1
Good Doctor Aibolit!
He is sitting under a tree.
Come to him for treatment
And the cow and the she-wolf,
And the bug and the worm,
And a bear!
He will heal everyone, he will heal everyone
Good Doctor Aibolit!
2
And the fox came to Aibolit:
“Oh, I was bitten by a wasp!”
And the watchdog came to Aibolit:
“A chicken pecked me on the nose!”
Do you remember, Murochka, at the dacha
In our hot puddle
The tadpoles danced
The tadpoles splashed
The tadpoles dived
They played around and tumbled.
And the old toad
Like a woman
I was sitting on a hummock,
Knitted stockings
And she said in a deep voice:
- Sleep!
- Oh, grandma, dear grandma,
Let us play some more.
Part one.JOURNEY TO THE COUNTRY OF MONKEYS
Once upon a time there lived a doctor. He was kind. His name was Aibolit. And he had an evil sister, whose name was Varvara.
More than anything in the world, the doctor loved animals. Hares lived in his room. There was a squirrel living in his closet. A prickly hedgehog lived on the sofa. White mice lived in the chest.
Works are divided into pagesKorney Ivanovich Chukovsky(1882-1969) - Soviet storyteller, poet, literary critic, translator, gained greatest fame primarily for children's fairy tales V poetry.
Poems by Korney Chukovsky left an indelible impression on everyone who had the pleasure of them read. Adults and children instantly became devoted fans of the talent Chukovsky for a long time. Tales of Korney Chukovsky They teach virtue, friendship, and remain in the memory of people of all ages for a long time.
On our website you can find online read Chukovsky's fairy tales, and enjoy them absolutely for free.
Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky(1882-1969) - Russian and Soviet poet, critic, literary critic, translator, publicist, known primarily for children's fairy tales in verse and prose. One of the first Russian researchers of the phenomenon of mass culture. Readers are best known as a children's poet. Father of writers Nikolai Korneevich Chukovsky and Lydia Korneevna Chukovskaya.
Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky(1882-1969). Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky (Nikolai Ivanovich Korneychukov) was born on March 31 (old style, 19) March 1882 in St. Petersburg.
His birth certificate included his mother’s name – Ekaterina Osipovna Korneychukova; Next came the entry “illegitimate.”
The father, St. Petersburg student Emmanuel Levenson, in whose family Chukovsky’s mother was a servant, three years after Kolya’s birth, left her, his son and daughter Marusya. They moved south, to Odessa, and lived very poorly.
Nikolai studied at the Odessa gymnasium. At the Odessa gymnasium, he met and became friends with Boris Zhitkov, in the future also a famous children's writer. Chukovsky often went to Zhitkov’s house, where he used the rich library collected by Boris’s parents. From the fifth grade of the gymnasium Chukovsky was excluded when, by a special decree (known as the “decree on cooks’ children”), educational institutions were exempted from children of “low” origin.
The mother's earnings were so meager that they were barely enough to somehow make ends meet. But the young man did not give up, he studied independently and passed the exams, receiving a matriculation certificate.
Be interested in poetry Chukovsky I started from an early age: I wrote poems and even poems. And in 1901 his first article appeared in the Odessa News newspaper. He wrote articles on a variety of topics - from philosophy to feuilletons. In addition, the future children's poet kept a diary, which was his friend throughout his life.
From my youth Chukovsky led a working life, read a lot, independently studied English and French. In 1903, Korney Ivanovich went to St. Petersburg with the firm intention of becoming a writer. He visited magazine editorial offices and offered his works, but was refused everywhere. This did not stop Chukovsky. He met many writers, got used to life in St. Petersburg and finally found a job - he became a correspondent for the Odessa News newspaper, where he sent his materials from St. Petersburg. Finally, life rewarded him for his inexhaustible optimism and faith in his abilities. He was sent by Odessa News to London, where he improved his English.
In 1903, he married a twenty-three-year-old Odessa woman, the daughter of an accountant at a private firm, Maria Borisovna Goldfeld. The marriage was unique and happy. Of the four children born into their family (Nikolai, Lydia, Boris and Maria), only the eldest two lived a long life - Nikolai and Lydia, who themselves later became writers. The youngest daughter Masha died in childhood from tuberculosis. Son Boris died in the war in 1941; another son Nikolai also fought and took part in the defense of Leningrad. Lydia Chukovskaya (born in 1907) lived a long and difficult life, was subjected to repression, and survived the execution of her husband, the outstanding physicist Matvey Bronstein.
In England Chukovsky travels with his wife, Maria Borisovna. Here the future writer spent a year and a half, sending his articles and notes to Russia, as well as almost daily visiting the free reading room of the British Museum library, where he voraciously read English writers, historians, philosophers, publicists, those who helped him develop his own style, which he later called "paradoxical and witty." He meets
Arthur Conan Doyle, Herbert Wells, and other English writers.
