Biography. Viktor Dragoonsky - biography, photos In which city was Viktor Dragoonsky born

Biography.  Viktor Dragoonsky - biography, photos In which city was Viktor Dragoonsky born
Biography. Viktor Dragoonsky - biography, photos In which city was Viktor Dragoonsky born

Victor Yuzefovich Dragunsky Russian Soviet writer. The biography of Viktor Dragunsky is so surprising for a Soviet author that it begins ... in New York! It was there that Victor Dragunsky was born on November 30, 1913 - his parents who emigrated from Russia settled in New York. However, soon after the birth of their son, the parents returned to their homeland and settled in the Belarusian Gomel.

Victor started working early to support himself. After school, he became an apprentice of a turner at the Samotochka plant, but was soon dismissed for a labor offense. Then he got a job as a saddler's apprentice at the Sport-Tourism factory. In 1930 Dragunsky began to attend A. Diky's Literary and Theater Workshops. Here begins an interesting stage in the biography of Viktor Dragunsky - acting. In 1935, Victor began acting as an actor in the Theater of Transport (now the Theater named after N.V. Gogol). A little later, the actor, who showed himself at the show of young talents, received an invitation to the Theater of Satire.

During the Great Patriotic War, Dragunsky was in the militia, then performed with front-line concert brigades. For a little over a year he worked as a clown in a circus, but returned to the theater again.

In 1948, Viktor Dragunsky organized the ensemble of the literary and theatrical parody "Blue Bird", which existed for ten years, until 1958. Dragunsky played several roles in the cinema and was admitted to the Film Actor Theater.

The literary biography of Viktor Dragunsky begins around 1940, when he publishes the first feuilletons and humorous stories, later collected in the collection "Iron Character" (published in 1960). In parallel, Viktor Dragunsky writes songs, sideshows, clownery, stage and circus scenes.
Since 1959, Dragunsky has been composing a series of stories about Denis Korablev under the general title "Deniskin's Stories" (which have been filmed several times). The name "Deniska" was not chosen by chance - that was the name of Dragoonsky's son.

In 1961, the story "He Fell on the Grass" (1961) was published about the very first days of the war, the story "Today and Daily" (1964) about the life of circus workers.

In the 1960s, books from the Deniskin Stories series were published in large print runs.

His next works were the books "Girl on the Ball", "Childhood Friend", "Enchanted Letter", "The Magic Power of Art", "Dog Kidnapper" and many others.

In literature, Dragunsky worked professionally for a little over 10 years, at the end of his life he was very ill and therefore hardly wrote. He died in Moscow on May 6, 1972.

In 1980, Viktor Dragunsky's book What I Love was published posthumously.

Victor Dragunsky was brightly and joyfully talented. He was a kind, cheerful and therefore a happy person. He conveys his love for life, faith in life and in people to his readers, whom he has a great many not only in our country, but throughout the world.

Cheerful, witty, kind person, he loved children very much. Such love in our century is not uncommon, only some people love children with sincere and demanding love, while others only like to talk about this love. In different years, in different circumstances, the writer was surrounded by children: in the circus, theaters, on the street, at meetings with young readers. As a humorist and satirist, V. Dragunsky won recognition in this field.

The work of Viktor Yuzefovich Dragunsky

Childhood and adolescence of Viktor Yuzefovich Dragunsky fell on difficult years. At sixteen, a young man who dreamed of a theater had to go to work. He worked at a factory, sewed horse harness in a saddlery workshop, transported passengers on a boat across the Moskva River. But he still became an actor and played on stage not without success. In 1935, his acting biography began: he was a pop artist, for several years he directed the theater of literary and theatrical parodies "Blue Bird". Later he worked in the Theater of Satire, was a circus clown, played in the Theater-Studio of a film actor. When the Great Patriotic War began, Dragunsky joined the people's militia and defended Moscow from the Nazis. And even during the war, Viktor Yuzefovich with other artists went to the front to perform in front of the soldiers.

Dragoonsky wrote feuilletons, parodies, funny scenes for stage and circus, songs. In 1968, Viktor Yuzefovich, answering the questionnaire of the newspaper "Pionerskaya Pravda" to the question: "With whom of the writers of the past would you go on a trip and where?" he replied: “Of the writers of the past, I would agree with Alexander Green, and together with him, Tomka Sawyer, Geshka Finn and comrade Kibalchish, in such a glorious company, I would go to Zurbagan and, perhaps, on the way back, I would turn to Liss ... I have many friends there, in these cities: and then, can you imagine how happy old Assol would be? "

Many humorous stories by V. Dragunsky are widely known and after years have not lost their charm, subtle humor, and special delicacy after publication. These are such stories as: "The Magic Power of Art", "Zhvachnik", "Marina Vlady s Razgulyan", "Old Joke", "Noble Surname", "Little Mermaid Laughter", "Dachurka". "The Magic Power of Art" is not only a story, but, as it turned out later, after it was published, - and a ready script for a movie, with a complete dramatic plot, with brightly written characters. The story is both funny and a little sad, great in recognition. Each page of his stories breathes with authenticity, sincerity, evokes a lively reader's interest and a sense of empathy.

