Sources: 1) Personal information. 2) Works of Kozma Prutkov. 3) Obituary of Kozma Petrovich Prutkov in the magazine "Contemporary", 1863, book. IV, signed by K. I. Sherstobitov. 4) "Correspondence" Mr. Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov, in the gas. "St. Petersburg Vedomosti" 1874, No. 37, on the occasion of the "Christomathy for All" published by Mr. Gerbel. 5) Articles: "Protection of the memory of Kozma Prutkov", into gas. "New Time" 1877, No. 892, and 1881, No. 2026, signed "An indispensable member of Kozma Prutkov." 6) Letter to the editor of the Vek magazine from the city of Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov, in the newspapers: "Voice" 1883, No. 40, and "New Time", 1883, No. 2496. 7) Article: "The origin of the pseudonym Kozma Prutkov" G. A. Zhemchuzhnikov, placed in the "News", 1883, No. 20.
Kozma Petrovich Prutkov spent his entire life, except for the years of childhood and early adolescence, in the public service: first in the military department, and then in the civil service. He was born April 11, 1803; died January 13, 1863
In the Obituary and in other articles about him, attention was drawn to the following two facts: firstly, that he marked all his printed prose articles on the 11th of April or any other month; and secondly, that he wrote his name: Kozma, not Kuzma. Both of these facts are true; but the first of them was misunderstood. It was believed that, marking his works with the 11th number, he wanted to commemorate his birthday each time; in fact, he did not commemorate his birthday with such a mark, but his wonderful dream, probably only coincidentally coincided with his birthday and had an impact on his whole life. The content of this dream is described below, according to Kozma Prutkov himself. As for the way he wrote his name, in reality he was not even written "Kozma", but Kosma, like his famous namesakes: Cosmas and Damian, Cosmas Minin, Cosmas Medici and a few like it.
In 1820, he entered the military service, only for the uniform, and stayed in this service for just over two years, in the hussars. It was at this time that he had the aforementioned dream. Namely: on the night of April 10-11, 1823, returning home late from a comrade's drinking bout and barely lying down on his bed, he saw in front of him a naked brigadier general, in epaulettes, who, having lifted him from the bed by the hand and not allowing him to get dressed, silently led him along some long and dark corridors to the top of a high and pointed mountain, and there he began to take out various precious materials in front of him from the ancient crypt, showing them to him one after another and even trying some of them on his chilled body. Prutkov expected with bewilderment and fear the denouement of this incomprehensible event; but suddenly, from the touch of the most expensive of these matters, he felt a strong electric shock throughout his body, from which he woke up covered in perspiration. It is not known what significance Kozma Petrovich Prutkov attached to this vision. But, often talking about him later, he always came into great excitement and ended his story with a loud exclamation: “On the same morning, barely waking up, I decided to leave the regiment and resigned; and when the resignation came out, I immediately decided to serve in the Ministry of Finance, in the Assay Office, where I will stay forever! - Indeed, having entered the Assay Chamber in 1823, he remained there until his death, that is, until January 13, 1863. The authorities distinguished and rewarded him. Here, in this Tabernacle, he was honored to receive all civil ranks, up to and including the actual state councilor, and the highest position: director of the Assay Tabernacle; and then the Order of St. Stanislav of the 1st degree, who always seduced him, as can be seen from the fable "The Star and the Belly."
In general, he was very pleased with his service. Only during the period of preparing the reforms of the last reign, he seemed to be at a loss. At first it seemed to him that the soil was leaving from under him, and he began to grumble, shouting everywhere about the prematureness of any reforms and that he was “the enemy of all so-called questions!”. However, later, when the inevitability of reforms became undeniable, he himself tried to distinguish himself by reforming projects and was very indignant when these projects rejected him for their obvious failure. He explained this by envy, disrespect for experience and merit, and began to fall into despondency, even despair. In one of the moments of such gloomy despair, he wrote a mystery: "The Affinity of World Forces", which is published for the first time in this edition and quite correctly conveys the then painful state of his spirit. Soon, however, he calmed down, felt the old atmosphere around him, and under him the old soil. He again began to write projects, but in a shy direction, and they were accepted with approval. This gave him reason to return to his former complacency and expect a significant promotion. A sudden nervous shock that befell him in the director's office of the Assay Tent, at the very departure of the service, put an end to these hopes, ending his glorious days. This edition contains for the first time his "Death" poem, recently found in the secret file of the Assay Chamber.
But no matter how great his service successes and virtues, they alone would not have brought him even a hundredth of the glory that he acquired by his literary activity. Meanwhile, he spent more than forty years in public service (including the hussars), and acted publicly in the literary field for only five years (in 1853-54 and in the 1860s).