In 1904 Chukovsky returned to Russia and became a literary critic, publishing his articles in St. Petersburg magazines and newspapers. At the end of 1905, he organized (with a subsidy from L.V. Sobinov) a weekly magazine of political satire, Signal. He was even arrested for his bold cartoons and anti-government poems. And in 1906 he became a permanent contributor to the magazine “Scales”. By this time he was already familiar with A. Blok, L. Andreev, A. Kuprin and other figures of literature and art. Later, Chukovsky resurrected the living features of many cultural figures in his memoirs (“Repin. Gorky. Mayakovsky. Bryusov. Memoirs,” 1940; “From Memoirs,” 1959; “Contemporaries,” 1962). And nothing seemed to foreshadow that Chukovsky would become a children's writer. In 1908, he published essays on modern writers “From Chekhov to the Present Day,” and in 1914, “Faces and Masks.”
Gradually the name Chukovsky becomes widely known. His sharp critical articles and essays were published in periodicals, and subsequently compiled into the books “From Chekhov to the Present Day” (1908), “Critical Stories” (1911), “Faces and Masks” (1914), “Futurists” (1922).
In 1906, Korney Ivanovich arrived in the Finnish town of Kuokkala, where he became close acquaintances with the artist Repin and the writer Korolenko. The writer also maintained contacts with N.N. Evreinov, L.N. Andreev, A.I. Kuprin, V.V. Mayakovsky. All of them subsequently became characters in his memoirs and essays, and the home handwritten almanac of Chukokkala, in which dozens of celebrities left their creative autographs - from Repin to A.I. Solzhenitsyn, - over time turned into an invaluable cultural monument. Here he lived for about 10 years. From the combination of the words Chukovsky and Kuokkala, “Chukokkala” (invented by Repin) is formed - the name of the handwritten humorous almanac that Korney Ivanovich kept until the last days of his life.
In 1907 Chukovsky published translations of Walt Whitman. The book became popular, which increased Chukovsky's fame in the literary community. Chukovsky becomes an influential critic, trashes pulp literature (articles about A. Verbitskaya, L. Charskaya, the book “Nat Pinkerton and Modern Literature”, etc.) Chukovsky’s sharp articles were published in periodicals, and then he compiled the books “From Chekhov to the Present Day” (1908 ), “Critical Stories” (1911), “Faces and Masks” (1914), “Futurists” (1922), etc. Chukovsky is the first researcher of “mass culture” in Russia. Chukovsky's creative interests constantly expanded, his work acquired an increasingly universal, encyclopedic character over time.
The family lived in Kuokkala until 1917. They already had three children - Nikolai, Lydia (later both became famous writers, and Lydia - also a famous human rights activist) and Boris (died at the front in the first months of the Great Patriotic War). In 1920, already in St. Petersburg, a daughter, Maria (Mura - she was the “heroine” of many of Chukovsky’s children’s poems) was born, who died in 1931 from tuberculosis.
In 1916, at the invitation of Gorky Chukovsky Heads the children's department of the Parus publishing house. Then he himself began to write poetry for children, and then prose. Poetic tales " Crocodile"(1916), " Moidodyr" And " cockroach"(1923), " Fly Tsokotukha"(1924), " Barmaley"(1925), " Telephone"(1926)" Aibolit"(1929) - remain a favorite reading for several generations of children. However, in the 20s and 30s. they were harshly criticized for “lack of ideas” and “formalism”; There was even the term “Chukovism”.
In 1916 Chukovsky became a war correspondent for the newspaper Rech in Great Britain, France, and Belgium. Returning to Petrograd in 1917, Chukovsky received an offer from M. Gorky to become the head of the children's department of the Parus publishing house. Then he began to pay attention to the speech and speech of small children and record them. He kept such records until the end of his life. From them the famous book “From Two to Five” was born, which was first published in 1928 under the title “Little Children. Children's language. Ekikiki. Silly absurdities" and only in the 3rd edition the book received the title "From two to five." The book was reprinted 21 times and was replenished with each new edition.
And after many years Chukovsky again acted as a linguist - he wrote a book about the Russian language, “Alive as Life” (1962), where he attacked bureaucratic cliches and “bureaucracy” with evil and wit.
In general, in the 10s - 20s. Chukovsky dealt with many topics that one way or another found continuation in his further literary activity. It was then (on Korolenko’s advice) that he turned to Nekrasov’s work and published several books about him. Through his efforts, the first Soviet collection of Nekrasov’s poems with scientific commentary was published (1926). And the result of many years of research work was the book “Nekrasov’s Mastery” (1952), for which the author received the Lenin Prize in 1962.