He is alive and glows! This was the title of one of the best books by Viktor Dragunsky. I would like to say the same about the author himself. He is alive and glows! In any case, for many readers and admirers of his cheerful and sad talent.

The literary fate of Viktor Dragunsky developed in such a way that children first of all recognized and fell in love with him. And with his Deniska Korablev, young readers met for the first time in 1959. Since then, Victor Dragunsky has firmly established the title of a children's writer. A variety of cases happened with the main character of Dragunsky: he jumped from a tower into the water, performed on stage, and got into an accident with his dad. Some of these cases actually happened - not with Deniska Korablev, a literary hero, but with Denis Dragunsky, the writer's son. True, Denis Dragunsky grew up, now he writes books himself, and Deniska Korablev remained a boy.

Deniskin's Stories is a whole world, a kind of encyclopedia of child psychology. There is a school, a family, a street, fun, grief, joy, disappointment, relationships between adults and children - and much more that is part of the immense and sometimes poorly understood by us "children's world".

It has always been believed that "Deniskin's stories" are intended only for children. They were published in Detgiz, "Little Boy" in colorful covers, with pictures. But, perhaps, rarely did anyone think about the fact that they are equally addressed to adults. Many of these stories are written with such connotations and reveal the relationship between children and adults in such a way that they can rightfully become books for adults as well. The character of the narrator leaves a kind of imprint on the manner of presenting events, on the style of speech and reflections of the main character.

This can be seen on the example of the story "Workers crushing stone". The boy liked the water station "Dynamo" so much that even the sound coming there from the embankment, where the workers are crushing the stone, seems to him thin and delicate, as if "someone is playing with glass hammers on a silver xylophone." Deniska is delighted with how "everyone here walks like a champion, excellently, they walk in a fashionable way - sometimes they even walk much better than swim." The irony of the last remark, made by the way, prepares the sudden transition from the boy's enthusiasm to the humorous situation into which he finds himself, thoughtlessly jumping off a ten-meter tower. The childish concreteness with which Deniska, standing upstairs and looking down in fear, reflects on the possible consequences of his jump, is comical: “... or I will plunge right into the sideboard on someone's head, here will be a story! Or I, what good, please go straight to the kitchen, into the cauldron with borscht! Pleasure too. "

Typical for children is the play of synonyms, which Mishka and Kostik started, mocking the frightened Deniska: “He jumped! - Ha ha ha! - He leaped! - Ho ho ho! - A swallow! - He-he-he! - A soldier! - Hee-hee-hee! - Brave! - Well done! - Hwa-stets! "," You are not afraid! "Are you just scared?" The neologism in rhyme is a braggart, a false opposition did not chicken out - he was simply afraid to reinforce the humor of a child's teasers. The state of mind of Deniska, at which the guys laugh and who therefore decided to jump off at all costs, is well conveyed not by mocking, but by a mocking play on words that he addresses to himself: “Rookhlya! .. Wow !! Mahla !!! Jump! Chubby! Swollen! .. ”Deniska jumped, the respect of his comrades returned to him. And again the rhythm of the story sounds lyrical, soulful: “And I lay there and listened to the workers hitting the pink stone with hammers. The sound came here faintly, as if someone was playing with a glass hammer on a silver xylophone. "

Humor colors Deniska's self-enthusiastic attitude towards people. Grandfather Valya becomes close to the readers, about whom Deniska says: “... a golden man! Kind. He once gave me a ladybug. Here the childish logic with which the use of epithets characterizing the grandfather is explained is humorous. And when Deniska, like a child, cannot forgive a petty offense, humor softens with a kind smile his gloomy emotions, which are quickly replaced by joy. Here Deniska talks about what a terrible revenge he conceived, putting his blue dagger on top of his briefcase: "In the morning I could not eat anything." This seems to indicate the seriousness of the boy's experiences. But then he adds: “I just drank two cups of tea with bread and butter, potatoes and sausage,” and thanks to this illogical explanation, we are already prepared for the conflict to be settled easily.

