture in 1937, where she saw firsthand what fascism was (congress meetings were held in the besieged, burning Madrid), and just before the bombing she went to buy castanets. The sky howls, the walls of the store bounce, and the writer makes a purchase! But the castanets are real, Spanish - for Agnia, who danced beautifully, this was an important souvenir. Alexei Tolstoy later asked Barto sarcastically: had she bought a fan in that store to fan herself during the next raids?..

One day Fyodor Chaliapin introduced his friend to the guests - Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin.“Meet, friends, Alexander Kuprin - the most sensitive nose in Russia.” Contemporaries even joked that Kuprin had something “of a big beast.” For example, many ladies were very offended by the writer when he actually sniffed them like a dog.

And once, a certain French perfumer, having heard from Kuprin a clear layout of the components of his new fragrance, exclaimed: “Such a rare gift and you are just a writer!” Kuprin often admired his colleagues incredibly precise definitions. For example, in an argument with Bunin and Chekhov, he won with one phrase: “Young girls smell like watermelon and fresh milk. And the old women, here in the south, use wormwood, chamomile, dry cornflowers and incense.”

Anna Akhmatova I composed my first poem at the age of 11. After re-reading it “with a fresh mind,” the girl realized that she needed to improve her art of versification. Which is what I began to actively do.

However, Anna's father did not appreciate her efforts and considered it a waste of time. That's why I banned the use real name- Gorenko. Anna decided to choose her great-grandmother’s maiden name, Akhmatova, as her pseudonym.

Art created for children is a diverse and extensive part modern culture. Literature has been present in our lives since childhood, it is with its help that the concept of good and evil is laid down, the worldview and ideals are formed. Even in preschool and junior school age young readers can already appreciate the dynamics of poetry or beautiful fairy tales, and at an older age they begin to read thoughtfully, so the books need to be selected accordingly. Let's talk about Russian and foreign children's writers and their works.

Children's writers of the 19th-20th centuries and the development of children's literature

For the first time, books specifically for children in Rus' began to be written in the 17th century; in the 18th century, the formation of children's literature began: at that time such people as M. Lomonosov, N. Karamzin, A. Sumarokov and others lived and worked. The 19th century is the heyday of children's literature, " silver Age“, and we read many books by writers of that time to this day.

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)

The author of "Alice in Wonderland", "Alice Through the Looking Glass", "The Hunting of the Snark" was born in a small village in Cheshire (hence the name of his character - Cheshire Cat). The writer's real name is Charles Dodgson, he grew up in big family: Charles had 3 brothers and 7 sisters. He studied at college, became a professor of mathematics, and even received the rank of deacon. He really wanted to become an artist, he drew a lot, and loved to take photographs. As a boy he wrote stories, funny stories, loved the theater. If his friends had not persuaded Charles to rewrite his story on paper, Alice in Wonderland might not have seen the light of day, but still the book was published in 1865. Carroll's books are written in such an original and juicy tongue, that it is difficult to choose a suitable translation for some words: there are more than 10 versions of the translation of his works into Russian, and it’s up to the readers to choose which one to prefer.

Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002)

Astrid Eriksson (married Lindgren) grew up in a farmer's family, her childhood was spent in games, adventures and work on the farm. As soon as Astrid learned to read and write, she began to write various stories and the first poems.

The story "Pippi" Long stocking"Astrid composed it for her daughter when she was sick. Later, the stories “Mio, my Mio”, “Roni, the Robber’s Daughter”, a trilogy about detective Callie Blumkvist, a favorite triology of many, which tells the story of the cheerful and restless Carlson, were published.

Astrid's works are staged in many children's theaters around the world, and her books are adored by people of all ages. In 2002 it was approved literary prize in honor of Astrid Lindgren - she is awarded for her contribution to the development of literature for children.

Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940)

This is a Swedish writer, the first woman to receive Nobel Prize on literature. Selma was reluctant to remember her childhood: at the age of 3, the girl was paralyzed, she did not get out of bed, and her only consolation was fairy tales and stories told by her grandmother. At the age of 9, after treatment, the ability to move returned in Selma, and she began to dream of a career as a writer. She studied hard, received a doctorate, and became a member of the Swedish Academy.