Until 1850, precisely before his accidental acquaintance with a small circle of young people, consisting of several Zhemchuzhnikov brothers and their cousin, Count Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Kozma Petrovich Prutkov never thought of either literary or any other public activities. He understood himself only as an assiduous official of the Assay Chamber and did not dream of anything further in official success. In 1850, Count A. K. Tolstoy and Alexei Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov, not foreseeing serious consequences from their undertaking, took it into their head to assure him that they saw in him remarkable talents for dramatic creativity. He, believing them, wrote under their leadership the comedy "Fantasy", which was performed on the stage of the St. Petersburg Alexandria Theater, in the highest presence, on January 8, 1851, for the benefit of the then favorite of the public, Mr. Maksimov 1st. On the same evening, however, she was withdrawn from the theatrical repertoire, by special order; this can only be explained by the originality of the plot and the bad acting of the actors. It is being printed for the first time only now.
This first failure did not cool the novice writer either to his new friends or to the literary field. He obviously began to believe in his literary talents. Moreover, the aforementioned Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov and his brother Alexander encouraged him, persuading him to engage in composing fables. He immediately became jealous of the glory of I. A. Krylov, especially since I. A. Krylov was also in the public service and was also a knight of the Order of St.. Stanislav 1st degree. In this mood, he wrote three fables: "Forget-me-nots and commas," "The conductor and the tarantula," and "The heron and the racing droshky"; they were published in the magazine. "Contemporary" (1851, book XI, in "Notes of the New Poet") and the public liked it very much. The well-known writer Druzhinin published a very sympathetic article about them, it seems, in the journal Library for Reading.
Taking these first steps in literature, Kozma Petrovich Prutkov, however, did not think of indulging in it. He only obeyed the persuasion of his new acquaintances. He was pleased to be convinced of his new talents, but he was afraid and did not want to be known as a writer; therefore he concealed his name from the public. His first work, the comedy "Fantasy", he gave out on the poster for writing some kind of "Y and Z"; and his first three fables, named above, he gave to the press without any name. This was the case until 1852; but this year a radical revolution took place in his personality under the influence of three persons from the aforementioned circle: Count A. K. Tolstoy, Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov and Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov. These three persons took possession of him, took him under their wing and developed in him those typical qualities that made him known as Kozma Prutkov. He became self-confident, self-satisfied, harsh; he began to address the public "as one in authority"; and in this new and final image of his, he talked with the public for five years, in two stages, namely: in 1853-54, placing his works in the magazine. "Sovremennik", in the "Yeralash" section, under the general title: "Leisure of Kozma Prutkov"; and in 1860-64, published in the same magazine in the "Whistle" section, under the general title: "Down and Feathers (Daunen und Federn)". In addition, during his second appearance before the public, some of his works (see about this in the first footnote of this essay) were published in the journal. "Iskra" and one in the magazine. "Entertainment", 1861, No. 18. The intervening six years, between the two appearances of Kozma Prutkov in print, were for him those years of agonizing embarrassment and despair, which were mentioned above.
In both of his short-term appearances in the press, Kozma Prutkov turned out to be amazingly diverse, namely: a poet, a fabulist, a historian (see his “Excerpts from Grandfather’s Notes”), and a philosopher (see his “Fruits of Meditation”), and a dramatic writer . And after his death, it turned out that at the same time he managed to write government projects, as a bold and determined administrator (see his project: “On the introduction of unanimity in Russia”, printed without this title, with his obituary, in Sovremennik, 1863, book IV). And in all kinds of this versatile activity, he was equally sharp, resolute, self-confident. In this respect he was the son of his time, which was distinguished by self-confidence and disrespect for obstacles. That was, as you know, the time of the famous teaching: "zeal overcomes everything." It is hardly even Kozma Prutkov who was the first to formulate this doctrine in the aforementioned phrase, when he was still in minor ranks? At least, it is in his “Fruits of Meditation” under No. 84. Faithful to this teaching and excited by his guardians, Kozma Prutkov did not doubt that he only needed to exert zeal to take possession of all knowledge and talents. The question is, however: 1) to what does Kozma Prutkov owe the fact that, despite his low qualities, he so quickly acquired and still retains the glory and sympathy of the public? and 2) what guided his guardians by developing these qualities in him?