In the story "Big Movement on Sadovaya", the comic in the character of the character is associated with his excessive credulity. A guy approached the guys who had ridden a bicycle far from home. "... He had a golden tooth ... on his hands he had various drawings, portraits and landscapes." Dragoonsky deliberately calls the lips of Deniska common external signs of a swindler, which should have alerted the boys if they were not so trusting. Thinking of handing the guys a shaggy dog ​​“made of different wool” instead of a bicycle, the stranger says: “This is a very valuable dog. Thoroughbred. Spanish dachshund ". It is comical that Deniska further in a serious way repeats the epithet "valuable", used by a swindler to deceive. This technique, common in humorous stories, characterizes the naivety of the character.

In the works of Dragunsky, shape-shifters are often found. Changes help to reveal the psychology of the child, to show his feelings, experiences.

Deniska is dreaming of what he would say to his mother at dinner if they switched roles: “Why did you start a fashion without eating bread? Here's more news! Look at yourself in the mirror, who do you look like? Poured Koschey! Eat now, they tell you! " And she quickly began to eat, lowering her head ... ”The parody of this imaginary scene becomes all the more accessible to the children, because at the end of the story everything is put back on its feet again, and the mother, in reality, treats Deniska in the same way as he was going to do it. if everything around in the world were arranged the other way around.

In other cases, the shape-shifter is formed unconsciously for the character, but even here he reveals his psychological characteristics. Here Denisk, going to the carnival, got into his father's shoe covers so that they almost reached his armpits. “Nothing, rather inconvenient. But they shine great, ”he says. After the word nothing, a stable phrase is expected quite conveniently, but for a child who loves the unusual, it is precisely the opposite assessment that is valuable.

In the story "The Fire in the Wing, or the Exploit in the Ice ..." we meet with a shape-shifter formed as a result of a speech error. Moreover, this error is unexpected for the other characters in the story and for the readers, and therefore causes laughter. At the same time, it is a logical consequence of the character and deed of the one who admits it.

Out of breath Deniska is going to justify his lateness to school by hiding the real reason. This usually honest, truthful boy is clearly embarrassed and worried. To the teacher's question, where is Misha, who was also late, Deniska replies: “Misha is now sewing Aunt Pasha to a button! That is, the collar is sewn to Aunt Pasha! " The comic nature of Deniska's behavior is reinforced by the fact that he, not yet daring to deceive the teacher, is trying to delay the answer to her question about the reason for the delay: “And suddenly such a thing! Such a thing, Raisa Ivanna, just oh-ho-ho! Wow! Ah ah ah!"

In another story, Denisk, agitated by the absurd incident that happened to him, says: "And only the third dog is standing next to us and tails vertically, that is, twirls its tail." There is an inversion here not only in the use of words, but also in word formation itself.

In most cases, comic situations in Dragunsky's stories are not created artificially, but are conditioned by the psychological characteristics of children's thinking, emotional excitability inherent in children, which is reflected in their speech. Deniska really wanted to participate in the creation of the school's living corner. The boy is completely immersed in this concern, and it seems to him that everyone should understand it. So he ran home from the pet store for money: “Mom, shout hurray! White mice are given on the Arbat. The fact that after the word give, which housewives usually used in Soviet times in relation to scarce and very necessary goods, are followed by white mice, causes laughter. And then, when this living “product” was sold and Deniska was left with nothing, he sadly says to the saleswoman: “You’re badly supplying the population with essential mice.” And this unexpected intrusion into Deniska's speech somewhere overheard business, official vocabulary is also comical.

The boy's excitement, enthusiasm for his idea lead to a verbal humorous situation. Deniska turns to her neighbor: "Vera Sergeevna, do you have a tail?" She kindly wonders: "Am I very much like a devil?" And the fact is that Deniska is in a hurry to the carnival and he needed an item that could replace the tail in the Puss in Boots costume.

Seeing the European boxing championship on TV, Deniska, without any explanation, asks his father to buy a punching bag, meaning a training bag. “It's January now, there are no pears. Eat carrots for now, ”he replies inappropriately. Here humor is based on the fact that the word was understood by the father not in the same sense in which it was used by Deniska.

Humorous omissions in Dragunsky's stories may be a consequence of the fact that one of the characters does not know about the other's leprosy and the phraseological unit used by him suddenly acquires a concrete meaning. In one of the stories, the clown exclaims: “What a boy! Won "Murzilka", but he is silent, as if he took water in his mouth! " And this is ridiculous because the boy has just really drunk a bottle of citro through force in order to weigh exactly 25 kilos and, according to the terms of the competition, win the annual subscription of a children's magazine.

This is an example available to children that the same combinations of words can be used both as phraseological units and in their direct meaning.

Comical in the child's reasoning and a combination of the unusual, the fantastic with the strictly real. For example, children talk about miracles in the circus, that frogs are swallowed there, and one adds: "And crocodiles too!" - “You, Mishka, are obviously out of your mind! - Deniska is indignant. - How will you eat a crocodile when it's tough. You can’t chew it at all ”.