In 1916 Chukovsky became a war correspondent for the newspaper Rech in Great Britain, France, and Belgium. Returning to Petrograd in 1917, Chukovsky received an offer from M. Gorky to become the head of the children's department of the Parus publishing house. Then he began to pay attention to the speech and speech of small children and record them. He kept such records until the end of his life. From them the famous book “From Two to Five” was born, which was first published in 1928 under the title “Little Children. Children's language. Ekikiki. Silly absurdities" and only in the 3rd edition the book received the title "From two to five." The book was reprinted 21 times and was replenished with each new edition.
Back in 1919, the first work was published Chukovsky on the craft of translation - “Principles of Literary Translation”. This problem always remained the focus of his attention - evidence of this in the books “The Art of Translation” (1930, 1936), “High Art” (1941, 1968). He himself was one of the best translators - he opened Whitman (to whom he also devoted the study “My Whitman”), Kipling, and Wilde to the Russian reader. He translated Shakespeare, Chesterton, Mark Twain, O Henry, Arthur Conan Doyle, retold Robinson Crusoe, Baron Munchausen, many biblical stories and Greek myths for children.
Chukovsky He also studied Russian literature of the 1860s, the works of Shevchenko, Chekhov, and Blok. In the last years of his life, he published essays about Zoshchenko, Zhitkov, Akhmatova, Pasternak and many others.
In 1957 Chukovsky was awarded the academic degree of Doctor of Philology, and then, on his 75th birthday, he was awarded the Order of Lenin. And in 1962 he received an honorary doctorate of literature from Oxford University.
The complexity of Chukovsky’s life - on the one hand, a famous and recognized Soviet writer, on the other - a man who has not forgiven the authorities for much, who does not accept much, who is forced to hide his views, who is constantly worried about his “dissident” daughter - all this was revealed to the reader only after the publication of his diaries writer, where dozens of pages were torn out, and not a word was said about some years (like 1938).
In 1958 Chukovsky turned out to be the only Soviet writer to congratulate Boris Pasternak on being awarded the Nobel Prize; after this seditious visit to his neighbor in Peredelkino, he was forced to write a humiliating explanation.
In the 1960s K. Chukovsky I also started retelling the Bible for children. He attracted writers and literary figures to this project, and carefully edited their work. The project itself was very difficult, due to the anti-religious position of the Soviet government. The book entitled “The Tower of Babel and Other Ancient Legends” was published by the Children's Literature publishing house in 1968. However, the entire circulation was destroyed by the authorities. The first book publication available to the reader took place in 1990.
Korney Ivanovich was one of the first who discovered Solzhenitsyn, the first in the world to write an admiring review of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, gave the writer shelter when he found himself in disgrace, and was proud of his friendship with him.
Long years Chukovsky lived in the writers' village of Peredelkino near Moscow. Here he often met with children. Now there is a museum in Chukovsky’s house, the opening of which was also associated with great difficulties.
In the post-war years Chukovsky often met with children in Peredelkino, where he built a country house, and wrote essays about Zoshchenko, Zhitkov, Akhmatova, Pasternak and many others. There he gathered up to one and a half thousand children around him and organized “Hello, Summer!” holidays for them. and “Goodbye summer!”
Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky died on October 28, 1969 from viral hepatitis. At his dacha in Peredelkino (Moscow region), where he lived most of his life, his museum now operates there.
"Children's" poet Chukovsky
In 1916 Chukovsky compiled a collection for children “Yolka”. In 1917, M. Gorky invited him to head the children's department of the Parus publishing house. Then he began to pay attention to the speech of small children and record them. From these observations was born the book From Two to Five (first published in 1928), which is a linguistic study of children's language and the characteristics of children's thinking.
The first children's poem " Crocodile"(1916) was born by chance. Korney Ivanovich and his little son were traveling on the train. The boy was sick and, in order to distract him from his suffering, Korney Ivanovich began to rhyme lines to the sound of wheels.
This poem was followed by other works for children: “ cockroach"(1922), " Moidodyr"(1922), " Fly Tsokotukha"(1923), " Miracle tree"(1924), " Barmaley"(1925), " Telephone"(1926), " Fedorino grief"(1926), " Aibolit"(1929), " Stolen sun"(1945), " Bibigon"(1945), " Thanks to Aibolit"(1955), " Fly in the bath"(1969)
It was fairy tales for children that became the reason for what began in the 30s. bullying Chukovsky, the so-called fight against “Chukovism” initiated by N.K. Krupskaya. In 1929 he was forced to publicly renounce his fairy tales. Chukovsky was depressed by the event and could not write for a long time after that. By his own admission, from that time on he turned from an author to an editor.