To resolve these important issues, it is necessary to delve into the essence of the matter, “look at the root”, in the words of Kozma Prutkov; and then the personality of Kozma Prutkov will turn out to be as dramatic and enigmatic as the personality of Hamlet. Both of them cannot do without comments, and both inspire sympathy for themselves, although for different reasons. Kozma Prutkov was obviously the victim of the three persons mentioned, who arbitrarily became his guardians or minions. They treated him like "false friends", exhibited in tragedies and dramas. They, under the guise of friendship, developed in him such qualities that they wanted to ridicule in public. Under their influence, he adopted from other people who were successful: courage, complacency, self-confidence, even impudence, and began to consider his every thought, each of his writings and sayings to be the truth worthy of disclosure. He suddenly considered himself a dignitary in the field of thought and began to smugly expose his narrow-mindedness and his ignorance, which otherwise would have remained unknown outside the walls of the Assay House. From this it is clear, however, that his guardians, or "false friends," did not give him any new bad qualities: they only encouraged him, and thus they called out such qualities of him that had been hidden before the accident. Encouraged by his slanderers, he himself began to demand that they listen to him; and when they began to listen to him, he showed such a self-confident misunderstanding of reality, as if there was a label over every word and work of his: "everything human is alien to me."
The self-confidence, self-satisfaction and mental limitations of Kozma Prutkov expressed themselves especially clearly in his “Fruits of Meditation”, that is, in his “Thoughts and Aphorisms”. Usually the form of aphorisms is used to convey the conclusions of worldly wisdom; but Kozma Prutkov took advantage of it in a different way. For the most part of his aphorisms, he either speaks with dignity "official" vulgarities, or breaks with an effort through open doors, or expresses such "thoughts" that not only have no relation to his time and country, but, as it were, are outside of all time and whatever the area. At the same time, in his aphorisms one often hears not advice, not instruction, but a command. His famous "watch out!" reminiscent of a military command: "Ply!" And in general, Kozma Prutkov spoke out so smugly, boldly and persistently that he made me believe in his wisdom. According to the proverb: “the courage of the city takes”, Kozma Prutkov won literary fame for himself with his courage. Being mentally handicapped, he gave wisdom advice; not being a poet, he wrote poetry and dramatic works; believing to be a historian, he told jokes; having neither education, nor even the slightest understanding of the needs of the fatherland, he composed management projects for him. - “Ezeal overcomes everything!” ...
The aforementioned three guardians of Kozma Prutkov carefully developed in him such qualities, in which he turned out to be completely unnecessary for his country; and, besides this, they ruthlessly robbed him of all such that might make him at least a little useful. The presence of the former and the absence of the latter are equally comical, and just as Kozma Prutkov retained a deep, innate good nature, which makes him innocent in all antics, he turned out to be amusing and sympathetic. Therein lies the drama of his position. Therefore, he can rightly be called the victim of his guardians: he unconsciously and against his will amused, serving their purposes. Without these guardians, he would hardly have dared, while he was only the director of the Assay Office, to expose himself so frankly, self-confidently and smugly to the public.
But is it fair to reproach the guardians of Kozma Prutkov for putting him on the funny side? After all, only through this they brought him fame and sympathy of the public; and Kozma Prutkov loved fame. He even rejected in print the validity of the opinion that "glory is smoke." He confessed with a seal that he "wants fame," that "glory amuses a man." His guardians guessed that he would never understand the comical nature of his fame and would childishly enjoy it. And he really enjoyed his fame with enthusiasm, until his death, always believing in his extraordinary and diverse gifts. He was proud of himself and happy: the most well-intentioned guardians would not have given him more than that.
The glory of Kozma Prutkov was established so quickly that in the very first year of his public literary activity (in 1853) he was already busy preparing a separate edition of his works with a portrait. For this, three artists were then invited by him, who painted and redrawn on a stone his portrait, printed in the same 1853 in Tyulin's lithograph, in a significant number of copies. edition. The following year, it turned out that all the printed copies of the portrait, except for five, withheld by the publishers immediately after printing, disappeared, along with the stone, when the premises of Tyulin's lithograph were changed; that is why the present edition includes a photohyalotype copy, in a reduced format, from one of the surviving copies of that portrait, and not genuine prints.
Treasuring the memory of Kozma Prutkov, one cannot fail to point out those details of his appearance and clothing, which he attributed to the artists in the portrait as a special merit; namely: skillfully curled and disheveled, chestnut, with gray hair; two warts: one at the top of the right side of the forehead, and the other at the top of the left cheekbone; a piece of black English plaster around his neck, under his right cheekbone, where he used to get regular razor cuts; long, sharp ends of a shirt collar sticking out from under a colored scarf tied around the neck with a wide and long loop; a cloak-almaviva, with a black velvet collar, picturesquely thrown over the shoulder at one end; the left hand, tightly covered with a white suede glove of a special cut, exposed from under the almaviva, with expensive rings over the glove (these rings were granted to him on various occasions).