Deniska's illogical reasoning is also humorous, connected with a too specific idea of ​​some concepts and the inability to simultaneously really compare them with others, as well as correlate with the conditions in which they can manifest themselves. Hearing that “one drop of cigarette poison kills a healthy horse,” and fearing for his smoking father, Deniska is concerned: “That's it! I looked at my dad. It was big, no doubt, but still smaller than a horse ... and even the most seedy cow. A cow would never fit on our couch, and dad could fit freely. " There is not a hint of rudeness in the boy comparing his father to a horse and even a cow. This comparison is caused only by Deniska's sincere concern, who literally understood the aphorism about the destructive effect of nicotine. The writer speaks of the boy's excitement with humor, which is caused by the spontaneity and naivety of Deniska's ideas: “I was very scared. I didn’t want to be killed by such a drop of poison ... From these thoughts I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, so long that I didn’t notice how I fell asleep ”.

The writer, with gentle humor, conveys Deniska's fears associated with his dream of becoming a brave traveler, like Alain Bombard, and sailing across all oceans in a fragile shuttle, eating only raw fish. “True,” says Deniska, “this Bombar after his trip lost twenty-five kilograms, and I only weighed twenty-six, so it turned out that if I also swim like him, then I will have absolutely nowhere to lose weight, I will weigh only one kilo at the end of the journey. What if I don't catch one or two fish somewhere and lose a little more weight? Then I will probably just melt in the air like smoke. is that all? " Here the illogicality of conclusions is reinforced by external, purely arithmetic precision. Humor helps to convey the combination of serious, direct and naive in a child's dreams of the future. The concreteness of the child's thinking is also expressed in quite real, but inappropriate under the given circumstances, detailing, which also causes laughter. Deniska, who hates semolina porridge, pours it out the window. And here is the victim: “This uncle had a hat on his head. And on the hat is our porridge. It lay almost in the middle of the hat, in a dimple, and a little along the edges, where the ribbon is, and a little behind the collar, and on the shoulders, and on the left leg. "

Humor also manifests itself in an unconscious parody of Denis's style of some literary genres. He expresses his dissatisfaction with the tamed circus lions with words read from adventure books about travels in Africa: "... a lion must hunt and chase a buffalo in the endless pampas, announce the surroundings with a formidable roar that awe the native population." Dreaming of how formidable revenge will be to a classmate for hitting the back of the head with a pencil case, Deniska sharpens his father's plastic knife and imagines a picture: “... my faithful blue dagger will flash in front of Levka, I will bring it over Levka's head, and Levka will fall to her knees and beg me to grant him life, and I will say: "Apologize!" - and he will say: "Sorry!" And I will laugh with a thunderous laugh like this - "Ha-ha-ha-ha." And the echo will repeat this ominous laughter in the gorges. " The humorous effect of this ultra-romantic style, which clearly does not correspond to the circumstances, is intensified by the fact that the subsequent phrase - "And the girls from fear will crawl under their desks" - suddenly returns us to reality.

Children also like a funny play on words, like "his high nobility von Baron Kutkin-Putkin", "Babkin-Nyansky's reaction", or truncated forms like "Bryak! .. Schwark! .. Butz! .. Tink". Bams! .. "The emotional excitement of children in the game is well conveyed by frequently used interjections or verbs denoting instant actions accompanied by noise:" Boom, tarra-rah! " how bang! "Deformation of words is inappropriate in works of art for children, if the reader is amused, it is its end in itself. But in Dragoonsky this technique is justified, it is always used in order to show in the shortest way and convincingly a certain trait of the character's character, the erroneousness of his act. the writer also uses such a speech technique of comic effect as anagram.Deniska, answering in the lesson, confuses the consonants in the name of the Mississippi River, and this is funny not only because the result is colloquial words that are usually not used in an official setting O. The reader already knows that Deniska did not complete the task and is trying to find salvation in the hint. So convincingly, without annoying teachings, it is shown that indiscipline puts the student in a ridiculous position. Criticism with laughter, especially from the side of the whole class, has a stronger effect on the guilty person than the edification of the elders. It is no coincidence that Deniska says: "And now I have taken an oath that I will always learn my lessons." This sounds too solemn and may cause distrust of young readers. But then the hero of the story adds: "Until a ripe old age." And these parody words, sharply grounding the image, keep him childish sympathies. Denisk's comparison, which has become a phraseological unit, returns to its source. When comparing a diligent servant or orderly with a faithful dog, we mean certain qualities in their complete abstraction from the original object. This is graphic, but not always comical, and maybe even tragic. And Deniska's dreams of a dog that will follow him like a faithful dog invariably cause laughter with their outwardly unexpected, but arising from age-related psychology, concretization. Deniska, who is characterized by imaginative thinking, comes up with very accurate comparisons, turns them into independent concepts, and then into the definition of the original object. First, the leg, which did not reach the bicycle pedal, "hung in the air like macaroni", then Denisk was pushed off the pipe with this "macaroni", and finally, thousands of needles are already digging into his "macaroni leg." The belt from mother's dress, which the guys assign the role of a fuse-cord, turns into a "mother's fuse-girdle." Deniska also concretizes the concepts used in a figurative sense. When they tell him that satirical ditties should have a sobering effect on the poor, he confidently declares: "They are not drunk, they are just lazy." A humorous situation is often based on the fact that Denis does not know the meaning of some words. For example, a counselor asks if he has a partner to perform on stage. The boy replies in the negative. The counselor is perplexed: "How do you live without a friend?" - “I have a comrade. Bear. But I don't have a partner, ”says Deniska. Children tend to include in a number of similar objects concepts that are not logically connected with a generalizing word. Dragoonsky very successfully uses this feature of children's speech. So, Mishka, talking about what he loves, lists a number of edible items, but fearing to be considered a glutton, adds: “I almost forgot: more kittens! And grandma! " But Deniska talks about a trip to another city: “There were many different people in our carriage: old women and soldiers, and just young guys, and guides, and a little girl, and even a full basket of chickens.”