For children of primary school age Chukovsky retold the ancient Greek myth of Perseus, translated English folk songs (“ Barabek», « Jenny», « Kotausi and Mausi" and etc.). In Chukovsky’s retelling, children became acquainted with “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” by E. Raspe, “Robinson Crusoe” by D. Defoe, and “The Little Rag” by the little-known J. Greenwood; For children, Chukovsky translated Kipling's fairy tales and the works of Mark Twain. Children in Chukovsky's life truly became a source of strength and inspiration. In his house in the village of Peredelkino near Moscow, where he finally moved in the 1950s, up to one and a half thousand children often gathered. Chukovsky organized the “Hello, Summer” and “Farewell, Summer” holidays for them. Having communicated a lot with children, Chukovsky came to the conclusion that they read too little and, having cut off a large piece of land from his summer cottage in Peredelkino, he built a library there for children. “I built a library, I want to build a kindergarten for the rest of my life,” said Chukovsky.
Prototypes
It is unknown whether the heroes of fairy tales had prototypes Chukovsky. But there are quite plausible versions of the origins of the bright and charismatic characters in his children's fairy tales.
To prototypes Aibolita two characters are suitable, one of whom was a living person, a doctor from Vilnius. His name was Tsemakh Shabad (in Russian - Timofey Osipovich Shabad). Doctor Shabad, having graduated from the medical faculty of Moscow University in 1889, voluntarily went to the Moscow slums to treat the poor and homeless. He voluntarily went to the Volga region, where, risking his life, he fought the cholera epidemic. Returning to Vilnius (at the beginning of the twentieth century - Vilna), he treated the poor for free, fed children from poor families, did not refuse help when they brought pets to him, and even treated wounded birds that were brought to him from the street. The writer met Shabad in 1912. He visited Dr. Shabad twice and personally called him the prototype of Dr. Aibolit in his article in Pionerskaya Pravda.
In his letters, Korney Ivanovich, in particular, said: “... Doctor Shabad was very loved in the city because he treated the poor, pigeons, cats... It happened that a thin girl would come to him, he would tell her - you want me to write you a prescription ? No, milk will help you, come to me every morning and you will get two glasses of milk. So I thought how wonderful it would be to write a fairy tale about such a good doctor.”
In the memoirs of Korney Chukovsky, another story is preserved about a little girl from a poor family. Dr. Shabad diagnosed her with “systematic malnutrition” and himself brought the little patient a white roll and hot broth. The next day, as a sign of gratitude, the recovered girl brought the doctor her beloved cat as a gift.
Today a monument to Dr. Shabad is erected in Vilnius.
There is another contender for the role of the prototype of Aibolit - this is Doctor Dolittle from the book by the English engineer Hugh Lofting. While at the front of the First World War, he came up with a fairy tale for children about Doctor Dolittle, who knew how to treat various animals, communicate with them and fight his enemies - evil pirates. The story of Doctor Dolittle appeared in 1920.
For a long time it was believed that in " cockroach"depicts Stalin (Cockroach) and the Stalinist regime. The temptation to draw parallels was very strong: Stalin was short, red-haired, with a bushy mustache (Cockroach - “liquid-legged little bug,” red-haired with a large mustache). Large strong animals obey him and fear him. But “The Cockroach” was written in 1922; Chukovsky may not have known about the important role of Stalin and, moreover, could not depict the regime that gained strength in the thirties.
Honorary titles and awards
1957 - Awarded the Order of Lenin; awarded the academic degree of Doctor of Philology
1962 - Lenin Prize (for the book “The Mastery of Nekrasov,” published in 1952); an honorary doctorate of letters from Oxford University.
Quotes
If you want to shoot a musician, insert a loaded gun into the piano he will be playing.
A children's writer should be happy.
The authorities, using the radio, distribute rollicking, vile songs among the population - so that the population does not know either Akhmatova, Blok, or Mandelstam.
The older the woman, the larger the bag in her hands.
Everything that ordinary people want, they pass off as a government program.
When you are released from prison and you go home, these minutes are worth living for!
The only thing that is permanently in my body is false teeth.
Freedom of speech is needed by a very limited circle of people, and the majority, even intellectuals, do their job without it.
You have to live in Russia for a long time.
If you're told to tweet, don't purr!
Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky(1882-1969) - Russian and Soviet poet, children's writer. Nikolai Vasilyevich Korneychukov, who took the literary pseudonym “Korney Chukovsky,” began writing children’s poems quite late; the author wrote his first fairy tale, “Crocodile,” in 1916.
Korney Chukovsky is the author of works from 15 volumes, but only a third of the first volume consists of children's works. Rich in a large number of bright, kind and charismatic characters, thanks to which he was called “Grandfather of Roots”.
The funny and cheerful works of Korney Chukovsky are classic masterpieces of Russian children's literature. Both the prose and the poetic fantasies of the Soviet writer are distinguished by a magnificent, easily understood style, ideal for children. The original plots of his poems will be remembered by the child for the rest of his life. Many of the author's characters have a special appearance, which clearly expresses the character of the hero.
