March 27 (March 15, on the old style) of 1881 was born Arkady Timofeevich Averchenko - Russian Writer-humorist, playwright, theatrical critic, editor of the famous satirical magazine "Satirikon" (from 1914 - "New Satirikon").

During his lifetime, he was compared with the overseas humorists by Mark Twain and O. Genry, and the simple reading public complained Arkady Timofeevich title "King of Lekhe". And today, his works, along with the humorous stories of Tefhi and other authors of the beginning of the 20th century, are very popular with the widest range of readers.

Childhood and youth

Arkady Averchenko was born in Sevastopol, in a poor and large merchant family. Arkady had six sisters and three brothers who died in infancy. Father, Timofey Petrovich Averchenko, was the owner of a small store, but soon he broke up, and the family barely reduced the ends with the ends.

Arkady Averchenko can be safely called a real literary "nugget" - the future writer did not receive any systematic education. According to the humorous "autobiography", written by Averchenko himself for one of his books, he did not have the desire to learn, and therefore was pretended to be sick and weak. Therefore, the gymnasium did not attend, and the senior sisters were engaged at home with him. In fact, due to injury, the eye obtained in childhood, Arkady was forced to study at home. Subsequently, already leaving the family, he managed to finish only two classes of urban real schools.

At the age of 15, the father defined the young men to the junior writer in the transport office, where Averchenko served a little over a year. Then, according to the advice of acquaintances, he settled up in the office of coal mines in the Donbas. The harsh life on the mines approached the young man: the main entertainment, both for miners and for employees, the office was non-digestion and drunken fights.

Later, internally shuddering, the writer recalled:

"It was the most dirty and deaf mine in the world. Between the autumn and other time of the year, the difference was only that the autumn dirt was there above the knees, and at another time - below. And all the inhabitants of this place drank like shoemakers, and I drank no worse than others ... ... When the Rudniki Board was translated into Kharkov, and I was taken there, and I came to the soul and fastener. "

In Kharkov, the literary debut of Arcadia Averchenko took place. On October 31, 1903, the local newspaper "South Edge" placed his first story "How I had to insure life." For a hardly trained letter of a 22-year-old employee, it was a big event.

Averchenko himself believed his literary debut of the story "Righteous", published in 1904.

In 1906-1907, Arkady Timofeevich was committed by throwing his service in the office, and all gives him literary creativity. He edits in Kharkov satirical magazines "Bnyk" and "Sword", where often performs the only author of the entire number: draws cartoons and cartoons, publishes its materials in different sections under numerous aliases.

According to Avtobiography, Averchenko, whether due to satirical sharp, or because of the caricature placed in the journal, in 1907 the writer had a conflict with local authorities. Governor of Peshkov fined the edition by 500 rubles. Since Averchenko did not have such money (from his service by that time he was already fired), the humorist remained anything, how to leave Kharkov and look for happiness in the capital.

"Satirikon"

In 1907, Averchenko works as a secretary of the editorial board of the Satyric magazine "Dragonfly". On April 1, 1908, Dragonfly was transformed into a new weekly magazine "Satirikon", which then had a noticeable impact on the public consciousness of Russia. The first editor-in-chief of the journal became the artist Alexey Alexandrovich Radakov (1877-1942), and from the ninth room this post passed to the humorist writer, the permanent author of Arkady Timofeevich Averchenko.

The editorial office of Satiron was located on Nevsky Prospekt, in the house number 9. The new humorous magazine was a cheerful and caustic, sarcastic and evil. The witty text in it often kneaded with stinging cartoons, funny jokes were replaced by a political cartoon. From many other humorous editions of those years, Satirikon was distinguished by its social content: here, without going beyond the fractions, uncompromisingly ridiculated, the representatives of the authorities, the obscurantist, and therass.

In the magazine, such "stars" of domestic journalism, like O.Dimov, V.Azov, Satiriki Tefhi, V.Knyazev, Sasha, Black and A. Bukhov, famous writers L. Andreev, A. Tolstoy, V.Makovsky was printed. With illustrations, the famous Russian artists of B. Kustodiev, I. Bribin, A. Benua. For a relatively short period - from 1908 to 1918 - this satirical magazine (and his late version "New Satirikon") created a whole direction in Russian literature and an unforgettable era in its history.