Dragoonsky's works evoke a joyful and active attitude in children, enrich their speech.

In the story of V. Dragunsky "The Enchanted Letter" Denis with Mishka and Alyonka were walking in the yard. Suddenly a truck with a Christmas tree drove into the yard. The driver with the janitor unloaded the tree and left. The children stayed near a large, furry Christmas tree that smelled deliciously of frost. The writer touchingly describes the scene of the guys' admiration for this tree and, at the same time, makes fun of them, conveying the children's conversation about the cones that hang on the tree. Alyonka draws the children’s attention to the cones on the tree: “Look, there are detectives hanging on the tree”. The guys start laughing at her. Denis exclaims: “The girl is five years old, soon to marry! And she is a detective. " Alyonka explains that she wanted to say it correctly, but only her tooth fell out: “It’s my tooth that has fallen out and is whistling. I want to say detectives, but my whistles are being whistled ... "Mishka proudly declares:" What a wow! Her tooth fell out! I have three fell out and two are staggering, but I still speak correctly! Listen here: hyhki! What! True, great - huh-ki! Here's how easy it comes out for me: hyhki! I can even sing: Oh, green hychechka, I'm afraid I will inject myself ... "Denis confidently enters into the argument of friends and proudly declares:" Why are you arguing so, since both are wrong? After all, this is a very simple word. No detections! Not giggles, but short and clear: f ** ks! That's all". The writer very subtly notices the manner in which children speak, with great love describes their characters, relationships with each other.

In the story of V. Dragunsky "The Englishman Paul" is described the eve of the first of September. Parents together with Deniska are in joyful anticipation of such a wonderful event and on this occasion they decide to "slaughter a watermelon." Dad cuts a watermelon with a knife. At this time the door is thrown open and the boy Pavlya enters the room. Deniska's dad meets his son's friend with complacent irony: “Wow, who has come! Pavlya himself! Pavlya the Wart himself! " Pavlya notes: “Oh, I love watermelon. Even more. My grandmother never gives me enough to eat. She says that after a watermelon I get not a dream, but a continuous running around. " To which dad seriously sums up: “That is why we eat watermelon early in the morning. By evening, its effect ends, and you can sleep peacefully. " When Deniska's family asks why Pavlya has not come to them for a long time, Pavlya tells with careless importance that student Seva has come to visit them and he is studying English with him every day. Dad makes the following remark about English: “The devil will break their leg there. It's a very difficult spelling. Liverpool is written and Manchester is pronounced. The statements of adults in the story sound on a par with children. It seems that children and adults are one friendly courtyard company, which is currently solving a very important problem. Mom, joining in the conversation, wonders why Pavlik, when he entered, did not say hello in English. And dad clarified why Pavlya did not say "thank you" in English for the watermelon. Pavlya calmly replies that they have not yet reached "hello" and "thank you". And he adds: "Very difficult preaching." Denis asks Pavlya: “and you teach me, as in English,“ one, two, three ”. Pavlya replies that he has not yet studied this. Here the author drags on the dialogue in order to intrigue the reader and, at the same time, a comical situation arises when the reader realizes that now will be the funniest moment. To create a humorous setting for the story, the writer uses the technique of dialogues. Through dialogues, the features of the speech of the characters and the traits of their characters are revealed. Denis, unable to bear it, shouts: “What have you learned? Have you learned anything in two months? " To which Pavlya replies: "I learned how in English" Petya "... In English" Petya "will be" Pete "... Tomorrow I will come to class and tell Petka Gorbushkin:" Pete, and Pete, give me an eraser! " Probably his mouth will open, he won't understand anything. Will it be fun? .. "Denis, hoping that Petya has learned something else in English, asks:" Well, what else do you know in English? ”Pavlya replies that for now, that's it. He was a brilliant oral storyteller, interestingly, in his own way "read" people, revealing in them at times something that those who stood closer to them did not see. He was not afraid to open up to a new person, feeling his own blood in him. But it was much easier for him to love, pity, condescend and forgive than to hate and quarrel. In his stories, a gentle and light feeling always prevails over a flat and ponderous life.