People of any age will be happy to read Chukovsky's fairy tales. Interest in these stories does not disappear over the years, which further confirms the skill of a talented writer. The work of the Soviet classic includes works of various forms. The author has come up with short nursery rhymes for children; older children will be interested in rather long rhymed compositions. Parents do not have to read Korney Ivanovich’s fascinating fantasy to their child themselves - he can listen to it online.
Poems and fairy tales for children by Korney Chukovsky
The writer often reflected the surrounding reality in his own works. Poems created especially for children immerse young literature lovers in amazing adventures and fun. Thanks to the author's talent, boys and girls will get acquainted with unusual characters: Aibolit, Moidodyr, Bibigon, Barmaley, Cockroach. Kids will enthusiastically follow the adventures of the characters, who were so colorfully described by the master of harmony and rhyme. Chukovsky’s poems are interesting to read even for grandparents. Thanks to these stories, every adult can revisit their distant childhood and temporarily feel like a carefree child.
More than one generation has grown up on the fairy tales of K. Chukovsky. They talk about animals and people, their vices and virtues. Fairy tales are interesting and entertaining. Touch the work of the famous author by reading the works of Korney Chukovsky for children, a list of which is presented below.
The tale tells about the need for daily water procedures. In it, K. Chukovsky talks about a boy who was a real dirty guy. So I went to bed unwashed. When he woke up, he noticed that all the objects he wanted to touch were running away from him. On top of everything, a washbasin named Moidodyr comes out of his mother’s bedroom and begins to shame him. After trying to escape, the boy realizes how important cleanliness is and corrects his mistake.
The author of the fairy tale talks about how different animals call him all day long. Each of them has their own requests. The elephant needs chocolate, the crocodile needs galoshes for dinner for the whole family, the bunnies need gloves, the monkeys need books. The phone doesn't stop ringing throughout the day. In the end, the author selflessly decides to save the hippopotamus trapped in the swamp.
This is an entertaining fairy tale in which K. Chukovsky tells about the trouble that happened to the heroine. Due to Fedora's careless management of the household, all her household utensils ran away from her. The dishes, shovel, irons and plates no longer wanted to serve the slob. Dirt, cobwebs, and cockroaches have accumulated in the house. Realizing that she was wrong, Fedora persuades everyone to return, promising to fix everything. After cleaning, the grateful dishes treated the hostess to delicious pies and pancakes.
The fairy tale “The Stolen Sun” tells a terrible story about how a crocodile deprived everyone of the sun. He shamelessly swallowed the heavenly body. Because of this, it became dark and all the animals were scared. But no one wants to go to the crocodile to help the sun. Then they ran to the Bear to ask for help. He went to the swamp, ran into a crocodile and released the sun to the joy of everyone.
In the work “The Cockroach,” the reader learns the story of how the Cockroach imagined himself invincible. He was able to scare not only small animals, but even crocodiles, rhinoceroses and an elephant. The animals submitted to the Cockroach and were ready to give their children to him for food. But the fearless sparrow saw an ordinary mustachioed insect in front of him and ate it. To celebrate, the animals staged a grand celebration and began to praise the savior. So the beast was not as great as he thought of himself.
The fairy tale “The Miracle Tree” is a story about an amazing tree. Instead of flowers and fruits, shoes and stockings grow on it. Thanks to the tree, poor children will no longer wear tattered galoshes and torn boots. Shoes are already ripe so that everyone can come up and choose new galoshes or boots. Whoever needs it will find stockings and gaiters on the miracle tree. Thanks to him, now no one will freeze in winter.
The fairy tale is about the confrontation between people and animals. The leader of the animals was the Crocodile, who visited Petrograd and, outraged by the situation of his brothers in the Zoo, incited the wild animals to go to the city and rescue their friends. In the city he is confronted by Vanya Vasilchikov, who drives away the attackers. However, the animals captured Lyalya. Having entered into negotiations with them, Vanya frees the girl and agrees on the peaceful coexistence of people and animals.
“The Tskotukha Fly” is a fairy tale about the celebration of the main character’s name day. Mukha, having found the money, bought a samovar and had a grand celebration. Bugs, cockroaches and even a grandmother bee came to visit her. When the spider villain appeared at the celebration, all the guests got scared and hid. Mukha would not have lived if Komarik had not rushed to her aid. He rescued the birthday girl and wished to marry her. In gratitude, Mukha agreed to marry him.
The fairy tale “Aibolit and the Sparrow” tells the story of a poor bird that was bitten by a snake. After being bitten, the young sparrow was unable to fly and fell ill. The bug-eyed frog took pity on him and took him to the doctor. Along the way, they were joined by a hedgehog and a firefly. Together they brought the patient to Aibolit. Doctor Sparrow treated him all night and saved him from certain death. This is how Aibolit treats animals, but they even forget to say thank you.