Satirikon attracted readers by the fact that his authors, unlike other satirical publications, practically refused to induce specific high-ranking persons. They did not have "generally binding love for the younger wrench." After all, the stupidity is everywhere remains nonsense, vulgarity - vulgarity, and therefore the desire to show a person such situations when he himself is ridiculous. Satira Liric, self-ironymia come to replace the objective satire, which allow to reveal the character "from the inside." This was especially brightly manifested in the works of Tehfi and Averchenko, where the object of satirical or humorous image is the usual man in the street, a man from the crowd.

During the journal, in 1911, his publisher M.G. Cornefeld released in the magazine library "Universal history treated with Satirikon". The authors of this brilliant parody-satirical work were A.Averchenko, TEFFI, O. Smomov, and O.L. D'or

The popularity of TEFFI and Averchenko in those years is difficult to find analogues. Suffice it to say that Nikolai II himself gladly read these authors and bought their books in the skin and atlas. And it is not by chance that the beginning of the "Universal History" was instructed to "process" the TEFFI. Knowing, whose beloved writer she was, the objections of censorship could not be afraid. Thus, speaking against the Duma, government, officials, bureaucrats of all the masters, Sachirikon, with the highest favor, unexpectedly came to the role of a legal opposition; His authors managed to make their poetic and prosaic creativity in politics much more than any politician.

In May 1913, a split on the basis of financial issues occurred in the magazine. As a result, Averchenko and all the best literary forces left the editors and founded the magazine "New Satirikon". The former Satirikon under the leadership of Cornfeld continued to leave for some time, but, having lost the best authors, closed in April 1914. "New Satirikon" continued to exist successfully (18 rooms came) until the summer of 1918, when it was banned by the Bolsheviks for the counter-revolutionary orientation.

"King of laughter"

In addition to editorial and literary work in Satirikon, in 1910-12, A. Averschenko declares itself as a wonderful writer.

In 1910, three books of Averchenko are published, who made it famous for all reading Russia: "Merry Oysters", the first book "Stories (humorous)", "Bunnies on the wall", Book II.

The books of "Circles on Water" and "Stories for Recovery" came out in 1912 finally approved for their author's title "King of Laughter."

In the next five years, the best humorist of Russia added a fame, participating in theatrical productions, editing the Favoric Log "Satirikon's favorite readers, creating small humorous masterpieces. But suddenly literally the whole country captured politics.

Revolution and Civil War

The February Revolution of 1917 A. Averchenko, like most Russian liberal intelligentsia, perceived enthusiassed. But after October, the role of the legal opposition, which has strengthened by the magazine "New Sachirikon", no longer complied with the requirements of the new government. Averchenko and Tefthi's acute illuminated publications were not mixed, and once again annoyed the Bolshevik leaders, which in March 1918 took care of the closure of all bourgeois newspapers and publications.

In August 1918, editable A. Averchenko "New Satirikon" was closed. Thus, the authorities declared the political unreliability of the humorist and the entire editorial office. What could have resulted in exercise for such a statement - the editor was not difficult to imagine. Averchenko, together with Tehfi and several familiar actresses, runs from Petrograd to south under the pretext of concerts in the province. Moscow, Kiev, Kharkov, Rostov-on-Don, Ekaterinodar, Novorossiysk, Melitopol ... In early April 1919, he arrived in his native Sevastopol.

In Crimea, the writer worked almost without rest. In the morning, "Charged", working to the music with Puddhah Garyami. In the afternoon, if I managed, I ran into the street craft, where his mother lived and two married sisters. Everything else, he belonged to the editorial board and the theater, and not one, but a few. He wrote and acted as readers, artist and entertainer, responding to urgent problems with the sharpness characteristic.

Together with A. Kamensky Averchenko, he headed the literary part of the House of Artist's House of Artist, established in Sevastopol in September 1919. One of the first productions was the new play A. Averchenko "Medicine from nonsense", in which the author acted as an actor. On November 2 of the same year, Arkady Timofeevich, together with the famous writer TEFFI (Hope Alexandrovna Lochwitz) gave a great concert at the Theater of the Sevastopol City Assembly.