When Viktor Dragunsky's son, Denis, was born, all sorts of funny stories began to happen to him. Dragunsky began to write down these stories, and the "Deniskin stories" were obtained. The first book of sixteen stories was published in 1961 under the title "He is alive and shines." Denis's adventures became more and more. In 1964, the book "Tell me about Singapore" appeared, in 1963 - "The Man with a Blue Face". In total, about ninety very funny stories were written. For example, about how one day Denis poured a plate of semolina porridge out of the window and it hit the hat of an uncle who was going to be photographed: or about how Denis and his dad cooked chicken broth and sheared the chicken with scissors, washed it with soap, and she galloped under the closet ...

Soviet writer, author of stories for children, Viktor Yuzefovich Dragunsky was born on November 30, 1913 in New York (USA) into a family of emigrants from Russia. In 1914, shortly before the start of the First World War, the family returned to their homeland and settled in Gomel, where Dragunsky spent his childhood. His father died of typhus during the civil war, in 1920 his stepfather, the red commissar Ippolit Voitsekhovich, died.

In 1925, together with their second stepfather, Jewish theater actor Mikhail Rubin, the family moved to Moscow, but soon Rubin went on tour and never returned. His fate remained unknown.

Victor had to earn a living on his own. After school, he became an apprentice turner at the Samotochka factory, then in 1930 he got a job as a saddler's apprentice at the Sport-Tourism factory.

In 1935, after graduating from the "Literary and theatrical workshops" under the direction of actor and director Alexei Diky, Dragunsky was admitted to the Theater of Transport (now the Theater named after N.V. Gogol). After performing at the show of young talents, the actor was invited to the Theater of Satire.

During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, Dragunsky was in the militia, then performed with front-line concert brigades.

In 1944 he worked as a circus clown.

In 1945, Dragunsky became a member of the troupe of the Film Actor's Studio Theater. He played in several performances and starred in the feature film "Russian Question" (1947) directed by Mikhail Romm.

In 1948-1958 he was the organizer and leader of the ensemble of the literary and theatrical parody "Blue Bird". Actors such as Evgeny Vesnik and Boris Sichkin played here, the texts were written by playwrights Vladimir Mass, Vladimir Dykhovichny, Vladlen Bakhnov.

Since the beginning of the 1940s, Dragunsky became known as an author, writing feuilletons, humorous stories, sketches, scenes, poems, songs, sideshows for the stage and circus. The most popular among those created in the light genre were songs written together with Lyudmila Davidovich - "Three Waltzes", "Miracle Song", "Motor ship", "Star of my fields", "Beryozonka".

Dragoonsky's satirical story "The Magic Power of Art" was subsequently filmed in the film almanac of the same name with Arkady Raikin in the title role.

Children's humorous stories about Denisk Korablev, united in a cycle under the general title "Deniskin's Stories", brought wide popularity and great popularity to Viktor Dragunsky. Collections "Tell Me About Singapore" (1961), "The Man with a Blue Face" (1962), "The Girl at Sea" (1964), "The Old Navigator" (1964), "Deniskin's Tales" (1966), "The Dog Thief" (1966) and others were reprinted many times, becoming the basis for scripts and productions. The stories about Denisk are autobiographical: the prototype of the protagonist was the writer's son Denis, they reflected some of the actual events in the life of the family.

Among other works of Dragunsky, the most significant were the story "He Fell on the Grass" (1961) about the first days of the war and the story "Today and Daily" (1964) about the life of circus workers.

Based on the writer's works, the short films "Where has it been seen, where has it been heard" (1973) and "The Captain" (1973), the film almanac "Magic Power" (1970), as well as the films "Funny Stories" (1962), "Girl on ball "(1966)," Deniskin's stories "(1970)," In secret to the whole world "(1976)," The Amazing Adventures of Denis Korablev "(1979)," The Clown "(1980).

The writer was married twice. His first wife was the actress Elena Kornilova, who gave birth to his son Leonid. Subsequently, Leonid Kornilov (1937-2007) became a graduate of the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University and a journalist,

The biography of Viktor Dragunsky should be well known to any connoisseur of Russian children's literature. This is one of the recognized classics, who wrote books for schoolchildren and their parents. The greatest fame was brought to him by a cycle called "Deniskin's Stories".