The work “Barmaley” is a warning to young children about the dangers that await them in Africa. There are terrible animals there that can bite and beat you. But the most terrible thing is Barmaley, who can eat children. But Tanya and Vanya disobeyed the instructions and, while their parents were sleeping, went to Africa. Their journey did not last long - they soon came to Barmaley. If it were not for Doctor Aibolit and Crocodile, it is unknown what would have happened to the naughty children.
In the fairy tale "Sandwich" the main character is an inanimate object - a ham sandwich. One day he wanted to go for a walk. And to make it more fun, he lured a bun along with him. The teacups saw this and shouted a warning to the sandwich. They dissuaded the restless person from leaving the gate. After all, Mura might eat him there. This is how, sometimes, a person does not listen to the common sense opinions of others and suffers from it.
The fairy tale “Confusion” is a fascinating lullaby for little children. In it, K. Chukovsky talks about an emergency situation when animals wanted to make sounds that were unusual for them. The kittens wanted to grunt, the ducklings wanted to croak, and the sparrow generally mooed like a cow. Only the bunny did not succumb to the general disgrace. Everything fell into place only after the fire at sea, which was caused by chanterelles, was extinguished. Such confusion does not lead to anything good.
The work “The Adventure of Bibigon” describes the adventures of a fairy-tale creature. The main character, Bibigon, lives at the author’s dacha. Accidents happen to him all the time. Then he will enter into single combat with a turkey, whom he considers a sorcerer. Then he decides to ride on a holey galosh, pretending to be a sailor. In different parts of the tale, his opponents were a spider, a bee, and a crow. After Bibigon brought his sister Cincinela, he had to fight with a turkey, which he defeated.
The fairy tale “Toptygin and the Fox” tells the story of a Bear who did not have a tail. He decided to correct this misunderstanding and went to Aibolit. The good doctor decided to help the poor fellow and offered to choose a tail. However, the Fox fooled the Bear, and, on her advice, he chose a peacock's tail. With such decoration, the clubfoot became noticeable, and he was soon caught by hunters. This is what happens to those who follow the lead of the cunning people.
In the fairy tale “The Crooked Song,” the author talks about a strange place where people and objects are twisted. Man and grandmother, mice and wolves and even Christmas trees are deformed. The river, the path, the bridge - everything is crooked. No one except K. Chukovsky knows where this strange and amazing place is, where crooked people and animals live and rejoice. A funny description of a world that does not exist in reality.
“They often say about children’s writers: he was a child himself. This can be said about Chukovsky with much greater justification than about any other author” (L. Panteleev “The Gray-haired Child”).
The passion for children's literature, which made Chukovsky famous, began relatively late, when he was already a famous critic: he wrote his first fairy tale “Crocodile” in 1916.
Then his other fairy tales appeared, making his name extremely popular. He himself wrote about it this way: “All my other works are overshadowed to such an extent by my children’s fairy tales that in the minds of many readers, except for “Moidodyrs” and “Fly-Tsokotukha”, I wrote nothing at all.” In fact, Chukovsky was a journalist, publicist, translator, and literary critic. However, let's take a brief look at his biography.
From the biography of K.I. Chukovsky (1882-1969)
I.E. Repin. Portrait of the poet Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky (1910)
Chukovsky's real name is Nikolay Vasilievich Korneychukov. He was born in St. Petersburg on March 19 (31), 1882. His mother was peasant woman Ekaterina Osipovna Korneychukova, and his father was Emmanuil Solomonovich Levenson, in whose family Korney Chukovsky’s mother lived as a servant. He had an older sister, Maria, but soon after the birth of Nikolai, his father left his illegitimate family and married “a woman of his circle,” moving to Baku. Chukovsky's mother and children moved to Odessa.
The boy studied at the Odessa gymnasium (his classmate was the future writer Boris Zhitkov), but he was expelled from the fifth grade due to his low origin.
Since 1901, Chukovsky began publishing in Odessa News, and in 1903, as a correspondent for this newspaper, he went to London, having learned English on his own.
Returning to Odessa in 1904, he was captured by the 1905 revolution.
In 1906, Korney Ivanovich came to the Finnish town of Kuokkala (now Repino near St. Petersburg), where he met and became friends with the artist Ilya Repin, the writer Korolenko and Mayakovsky. Chukovsky lived here for about 10 years. From the combination of the words Chukovsky and Kuokkala, “Chukokkala” (invented by Repin) is formed - the name of the handwritten humorous almanac that Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky kept until the last days of his life.
K.I. Chukovsky
In 1907, Chukovsky published translations of Walt Whitman and from that time began writing critical literary articles. His most famous books about the work of his contemporaries are “The Book about Alexander Blok” (“Alexander Blok as a Man and a Poet”) and “Akhmatova and Mayakovsky.”
In 1908, his critical essays about the writers Chekhov, Balmont, Blok, Sergeev-Tsensky, Kuprin, Gorky, Artsybashev, Merezhkovsky, Bryusov and others were published, included in the collection “From Chekhov to the Present Day.”