In 1906, her book about the journey of little Nils on the back of Martin the goose was published, then the writer published the collection “Trolls and People,” which included fantastic legends, fairy tales and short stories, and she also wrote many novels for adults.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973)

This English writer cannot be called exclusively for children, since adults also read his books with delight. Author of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit: A Journey There and Back Again, creator amazing world Middle-earth, which is filmed on incredible films, born in Africa. When he was three years old, his mother, widowed at an early age, moved her two children to England. The boy was fond of painting, foreign languages ​​were easy for him, he even became interested in studying “dead” languages: Anglo-Saxon, Gothic and others. During the war, Tolkien, who went there as a volunteer, contracted typhus: it was in his delirium that he came up with the “Elvish language” that became business card many of his heroes. His works are immortal, they are extremely popular in our time.

Clive Lewis (1898-1963)

Irish and English writer, theologian and scientist. Clive Lewis and John Tolkien were friends, it was Lewis who was one of the first to hear about the world of Middle-earth, and Tolkien - about the beautiful Narnia. Clive was born in Ireland, but most lived his life in England. He released his first works under the pseudonym Clive Hamilton. In 1950-1955, his “Chronicles of Narnia” were first published, telling about the adventures of two brothers and two sisters in a mysterious and magical land. Clive Lewis traveled a lot, wrote poetry, loved to discuss various topics and was a comprehensive developed person. His works are loved by adults and children to this day.

Russian children's writers

Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky (1882-1969)

Real name - Nikolai Korneychukov is known for children's fairy tales and stories in verse and prose. He was born in St. Petersburg, for a long time lived in Nikolaev, Odessa, from childhood he firmly decided to become a writer, but when he arrived in St. Petersburg, he was faced with refusals from magazine editors. He became a member of a literary circle, a critic, and wrote poetry and stories. He was even arrested for his bold statements. During the war, Chukovsky was a war correspondent, editor of almanacs and magazines. He spoke foreign languages ​​and translated works foreign authors. Most famous works Chukovsky is “Cockroach”, “Fly Tsokotukha”, “Barmaley”, “Aibolit”, “Miracle Tree”, “Moidodyr” and others.

Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak (1887-1964)

Playwright, poet, translator, literary critic, talented author. It was in his translation that many first read Shakespeare's sonnets, Burns's poems, fairy tales different nations peace. Samuel's talent began to manifest itself in early childhood: the boy wrote poetry, had the ability to foreign languages. The poetry books of Marshak, who moved from Voronezh to Petrograd, were immediately used great success, and their peculiarity is the variety of genres: poems, ballads, sonnets, riddles, songs, sayings - he could do everything. He has been awarded many prizes, and his poems have been translated into dozens of languages. The most famous works are “Twelve Months”, “Luggage”, “The Tale of stupid mouse", "He's so absent-minded", "Mustache-striped" and others.

Agnia Lvovna Barto (1906-1981)

Agnia Barto was an exemplary student; already at school she began to write poetry and epigrams for the first time. Now many children are brought up on her poems; her light, rhythmic poems have been translated into many languages ​​of the world. Agnia was an active literary figure all her life, a member of the jury of the Andersen Competition. In 1976 she received the H.H. Andersen Prize. The most famous poems are “Bullfinch”, “Bullfinch”, “Tamara and I”, “Lyubochka”, “Bear”, “Man”, “I am growing” and others.

Sergei Vladimirovich Mikhalkov (1913-2009)

He can be considered a classic of Russian children's literature: writer, chairman of the Writers' Union of the RSFSR, talented poet, writer, fabulist, playwright. He is the author of two anthems: the USSR and Russian Federation. He devoted a lot of time to social activities, although at first he did not have a dream of becoming a writer: in his youth he was both a laborer and a member of a geological exploration expedition. We all remember such works as “Uncle Styopa is a policeman”, “What do you have”, “Song of Friends”, “The Three Little Pigs”, “Under New Year" and others.

Contemporary children's writers

Grigory Bentsionovich Oster

A children's writer, from whose works adults can learn a lot of interesting things. He was born in Odessa, served in the navy, his life is still very active: he is a presenter, a talented author, and a cartoon screenwriter. “Monkeys”, “A Kitten Named Woof”, “38 Parrots”, “Got Bitten” - all these cartoons were filmed according to his script, and “ Bad advice" is a book that has gained enormous popularity. By the way, an anthology of children’s literature was published in Canada: the books of most writers have a circulation of 300-400 thousand, and Auster’s “Bad Advice” sold 12 million copies!