Childhood and youth

The biography of Viktor Dragunsky has been going on since 1913, when he was born in New York. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Gomel who moved to America and settled in the Bronx. The writer's father's name was Yud Falkovich, and his mother was Rita Leibovna. They got married in 1913, while still in Gomel, and on December 1 of the same year, Viktor Yuzefovich Dragunsky was born.

In America, the Dragoons could not settle down, already in July 1914 they returned to their native Gomel, which at that time was part of the Russian Empire.

After another 4 years, the father of Viktor Yuzefovich Dragunsky died after contracting typhus. According to another version, his death occurred under unclear circumstances. Rita Leibovna found a new husband, who became the red commissar, the revolutionary committee of Gomel Ippolit Voitsekhovich. But his life soon came to an end, he died in 1920.

In 1922, Dragunsky had another stepfather, named Menachem-Mendel Rubin, who played vaudeville in the Jewish theater. The family was forced to go on tour with him throughout the country.

In 1925, an important event took place in the biography of Viktor Dragunsky. With his parents, he arrived in Moscow, where Rubin founded his own theater company together with Ilya Trilling, so the family settled in the capital. True, Rubin soon left them, leaving for America to work as a director of the Jewish theater.

The hero of our article had to start working early, from the age of 17 he began attending the literary and theatrical workshops of the Soviet theater director Alexei Diky. Since 1935, Dragunsky becomes an actor in the Transport Theater, now he is known as the Gogol Theater.

Acting work

In parallel with playing in the theater, Dragunsky is engaged in literature. He begins by writing humores and feuilletons, composes scenes, sideshows, circus clownery, pop monologues. At one time, the circus genre became very close to him, he even began to work in the circus.

In addition to theatrical roles, Dragunsky also receives roles in films. In 1947 he played a radio announcer in Mikhail Romm's political drama "Russian Question", after which he began working in the theater of a film actor. There were many celebrities in the troupe, so it was not easy for Dragunsky to gain a foothold. Then he decided to create his own amateur troupe inside the theater. Many were enthusiastic about this idea, creating a parody "theater in theater".

Soon Dragoonsky began to lead an ensemble of literary and theatrical parody called "Blue Bird". It existed until 1958. Over time, this small troupe began performing at the Actor's House, where Alexander Eskin was the director. On stage, the actors presented funny parody performances, which were successful. Dragunsky was invited to create the same team on the basis of Mosestrada.

Together with Lyudmila Davidovich, the hero of our article composes texts for several songs, which eventually become very popular. Among them are "Motor ship" performed by Leonid Utesov, as well as "Berezonka", "Miracle Song", "Three Waltzes".

Literary activity

As a writer, Viktor Dragunsky made a name for himself in 1940, when he began to massively publish humorous stories and feuilletons. Later he will collect them in a collection called "Iron Character".

During the Great Patriotic War, Dragoonsky was sent to the militia. The war goes on without serious injuries, but his brother Leonid dies in 1943 in the Kaluga region.

In the biography of Viktor Dragunsky, the main place is occupied by the cycle "Deniskin's Stories". He begins writing them in 1959. The main characters are Soviet schoolchildren Denis Korablev and his friend Mishka Slonov. In the 60s, several books from this series were published at once under the titles "The Enchanted Letter", "The Magic Power of Art", "The Girl on the Ball", "The Kidnapper of Dogs".

Stories bring him popularity and fame. By the way, the name of the protagonist was not chosen by chance: that was the name of the son of Viktor Dragunsky. Deniskin's Stories describe Moscow in the 1950s and 1960s. The main character lives with his parents, funny and funny incidents constantly happen to him.

For example, one day he pours semolina, which he did not want to eat, out of the window, and when a policeman comes to them (along with the injured citizen), he understands what my mother meant when she said that "everything secret becomes clear."

"Deniskin's stories" by Viktor Dragunsky have been filmed several times. In 1970, Naum Birman directed the musical film The Magic Power of the Arts with Konstantin Raikin in the title role. Also in different years there were pictures "Funny stories", "Girl on a ball", "Amazing adventures of Denis Korablev", "In secret to the whole world", "Spyglass".

Other works of Victor Dragunsky

Among other works of the hero of our article, the story "He Fell on the Grass", written in 1961, should be noted. This book is dedicated to the Moscow militia, which took part in the defense of Moscow in 1941.