In 1917, Chukovsky began writing a literary work about Nekrasov, his favorite poet, finishing it in 1926. He studied the biography and work of other writers of the 19th century. (Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Sleptsov).
But the circumstances of the Soviet era turned out to be ungrateful for critical activity, and Chukovsky suspended it.
In the 1930s, Chukovsky studied the theory of literary translation and actual translations into Russian (M. Twain, O. Wilde, R. Kipling, etc., including in the form of “retellings” for children).
In the 1960s, K. Chukovsky conceived a retelling of the Bible for children, but this work was not published due to the anti-religious position of the Soviet government. The book was published in 1990.
At the dacha in Peredelkino, where Chukovsky lived constantly in recent years, he constantly communicated with the surrounding children, read poetry, and invited famous people to meetings: famous pilots, artists, writers, poets.
Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky died on October 28, 1969. He was buried in Peredelkino. His museum operates in Peredelkino.
Fairy tales by K.I. Chukovsky
"Aibolit" (1929)
1929 is the year of publication of this fairy tale in verse; it was written earlier. The plot of this fairy tale, beloved by all children, is extremely simple: Doctor Aibolit goes to Africa, to the Limpopo River, to treat sick animals. On his way, he is helped by wolves, a whale and eagles. Aibolit works selflessly for 10 days and successfully cures all patients. His main medicines are chocolate and eggnog.
Doctor Aibolit is the embodiment of kindness and compassion for others.
Good Doctor Aibolit!
He is sitting under a tree.
Come to him for treatment
And the cow and the she-wolf,
And the bug and the worm,
And a bear!
Finding himself in difficult circumstances, Aibolit first of all thinks not about himself, but about those to whom he rushes to help:
But here in front of them is the sea -
It rages and makes noise in the open space.
And there is a high wave in the sea.
Now she will swallow Aibolit.
"Oh, if I drown,
If I go down,
What will happen to them, to the sick,
With my forest animals?
But then a whale swims out:
“Sit on me, Aibolit,
And, like a big ship,
I’ll take you ahead!”
The fairy tale is written in such simple language as children usually speak, so it is so easy to remember, children easily learn it by heart after reading it several times. The emotionality of the fairy tale, its accessibility for children and the obvious, but not intrusive educational meaning make this fairy tale (and other fairy tales of the writer) a favorite children's reading.
Since 1938, films began to be made based on the fairy tale “Aibolit”. In 1966, the musical feature film “Aibolit-66” directed by Rolan Bykov was released. In 1973, N. Chervinskaya made a puppet cartoon “Aibolit and Barmaley” based on a fairy tale by Chukovsky. In 1984-1985 director D. Cherkassky shot a cartoon in seven episodes about Doctor Aibolit based on Chukovsky’s works “Aibolit”, “Barmaley”, “Cockroach”, “Tsokotukha Fly”, “Stolen Sun” and “Telephone”.
"Cockroach" (1921)
Although the fairy tale is for children, adults also have something to think about after reading it. Children learn that in one animal kingdom, the calm and joyful life of animals and insects was suddenly destroyed by an evil cockroach.
The bears were driving
By bike.
And behind them is a cat
Backwards.
And behind him are mosquitoes
On a hot air balloon.
And behind them are crayfish
On a lame dog.
Wolves on a mare.
Lions in a car.
Bunnies
On a tram.
Toad on a broom... They ride and laugh,
They are chewing gingerbread.
Suddenly from the gateway
Scary giant
Red-haired and mustachioed
Cockroach!
Cockroach, Cockroach, Cockroach!
The idyll is broken:
He growls and screams
And he moves his mustache:
"Wait, don't rush,
I'll swallow you up in no time!
I’ll swallow it, I’ll swallow it, I won’t have mercy.”
The animals trembled
They fainted.
Wolves from fright
They ate each other.
Poor crocodile
Swallowed the toad.
And the elephant, trembling all over,
So she sat on the hedgehog.
So the Cockroach became the winner,
And the ruler of forests and fields.
The animals submitted to the mustachioed one.
(God damn him!)
So they trembled until the Cockroach was eaten by a sparrow. It turns out that fear has big eyes, and it is so easy to intimidate the stupid inhabitants.
“I picked up and pecked a cockroach. So the giant is gone!”
Illustration by V. Konashevich
Then there was the concern -
Dive into the swamp for the moon
And nail it to heaven!
Adults in this fairy tale will easily see the theme of power and terror. Literary critics have long pointed to the prototypes of the fairy tale “The Cockroach” - Stalin and his henchmen. Perhaps this is true.