Another Theater of Sevastopol - Renaissance - noted the beginning of 1920 by the premiere of the play A. Averchenko "Game with Death". In mid-January 1920, he organized the evening of humor with the participation of Arkady Timofeevich. And in the theater "Science and Life", the writer performed with monoconcerts or together with the popular actress M. Maradudina.

In April 1920, on the street Ekaterininskaya (now st. Lenin), 8, another theater was opened with the romantic name "nest of migratory birds". In it, the humor writer has always taken joy. It will take a little time, and Arkady Averchenko himself will lead the troupe with the same name: "The nest of migratory birds, but already in Constantinople. This theater, together with the cabaret Alexander Vertinsky "Black Rose", will be the most famous in the emigrant environment. And then, in 1920, Averchenko toured successfully with the theater in the Crimea, having visited concerts in Balaclaw, Evpatoria and Simferopol.

Curious information left contemporaries of the writer about his theatrical evenings in Sevastopol: "Overlook the evening usually Averchenko himself, and because of him, actually, and people went to the theater in the evenings."

Writer masterfully knew how to move from a soft humor to a murderous satire. Recall him a conversation with an 8-year-old girl in the story "Grass, the Crown Bog". It's not by chance that Averchenko was called that the "Red Sun" - for softness, then the "drummer of literature" - for the accuracy of the characteristics.

Before leaving from Sevastopol abroad, A. Averchenko managed to publish a collection of stories and fekelons "unclean power". One of the copies of the book managed to transfer to the United States, where the collection was reprinted in 1921. By the way, not only this, but also the three subsequent books of Arkady Timofeevich was the anthology of his stories, jokes and feuethons (and they were gained at least 190), published in Sevastopol newspapers "South" and "South Russia". The book "Boiling boiler" on the events of the civil war in Crimea was exclusively Sevastopol, although it appeared in 1922.

Emigration

On November 10, 1920, together with the Russian army of General Wrangel, Averchenko left the Crimea on one of the last transports.

From November 1920 to March 1922, he lived in Istanbul (Constantinople). During these years, Constantinople became the focus of the main mass of Russian refugees who were still hoping for a change in the political situation and a quick return to their homeland. Here, among the Russian-speaking public, Averchenko felt pretty comfortable. He organized the theatrical troupe "nest of flight birds", performed by her by the leader and entrepreneur, he himself participated in concerts, continued his literary creativity.

In 1921, a collection of pamphlets Averchenko "Dozen knives in the back of the revolution was released in Paris. Her heroes, representatives of various social layers - nobles, merchants, officials, military, workers - with nostalgia remember the past life. He followed the collection of "Dozen Portraits in Format BooR." In the same year, the article Lenin "Talented Book" was published, in which Averchenko was named "embittered before the White Guard", but at the same time the leader of the Bolsheviks found the book "Highly Breeding".

By 1922, Russian refugees began to rapidly leave the Turkish capital: many went to Europe to re-start their lives. For Averchenko, which, unlike most emigrants, did not have even a gymnasic course of French or German, adaptation to the realities of refugee life took place especially painfully.

He decides not to leave the Slavic countries - goes first in Sofia, then in Belgrade, and in June 1922 it is in Prague in June. The Czech government loyally referred to Russian emigrants, so in the 1920s, most Russian literary societies, publishing houses, periodicals were concentrated here, a literary life continued.

In the Czech Republic, Averchenko was very popular: his creative evenings were held with noisy success, books were published, and many stories were translated into Czech.

"Two Worlds" in the work of Averchenko

From 1917 to 1925, in the work of Averchenko, the world is clearly divided into two parts: the world before the revolution and the world after the revolution. These two worlds from the writer are toughly opposed. Averchenko perceives the revolution as a deception of a working person who must at a certain point spook and return everything in its place in this country. Averchenko-Satirik brings the situation to the absurdity: the books and the most necessary things disappear from people. In the story "Lesson in Soviet school", children in the book study what food was. The writer also depicts the main Russian politicians of Trotsky and Lenin in the images of a disturbing husband and a grumpy wife ("Kings at home"). The second world of Russia in Averchenko is the world of refugees, the world of those who "caught" for emigration. This world is fragmented and appears primarily in the image of Constantinople. Here you can note the stories "Konstantinople" and "On Coffins, Cockroach and Empty Inside Baba", in which three people are trying to survive in Constantinople, they share with each other their experiences about how each of them earns their bread.

