Biography
When it comes to the writers with the character - those who have seen the world and have experienced a lot on personal experience, they usually remember foreign writers like Ernest Hamingway, Jack London, Reddiard Kipling and Henry Raider Haggard. But few remembers the Russian writer, the teacher and the traveler-traveler Boris Stepanovich Zhitkov, who his fellow in Peru Vitaly Valentinovich Bianki called the eternal Columbus.Childhood and youth
Boris was born on August 30, 1882. It happened in the city of Veliky Novgorod. The boy became the second child in the family - the first was the daughter of Vera. Father Boris - Stepan Vasilyevich - was a teacher in the Novgorod teacher's institute. According to the textbooks Stepan Vasilyevich, several generations of children studied arithmetic, algebra and geometry. The mother of the boy - Tatyana Pavlovna - was a popular pianist, a student of the Russian composer Anton Grigorievich Rubinstein.
Because of the Jewish roots behind Stepan Vasilyevich, people from state structures were intently observed. Therefore, when after the birth of the future writer, a conflict, Stepan Vasilyevich, decided to take the family to another place between the Allian-senior and local political figure. Riding a year in Russia, but so nowhere hooked up, the eldest residents will take the family in Odessa, where his brother and sister lived at that time.
In Odessa Stepan Vasilyevich is satisfied with the cashier-accountant for a paragas, and Tatyana Pavlovna becomes a private tutor on the keyboard game. The initial formation of faith and Boris get at home, and after they come to the gymnasium No. 5. In this educational institution and the acquaintance of the Zhitkov-Jr. with the future writer and the translator Kornie Chukovsky, as well as with Vladimir Evgenievich Zhabotinsky - the future founder of the Jewish Legion.
In 1901, Boris ends the gymnasium and enters the Imperial Novorossiysk University for the Department of Natural Sciences. As a student at the university, the Allows are first fond of the game on the violin, but later decides to exchange it in photography (unfortunately, not a single photo of Zhitkov has been preserved). Do not forget the guy and on physical development - already in the third year conquers prizes in sailing competitions.
The hyperactive nature and certainty in convictions lead Boris to the fact that during the Russian revolution of 1905, residents helps to cross the weapons for the sailors who have decided to arrange a riot. In 1906, Boris receives a diploma of the university. Due to the unstable position in the country, long can not find a job. As a result, on the advice of a friend decides to become a sailor. After several outlets in the sea, the guy gives exams on the navigator. In the role of the navigator of the sailing vessel makes hiking in Turkey and Bulgaria.
Literature
In the literature, Boris Zhitkov came pretty late. On the other hand, it is his stormy and eventful life with events has become the basis for many works of the author. In addition, the writer won the diary and regularly wrote his native letter, thus stuffing his hand in the writing craft. In 1909, it becomes the captain of the research vessel who participated in the ichthiological expedition on Yenisei.
Upon returning from the expedition, Boris submits documents to St. Petersburg Polytechnic University of Peter the Great to the shipbuilding department. In 1910, it goes to Denmark to pass practitioners with a metalworker. In 1912, it goes to its first world journey. In the course of the Armenia, the most of the Boris impressed the countries of Asia - India, Japan and China. In 1916 ends the university in the specialty of the shipbuilder engineer.
By the time of release from the Polytechnic University of Allows already served in the marine aviation. In 1916, Boris receives the rank of ensign on the aviation part, and a year later, the jogbook on Admiralty. In 1917, Loves leave the service and go to work in the specialty in the Odessa Seaport, where he worked until 1924. This year, the Allows moved to Petrograd.
For this there were two reasons: first, Boris was tired of sitting in one place - "kacheva" character made itself felt, secondly, the Allows of the "Evil Sea" manuscript decided to take himself into the publishing house. The editorial office appreciated the work, and published it in the same year. Since 1925, residents are satisfied with the teacher to local school, and spends all his free time to writing work. According to the estimates of Boris's biographers, they wrote 74 essays, 59 stories and stories, 7 novels and 14 articles.