“Moidodyr” (1923) and “Fedorino’s grief” (1926)
Both of these tales share a common theme - a call for cleanliness and neatness. The writer himself spoke about the fairy tale “Moidodyr” in a letter to A. B. Khalatov: “Am I alienated from trends in my children’s books. Not at all! For example, the “Moidodyr” trend is a passionate call for little ones to be clean and to wash themselves. I think that in a country where until recently they said about anyone brushing their teeth, “Gee, gee, you see, he’s a Jew!” this trend is worth all the others. I know hundreds of cases where “Moidodyr” played the role of People’s Commissar of Health for little ones.”
The tale is narrated from the boy's point of view. Things suddenly start running away from him. The talking washbasin Moidodyr appears and reports that the things ran away because he was dirty.
Irons behind boots,
Boots for pies,
Pies behind the irons,
The poker behind the sash...
By order of Moidodyr, brushes and soap attack the boy and begin to wash him forcibly. The boy breaks free and runs out into the street, but a washcloth flies after him. A Crocodile walking down the street swallows a washcloth, after which he threatens the boy that he will swallow him too if he does not wash himself. The boy runs to wash his face, and his things are returned to him. The tale ends with a hymn to purity:
Long live scented soap,
And a fluffy towel,
And tooth powder
And a thick comb!
Let's wash, splash,
Swim, dive, tumble
In the tub, in the trough, in the tub,
In the river, in the stream, in the ocean, -
And in the bath, and in the bathhouse,
Anytime and anywhere -
Eternal glory to the water!
The monument to Moidodyr opened in Moscow in Sokolniki Park on July 2, 2012 on Pesochnaya Alley, next to the children's playground. The author of the monument is St. Petersburg sculptor Marcel Corober
And this monument to Moidodyr was installed in the children's park in Novopolotsk (Belarus)
Two cartoons were made based on the fairy tale - in 1939 and 1954.
In the fairy tale “Fedorino's Grief”, all the dishes, kitchen utensils, cutlery and other household necessities ran away from Grandma Fedora. The reason is the sloppiness and laziness of the housewife. The dishes are tired of being unwashed.
When Fedora realized the horror of her existence without the dishes, she repented of what she had done and decided to catch up with the dishes and negotiate with her to return them.
And behind them along the fence
Fedora's grandmother gallops:
"Oh oh oh! Oh oh oh!
Come home!”
The dish itself already feels that she has very little strength for the further journey, and when she sees that the repentant Fedora is following on her heels, she promises to reform and take up cleanliness, she agrees to return to the mistress:
And the rolling pin said:
“I feel sorry for Fedor.”
And the cup said:
“Oh, she’s a poor thing!”
And the saucers said:
“We should go back!”
And the irons said:
“We are not Fedora’s enemies!”
I kissed you for a long, long time
And she caressed them,
She watered and washed.
She rinsed them.
Other tales by Chukovsky:
"Confusion" (1914)
"Crocodile" (1916)
"The Cluttering Fly" (1924)
"Telephone" (1924)
"Barmaley" (1925)
"Stolen Sun" (1927)
"Toptygin and Lisa" (1934)
"The Adventures of Bibigon" (1945)
Fairy tales by K.I. Chukovsky was illustrated by many artists: V. Suteev, V. Konashevich, Yu. Vasnetsov, M. Miturich and others.
Why children love K.I. Chukovsky
K.I. Chukovsky always emphasized that a fairy tale should not only entertain the little reader, but also teach him. He wrote in 1956 about the purpose of fairy tales: “It is to cultivate humanity in a child at any cost - this marvelous ability of a person to worry about other people’s misfortunes, to rejoice at the joys of another, to experience someone else’s fate as if it were his own. Storytellers are trying to ensure that a child from an early age learns to mentally participate in the lives of imaginary people and animals and in this way breaks out of the narrow framework of egocentric interests and feelings. And since, when listening, it is common for a child to take the side of the kind, courageous, unjustly offended, whether it be Ivan Tsarevich, or a runaway bunny, or a fearless mosquito, or just a “piece of wood in a ripple,” - our whole task is to to awaken, educate, strengthen in a receptive child's soul this precious ability to empathize, sympathize and rejoice, without which a person is not a person. Only this ability, instilled from early childhood and brought in the process of development to the highest level, created and will continue to create the Bestuzhevs, Pirogovs, Nekrasovs, Chekhovs, Gorkys...”
Chukovsky's views are practically brought to life in his fairy tales. In the article “Working on a Fairy Tale,” he indicated that his task was to adapt to the little children as much as possible, to instill in them our “adult ideas about hygiene” (“Moidodyr”), about respect for things (“Fedorino’s Mountain”) , and all this at a high literary level, accessible to children.
The writer introduced a lot of educational material into his fairy tales. In fairy tales, he touches on themes of morality and rules of behavior. Fairy-tale images help a little person learn mercy, cultivate his moral qualities, develop creativity, imagination, and love for the artistic word. They teach them to sympathize in trouble, to help in misfortune and to rejoice in the happiness of others. And all this is done by Chukovsky unobtrusively, easily, and accessible to children’s perception.