Eduard Nikolaevich Uspensky

From childhood, Eduard Uspensky was a leader, participated in KVN, organized skit parties, and then he first tried his hand at being a writer, started later write plays for children's radio programs, children's theaters, dreamed of creating his own magazine for children. The writer became famous thanks to the cartoon “Gena the Crocodile and His Friends”; since then the long-eared symbol, Cheburashka, has settled in almost every home. We also still love the book and cartoon “Three from Prostokvashino”, “The Koloboks Are Investigating”, “Plasticine Crow”, “Baba Yaga Against!” and others.

JK Rowling

Speaking about modern children's writers, it is simply impossible not to remember the author of the series of books about Harry Potter, the boy wizard and his friends. It is the best-selling book series in history, and the films based on them have grossed huge amounts of money at the box office. Rowling went from obscurity and poverty to... worldwide fame. At first, not a single editor agreed to accept and publish a book about a wizard, believing that such a genre would be uninteresting to readers. Only the small publishing house Bloomsbury agreed - and it was right. Now Rowling continues to write, is involved in charity work and social activities, she is a realized author and a happy mother and wife.

Arkady Gaidar, Janusz Korczak, Lev Kassil, Mark Twain - all these are the names of famous children's writers whose works everyone has read. Their stories and stories are filled with kindness and humanity. What is known about the lives of these writers? Were they as kind and humane as their books?

There was little information about famous children's writers, especially domestic ones, in Soviet times. In anthologies and textbooks there were, of course, biographies of authors, but they were meager, stereotyped and often deceitful. A writer who created moralizing works for children could not have vices or weaknesses.

Today information about this or that famous person open. We can find out what a popular author was like in his personal life, what he loved, what he suffered from, how he spent last days life. The biography of the most famous children's writers today, of course, is not without fiction, but much more reliable than thirty or forty years ago.

Below are Interesting Facts from the lives of authors whose works are known to everyone. Or almost everyone. The names of famous children's writers are listed in alphabetical order.

Hans Christian Andersen

Perhaps this is the most famous children's writer. Who hasn't read Andersen's fairy tales? "The Snow Queen", "The Little Mermaid", "Thumbelina", "Wild Swans", "The Ugly Duckling" - everyone remembers the plot of these fairy tales.

Childhood famous writer passed in need. Andersen's father was a shoemaker, his mother was a shoemaker. The future storyteller was a very receptive and emotional child. Hans's mother appears to have been a kind and considerate woman. She sent her son to a charity school - one of the rare ones at that time educational institutions, in which physical punishment was not practiced. At the age of 14, Hans Christian Andersen went to Copenhagen. He dreamed of becoming famous. As you know, his dream came true.

Agniya Barto

A woman who wrote many poems for children experienced a terrible loss - the death of her own child. Agnia Barto was born in Moscow, in the intelligentsia Jewish family. Since childhood I studied in ballet school, graduated choreographic school. Maiden name poetess - Volova. She inherited "Barto" from her first husband, a poet and ornithologist. Son Garik died 4 days before Great Victory- May 5, 1945.

According to some information, Agnia Barto, although the author of kind children's poems, was not known for her kindness in life. She took Active participation in persecution of Chukovsky's daughter. Barto’s signature also appeared in a collective letter dedicated to one of Korney Ivanovich’s works, which the censors called “charlatan absurd nonsense.”

Arkady Gaidar

The works of this author were previously present in every home library. Typically short curriculum vitae contained in the introduction. However, the truth was not written about the famous children's writer. She was very unsightly.

Those born in the USSR remember such works as “The Blue Cup”, “Chuk and Gek”, “Timur and His Team”. Some of Gaidar's books were included in school curriculum, many of them were included in the summer reading list. However, Soviet readers knew nothing about the fact that the famous children's writer was a mentally unstable person and a murderer.