When the portrait of Kozma Prutkov was already painted on the stone, he demanded that a lyre be added below, from which rays emanate upward. The artists satisfied this desire of his, as far as possible in the finished portrait; but in the reduced copy from the portrait, attached to the present edition, these poetic rays, unfortunately, are hardly noticeable.
Kozma Prutkov never abandoned his intention to publish his works separately. In 1860, he even announced in print (in the journal Sovremennik, in a footnote to the poem Disappointment) about their forthcoming publication; but circumstances have prevented the fulfillment of this intention of his until now. Now it is carried out, among other things, to protect the type and literary rights of Kozma Prutkov, which belong exclusively to his literary founders named in this essay.
In view of the erroneous indications in the press about the participation of various other persons in the activities of Kozma Prutkov, it seems useful to repeat information about their cooperation!
Firstly: the literary personality of Kozma Prutkov was created and developed by three persons, namely: Count Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Alexei Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov and Vladimir Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov.
Secondly: The cooperation in this matter was rendered by two persons, in the amount specified here, namely:
1) Alexander Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov, who took a very significant part in composing not only three fables: "Forget-me-nots and commas", "The Conductor and the Tarantula" and "The Heron and the Racetrack", but also the comedy "Blondes" and the unfinished comedy "Love and Silin" (see about it in initial callout), and
2) Pyotr Pavlovich Ershov, the famous writer of the fairy tale "The Little Humpbacked Horse", to whom several couplets were delivered, placed in the second picture of the operetta: "Skulls, that is, Phrenologist".
And thirdly: therefore, no one - neither from the editors and employees of the Sovremennik magazine, nor from all other Russian writers - had the slightest participation in the authorship of Kozma Prutkov.
Notes:
In the same state of mind he wrote a poem "Before the sea of life", also published for the first time in this edition.
These artists were then students of the Academy of Arts, who studied and lived together: Lev Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov,
Alexander Egorovich Beideman and Lev Feliksovich
Lagorio. Their original drawing is still preserved by L. M. Zhem-
Chuzhnikov. Tyulin's lithograph mentioned here was located in St. Petersburg on Vasilievsky Island along the 5th line, opposite the Academy of Arts.
So it was announced by Mr. Tyulin to V. M. Zhemchuzhnikov in 1854 in the new premises of lithography. Subsequently, some persons acquired these
missing copies by purchase at Apraksin Yard.
P. P. Ershov personally handed over these couplets to V. M. Zhemchuzhnikov in Tobolsk, in 1854, declaring his desire: “Let Kozma Prutkov use them, because I myself no longer write anything.” Incidentally, in the biography of P. P. Ershov, published by Mr. Yaroslavtsev in 1872, on page 49 there is an excerpt from Ershov’s letter dated March 5, 1837, in which he mentions “couplets” for the vaudeville “Skulls”, written by his friend "Chizhov". Were it not these "couplets" who were handed over to P.P. Ershov in 1854? They also had the title "Skulls".
Brief obituary and two posthumous writings by Kozma Petrovich Prutkov
A terrible grief befell the family, friends and neighbors of Kuzma Petrovich Prutkov, but even more terrible is this grief for our domestic literature ... Yes, he is gone! He is no more, my dear uncle! This kind relative, this great thinker and the most gifted of poets, no longer exists; this useful statesman, always fair, but strict with regard to his subordinates!.. My most precious uncle Kuzma Petrovich Prutkov always zealously engaged in service, devoting to it most of his abilities and his time; he devoted only hours of leisure to science and the muses, then sharing with the public the fruits of these innocent labors. The authorities appreciated his jealousy and rewarded him according to his deserts: having started his service in 1816 as a cadet in one of the best hussar regiments, Kuzma Petrovich Prutkov died in the rank of a real state councilor, with a seniority of fifteen years and four and a half months, after twenty years (since 1841) impeccable management of the Assay Chamber! His subordinates loved but feared him. And for a long time to come, the officials of the Assay Chamber will probably remain in the memory of the majestic, but strict appearance of the deceased: his high, bent back brow, feathered below with thick reddish eyebrows, and above, overshadowed by poetically disheveled, chantret hair with gray hair; his cloudy, somewhat screwed up and contemptuous look; his yellow-chestnut complexion and hands; his serpentine sarcastic smile, which always showed a whole row of teeth, though blackened and thinned from tobacco and time, but still large and strong; finally, his forever thrown back head and his dearly beloved almaviva ... No, such a person cannot soon be erased from the memory of those who knew him!