Working in the famous newspaper Prager Presse, Arkady Timofeevich wrote a lot of sparkling and witty stories, in which Nostalgia and a huge longing of old Russia felt, forever who had ever been to the past. In 1922, the collection "Children" is published in Prague. Averchenko describes the perception of post-revolutionary events with the eyes of a child, features of children's psychology and a unique fantasy. In 1923, in the Berlin Publishing House North, his collection of emigrant stories "Note Simproin" came out. These are stories about the life of a wide variety of characters and types of man, their joys and suffering, adventures and cruel struggle. At about the same time, the collection of stories "Boiling boiler" and the drama "on the sea" are published.

In 1925, after the operation to remove the eyes of Arkady Averchenko, seriously ill. On January 28, it was put in a clinic in almost unconscious, with a diagnosis of the "weakening of the heart muscle, the expansion of the aorta and sclerosis of the kidneys."

On the morning of March 12, 1925, Arkady Averchenko died. He was buried at the Olshansky Cemetery in Prague. The last work of the writer was the novel "Joke of the Metsenite", written in Sopot in 1923, and published in 1925, after his death.

Based on materials: V.Sukhorukov

The main dates of life and creativity A. T. Averchenko

1880 , 15 (27) Martha - in Sevastopol in the family of a merchant of the 2nd guild Timofey Petrovich Averchenko and Susanna Pavlovna (in Major - Sofronova), the son of Arkady was born.

1895 - Enters the service of a scribe to the Sevastopol office for the transportation of laying.

1896 , July - The older sister Maria is married to the engineer Ivan Terentyev, with whom it goes at the place of his service to the Bryansk mine (Lugansk region). Arkady leaves with them.

1896–1900 - Works assistant to the Railway at the Bryansk Mine. 1900 - Moves to Kharkov together with the office of the Bryansk mine. 1902-1903 - Debuts as a fechelonist and author of humorous stories in the journal "Dandelion" and the South Krai newspaper.

1905 - Collaborates in the newspapers "Kharkiv provincial statements", "Morning", in the "Kharkov alarm clock", where the section "Kharkov from different Sides" leads.

1906 - gets serious injury to the left eye. Treatment in clinics of professors-ophthalmologists L. L. Girschman and O. P. Brantstein. It becomes an employee and editor of the Kharkov Satiriko-humorous magazine "Shield".

1907 - becomes an employee and editor of the Kharkov Satiriko-humorous magazine "Sword".

December - Leaving from Kharkov to St. Petersburg.

1908 , January - becomes an employee, and then editor of the journal "Dragonfly".

April 1 - comes out the first issue of Satirikon magazine; Starting from the ninth number becomes its editor.

1910 - Releases satirco-humorous collections: "Stories (humorous). The first book "," Merry Oysters. Humorous stories "and" Bunnies on the wall. Stories (humorous). Second book.

1911 - Releases satirco-humorous collection "Stories (humorous). Third book. " He was awarded the title "King of laughter." June - July - Makes the first overseas journey (Germany, Italy, France) accompanied by artists A. Radakov and Re-Mi, Prosaika G. Landau. Attends Maxim Gorky on the island of Capri.

1912 - I experience the passion for actress by Alexander Sadovskaya. Releases collections: "Circles on water" (with dedication to A. Ya. Sadovskaya) and "Stories for recovering".

Spring - Makes a joint touring journey with satyrconets V. Azov and O. Smokov, actors A. Ya. Sadovskaya and F. P. Fedorov (Odessa, Chisinau, Kiev, Rostov-on-Don, Kharkov).

Summer - makes a second overseas journey with a goal of rest on the island of Lido in the vicinity of Venice.

1913 - takes part in the celebration of the decade of the Vienna restaurant and the release of the jubilee almanac.