Arkady Gaidar began his military career at the age of fourteen. At seventeen he was already leading a regiment. At twenty he was accepted into a special purpose unit and sent to Khakassia. Here he had to find and destroy the white officers who acted under the leadership of Kolchak. Gaidar failed to do this, and therefore he became angry and began to execute ordinary, innocent people. Even active participants in the “Red Terror” were shocked by these actions. Gaidar was removed from office. He spent some time in a psychiatric hospital.

Amadeus Hoffman

What works come to mind first? in the name of this famous children's writer? The list of Hoffmann's books is quite extensive, the most famous are The Golden Pot, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, The Sandman, and Elixirs of Satan. Last piece, however, is not aimed at a children's audience.

Amadeus Hoffmann is the most famous German romantic writer. Several ballets have been created based on his works, and many films have been made. At the same time, Hoffmann, like many of his other colleagues, spent most of his life in poverty. All his attempts to make a living through literature led to poverty. Only in last years he managed to improve his financial situation thanks to receiving a small inheritance.

Lev Kassil

The famous Russian children's writer graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Moscow State University. As a third-year student, he suddenly experienced an inevitable craving for literary creativity. First of all, this was expressed in lengthy letters that Cassil regularly sent to his relatives. Each of his messages was about thirty pages long.

The younger brother took the letters to the local editorial office, where they were happily published, about which the author knew nothing for a long time. When did he become aware that his messages had some artistic value(otherwise they would not have been published in the newspaper), I decided to make money by writing literary works. The most famous book Lev Kassil - “Conduit and Shvambrania”.

Rudyard Kipling

The parents of the creator of The Jungle Book dreamed that their beloved son would become an officer. Rudyard himself was not against it military career. However, since childhood I suffered from myopia, and therefore had to take up literary creativity. Short stories Rudyard wrote while still at military school. Real writing career began after several trips to Asia and the USA as a correspondent.

Janusz Korczak

According to one of the Polish musicians who lived in Warsaw at the end thirties, the writer was amazingly noble man. For many years, Korczak was engaged in literary work, but during his lifetime he was not considered a prose writer of the first rank. The thing is that his work belonged to a rather specific area.

He wrote only for children and only about children. In his books one can see a deep knowledge of child psychology. But the main thing, perhaps, was not even how Korczak wrote, but how he lived. He devoted every minute to children. The teacher did not change this position even in last hours own life.

The writer organized several orphanages, collected donations, and hosted children's radio programs. In 1940, he ended up in the Warsaw ghetto along with his pupils. Korczak could have avoided death. He was pretty famous person and had the opportunity, with the help of his admirers, to hide on the “Aryan” side. But, of course, he didn't. In August 1942, about two hundred children were sent to Treblinka. Korczak chose to stay with his students and die in the gas chamber.

Lewis Carroll

The creator of the famous series of works about the adventures of Alice was born into the family of a priest. Lewis Carroll, in addition, had outstanding mathematical abilities. He received a bachelor's degree, then won a competition to give lectures at an English university. Even when he became a famous writer, he continued to publish scientific works under own name. Lewis Carroll's real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.

Mark Twain

The American prose writer, as you know, wrote not only for children. His work covers many genres. This is satire, philosophical fiction, and journalism. Mark Twain traveled a lot and spent most of his life working as a correspondent. The writer had an amazing sense of humor, while being a sensitive and romantic person. He fell in love with his future wife at first sight. Olivia became disabled after an injury she received in her youth. Twain took care of her until the end of her life.

Korney Chukovsky

The writer's childhood is known from the autobiographical book The Silver Coat of Arms. Chukovsky's mother was a servant in the house of a wealthy man named Emmanuel Levenson. From him she gave birth in 1882 year of the boy who subsequently became one of the best Soviet children's writers. The father decided to connect his life with a woman of his circle. The future poet and prose writer spent his childhood in Odessa. Here he studied for some time in a gymnasium, which he failed to graduate due to his low origin.

Real name writer - Nikolay Korneychukov. In his metric, like illegitimate, there was no middle name. He later took on a pseudonym and added a fictitious middle name. The writer had four children, three of whom he survived. He dedicated many of his poetic works to his daughter Murochka, who died at the age of 11.

And one more fact from the biography of Korney Chukovsky. His work was highly appreciated by critics and literary figures. He was a laureate State Prize. But like no one else he supported talented fellow writers who found themselves in disgrace, and therefore at the end of his life he acquired many ill-wishers.