Boris Stepanovich became famous mainly as a children's writer. It was for children that he wrote most of his works - in particular, the collections "What I saw", "what happened", "maritime stories" and "animal stories". The collection of animal stories, published in 1935, contained stories based on his impressions from the visit to India, "a street-free cat", "brave duckling", "about a monkey", "about an elephant", "about snake and Mongoose, "Galka" and "Wolf".
However, the work that the Allows put on the top of his work was the novel "Viktor Vavich", dedicated to the events of 1905. For a long time, the work was not published because it was banned. The version without bills was published only in 1999, thanks to the daughter of Kornea Chukovsky, Lydia, who discovered the manuscript in the archives of the Father.
It is worth noting that many of the novel "Viktor Vavich" were enthusiastic. By the number of those who had the work had to do, were writer Boris Pasternak, TV presenter of Avdota Smirnova and publicist Dmitry Bykov. Critics noted that if it were not for censorship, "Viktor Vavich" could take a place in the Russian classics between the "Tikhim Don" and "Dr. Zhivago". In 1988, when a fifty-year-old anniversary was celebrated since the death of the writer, the first meeting of his writings was published.
Personal life
About the personal life of Zhitkov knows little. A nomadic lifestyle did not allow the writer to start a normal family, so by the end of his days he lived a civil marriage with the faith of Mikhailovna Arnold (1896-1988), the daughter of the Director of the Belogorodsky School and the Soviet encrypter.
There were no children from the couple, but Boris had a nephew of Alesha - the son of an older sister. It was Alyosha who became a prototype of a character of stories from the collection "What I saw". However, there is evidence that Zhivkov has several children from a certain Felitzat Fedorovna Guseva - Son Nikolay and the daughter of Felicat. At least, so affirm some media.
Death
Back in 1937, Boris Stepanovich felt ailments. On the advice of a friend decided to try the medical starvation, but it only worsened his position. A book that sunswicked as "encyclopedia for four-year-old" intelligence "citizens", the writer ended, already dictated his wife. This book was later published under the name "What I saw."
Other my book - "Help is going" - dedicated to the technique that serves for the benefit of mankind, the writer did not have time to finish. Nevertheless, she was later published later called "Stories about the Technology". Boris Stepanovich died on August 19, 1938. He was buried in Moscow, on the sixth plot of the Vagankov cemetery.
Based on his works, the cartoons of the "buttons and men" were removed (the story "How I caught the little men"), "Why are the elephants?" (According to the story "About an elephant"), "Powding", as well as the films "Maritime Stories", "Angel Day" and "Storm on Sudche". The elements of the biography of Zhitkov were used in the poems of Samuel Marshak "Mail" (1927) and "Military Mail" (1943), as well as in the film "On a moment, look around" (1984).
Quotes Boris Zhitkov
- "It is impossible to be difficult to learn: it is necessary to learn to be joyfully, tremble and victorious."
- "This is worse than all - new pants. Do not go, and wear pants: look all the time, so that it is not drunk or else there. Name to play - Fear. From the house you go - talking these! And another mother runs out and screaming onto the entire staircase: "We will break - do not go home better!" Shame straight. Yes, you do not need these pants of yours! Because of them, here everything came out. "
- "He went to the city: Runs, the people fuss, the donkeys yell furiously, everyone shouts, they are thrown, as if the fire in the city is trampled. All Greeks are a slurry people. Some Turks are sitting in the shade. Who is hookah smoke, and who and straw sucks - waiting for fate. "
- "So where the cats from the city moved."
Bibliography
- 1924 - "Evil Sea"
- 1925 - "Sea Stories"
- 1931 - "Stone seal"
- 1935 - "Animal Stories"
- 1939 - "What I saw"
- 1940 - "Stories"
- 1941 - "Viktor Vavich"
- 1942 - "Stories about the Technology"