May - enters the conflict with the publisher of Satiron M. Cornfeld and comes out of the editorial board. Together with Artists A. Radakov and N. Remizov, it creates its own magazine "New Satirikon".

June 6 - the first issue of the magazine "New Satirikon" comes out. July - moves to a new apartment at: Troitskaya Street, 15/17, square. 203.

1914 - Releases satirco-humorous collections "Weed Herbs" and "On Good, in Essence, People".

May - rides in the tour of the Volga, accompanied by actors A. Ya. Sadovskaya and D. A. Dobrina (Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Simbirsk, Samara, Syzran, Saratov, Tsaritsyn, Astrakhan).

1915 - Releases satirco-humorous collections: "Wolf Pits", "Miracles in Sray", "On Little For Large. Stories about children "," black on white ".

June - July - takes a tour of the Caucasus tour, stands before the wounded.

1916 , December - the full medical examination is passed; Military service is recognized as "notable."

1917 - Releases satirco-humorous collections: "Blue with gold", "Karasi and Pikes. The stories of the last day, "the story" the focus and two others. "

February - March - publishes the magazine of Pamflet "Eshafot".

Spring - publishes the magazine "Drum". Transfers the editing of the "New Satiron" A. S. Bukhov.

1918 , August - Bolsheviks cover "New Satirikon".

September - runs to Moscow, followed by departure to Kiev. October - 1919, February - alternately lives in Kiev, Kharkov, Rostov-on-Don, Novorossiysk, Melitopol.

1919 February - comes to Sevastopol.

April - June - works on the play "Playing with Death".

July 25 - the first issue of the South newspaper, the printed organ of the Volunteer White Army, Averchenko becomes its permanent author leading the heading "Little Faken".

September - participates in the ideas of Sevastopol Cabaret Theater "House of Artist".

1920 - Releases satirco-humorous collections "Dozen knives in the back of the revolution" and "unclean power".

January - present on the formulation of his play "Playing with Death" in the Renaissance theater.

March - conflict with the White Army Military Censor, the consequence of which the closure of the South newspaper becomes. Vangel visits Baron and seeks to resume the release of the newspaper under the new name "South Russia".

April - joins the troupe of the "Theater of a Cheerful joke and artistic trifles" - "nest of migratory birds", where he performs the responsibilities of Entertainer and the author-reader.

1921 - Lives in Constantinople, cooperates in the magazine "Zarnitsa", the PRESSE DU SOIR newspaper, produces a satirco-humorous collection of "Proshirochny notes". Works in the theater-cabaret "Nest of migratory birds". Reprins in Paris a collection of "Dozen knives in the back of the revolution."

On November 22, it becomes the object of increased attention of emigration in connection with the appearance of a positive review of V. I. Lenin in the "Pravda" on the book "Dozen knives in the back of the revolution."

1922 - Releases satirco-humorous collection "Boiling boiler". April 15 - together with the troupe of "nests of migratory birds" arrives on tour in Sofia.

May - comes together with the troupe of the "nest of migratory birds" in Belgrade.

June 17 - comes to Prague. Sets the hotel "Zlata Husa". It becomes a member of the Union of Russian Writers and Journalists in Czechoslovakia.

July - September - takes a concert tour of Czechoslovakia cities.

1923 , January - meets New Year in Berlin, taking part in the "New Year's meeting of humorists."

January - April - takes a concert tour of the cities of the Baltic and Poland, accompanied by a marital couple of actors of Raisa Rich and Yevgeny Izoladov.

May - July - resting in the basement and works on the novel "The joke of the patron".

August - September - "Joke of the Metsenite" is published by the Koven newspaper "Echo".

1924 , April - May - performs in Berlin with reading his stories.

June - transfers the operation to remove the left eye. The postoperative course of treatment in the clinic of Professor-ophthalmologist Bruckner is held.

1925 , January - March - lies in the Prague City Hospital and undergoes a course of treatment in the clinic of Professor Sillaby.

Basic dates of life and creativity 1883, April 30 - Yaroslav Gashek was born in Prague - Prague was taken to the gymnasium on Living Street.1898, February 12 - leaves the gymnasium. 1899 - Enters Prague Commercial School. , January 26 - in the newspaper "Parodies Sheets"