All events are narrated on behalf of 19-year-old Mitya Korolev, who works in the theater. He strives to get to the front, but he is not taken due to a congenital leg injury. He manages to enroll in the people's militia. Considering that Dragoonsky himself also participated in the militia, the work is sometimes autobiographical.

in 1964, Dragunsky wrote the story "Today and Daily", which is dedicated to circus performers. Also known are his stories "Old Women", "Strange Spot on the Ceiling", "A Real Poet", "Funny Stories about School".

Writer's family

The family of Viktor Dragunsky was large. The first time he married Elena Kornilova. In 1937, their son Leonid was born, who graduated from the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University, became a journalist. For many years he worked in Izvestia, Nedelya, is the author of works of art "Fabulous power", "From the herald to neon", "These amazing veterans", "Once in a lifetime: frivolous notes in the genre of tales and journalistic chatter" ... He died in 2007.

Dragunsky married for the second time to Alla Semichastnova, who was 11 years younger than him, she graduated from VGIK. They had a son, Denis, to whom Denis's stories were dedicated. When the boy grew up, he became a screenwriter and journalist. In 1965, the couple had a daughter, Ksenia, a future playwright and writer.

Denis Dragunsky gave his father a granddaughter Irina, born in 1974, she became a designer and journalist.

At the end of life

The writer Dragunsky died in 1972 at the age of 58. He was buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery.

In 1990, the writer's widow published a book of songs written on the verses of her famous husband. In the memory of domestic readers, he remained the author of one of the brightest and funniest books about children and dedicated to adolescents.

Soviet writer, author of stories for children, Viktor Yuzefovich Dragunsky was born on November 30, 1913 in New York (USA) into a family of emigrants from Russia. In 1914, shortly before the start of the First World War, the family returned to their homeland and settled in Gomel, where Dragunsky spent his childhood. His father died of typhus during the civil war, in 1920 his stepfather, the red commissar Ippolit Voitsekhovich, died.

In 1925, together with their second stepfather, Jewish theater actor Mikhail Rubin, the family moved to Moscow, but soon Rubin went on tour and never returned. His fate remained unknown.

Victor had to earn a living on his own. After school, he became an apprentice turner at the Samotochka factory, then in 1930 he got a job as a saddler's apprentice at the Sport-Tourism factory.

In 1935, after graduating from the "Literary and theatrical workshops" under the direction of actor and director Alexei Diky, Dragunsky was admitted to the Theater of Transport (now the Theater named after N.V. Gogol). After performing at the show of young talents, the actor was invited to the Theater of Satire.

During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, Dragunsky was in the militia, then performed with front-line concert brigades.

In 1944 he worked as a circus clown.

In 1945, Dragunsky became a member of the troupe of the Film Actor's Studio Theater. He played in several performances and starred in the feature film "Russian Question" (1947) directed by Mikhail Romm.

In 1948-1958 he was the organizer and leader of the ensemble of the literary and theatrical parody "Blue Bird". Actors such as Evgeny Vesnik and Boris Sichkin played here, the texts were written by playwrights Vladimir Mass, Vladimir Dykhovichny, Vladlen Bakhnov.

Since the beginning of the 1940s, Dragunsky became known as an author, writing feuilletons, humorous stories, sketches, scenes, poems, songs, sideshows for the stage and circus. The most popular among those created in the light genre were songs written together with Lyudmila Davidovich - "Three Waltzes", "Miracle Song", "Motor ship", "Star of my fields", "Beryozonka".

Dragoonsky's satirical story "The Magic Power of Art" was subsequently filmed in the film almanac of the same name with Arkady Raikin in the title role.

Children's humorous stories about Denisk Korablev, united in a cycle under the general title "Deniskin's Stories", brought wide popularity and great popularity to Viktor Dragunsky. Collections "Tell Me About Singapore" (1961), "The Man with a Blue Face" (1962), "The Girl at Sea" (1964), "The Old Navigator" (1964), "Deniskin's Tales" (1966), "The Dog Thief" (1966) and others were reprinted many times, becoming the basis for scripts and productions. The stories about Denisk are autobiographical: the prototype of the protagonist was the writer's son Denis, they reflected some of the actual events in the life of the family.

Among other works of Dragunsky, the most significant were the story "He Fell on the Grass" (1961) about the first days of the war and the story "Today and Daily" (1964) about the life of circus workers.

Based on the writer's works, the short films "Where has it been seen, where has it been heard" (1973) and "The Captain" (1973), the film almanac "Magic Power" (1970), as well as the films "Funny Stories" (1962), "Girl on ball "(1966)," Deniskin's stories "(1970)," In secret to the whole world "(1976)," The Amazing Adventures of Denis Korablev "(1979)," The Clown "(1980).

The writer was married twice. His first wife was the actress Elena Kornilova, who gave birth to his son Leonid. Subsequently, Leonid Kornilov (1937-2007) became a graduate of the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University and a journalist,