Kuzma Petrovich Prutkov, at the age of 25, joined his fate with the fate of my dear aunt Antonida Platonovna, nee Proklevetantova. The inconsolable widow mourns her husband, from whom she had many children, in addition to the four daughters and six sons currently living. Her daughters, nieces dear to my heart, are distinguished by their pleasant appearance and high education, inherited from their late father; they are already in their mature years and - I boldly say - can make up the undoubted happiness of four young people who will be lucky enough to join their fate with theirs! The six sons of the deceased promise to firmly follow in the footsteps of their father, and I pray to heaven to grant them the strength and patience necessary for this! ..
Kuzma Petrovich, my amiable and incomparable uncle, died after long suffering in the arms of his tenderly loving wife, among the weeping of his children, relatives and many neighbors, reverently crowding around his suffering bed ... He died with a full consciousness of his useful and glorious life, instructing me to convey to the public that “dies calmly, being sure of the gratitude and fair judgment of posterity; and asks his contemporaries to be comforted, but to honor, however, his memory with a tear of the heart "... Peace be upon your ashes, great man and faithful son of his fatherland! It will not forget your services. There is no doubt that the time is not far off when your prophetic verse will be fulfilled:
In the portfolios of the late uncle, many of his unpublished works were found, not only poems, philosophical sayings and the continuation of the historical work, so well known to the public under the title "Excerpts from the Notes of My Grandfather", but also dramatic works. In a special briefcase, bearing a golden printed inscription: "Collection of the unfinished (d" inacheve) ", there are many very remarkable passages and sketches of the deceased, giving full opportunity to judge the incredible versatility of his talent and the immense information of this poet and thinker, so early lost by us From these last passages I extract so far one and lay it on the altar of the fatherland, like an aromatic flower in memory of my precious uncle ... I hope and am quite sure that an involuntary cry of surprise will break out of the chest of every patriot when reading this passage and that not one tear of gratitude and regret will honor the memory of the deceased! .. Here is the passage.
Here the manuscript is interrupted ... Unfortunately, death did not allow Kuzma Petrovich Prutkov to fully develop and complete this most remarkable work, weaving a new luxurious branch into the laurel wreath of my immortal uncle! ..
This work is marked as follows: "December 11, 1860 (annus, i)". Fulfilling the spiritual testament of the deceased, I make it my sacred duty to explain, for the information of future bibliographers, that Kuzma Petrovich Prutkov was born on April 11, 1801, not far from Solvychegodsk, in the village of Tenteleva; therefore, most of his writings, as readers themselves have probably noticed, are marked on the 11th of any month. Firmly believing, like other great men, in his star, my most venerable uncle never finished his manuscripts on another date than on the 11th. Exceptions to this are very rare, and the deceased did not even want to admit them.
Sincere nephew of Kuzma Petrovich Prutkov and his most beloved relative:
Kalistrat Ivanovich Sherstobitov.
The second posthumous work of Kuzma Petrovich Prutkov
For a greater characterization of Kuzma Petrovich Prutkov, as a statesman and a faithful son of the fatherland, I present here another excerpt from a portfolio filled with many unfinished works of the deceased (d "inacheve). This is a project, not completely finished, on which a note is made: "Serve on one of the solemn days at the discretion." This project was written in 1859, but whether it was submitted and accepted, I cannot be known due to my very low rank.
Retired lieutenant Voskoboynikov.
Note. In the margins of this remarkable project, which proves the bright outlook, statesmanship and boundless devotion of the late Kuzma Petrovich Prutkov to our common throne-fatherland, precious notes have been preserved that the gifted writer and servant intended to develop in the final finishing of his assumption. So, on the side of the treatise on the impossibility of correctly judging government measures without the mentoring instructions of the supreme authorities, there is the following note: “Likewise, an inexperienced child, temporarily left without a leader and meanwhile carried away by the cool shadow of a nearby forest, recklessly rushes into it from home, without thinking - oh, unfortunate! - that he lacks neither intelligence nor reason to find the way back. N.B. To develop this wonderful comparison, especially dwelling on a touching picture depicting crying parents, the despair of a delinquent caretaker and the repentance of the child himself, suffering from hunger and cold in the forest. From other remarks of the most venerable Kuzma Petrovich, it can be seen, among other things, that he, while calculating the income of the editorial staff from the official publication designed by him and assuming to launch it at a cheap price, at the same time recognized it as necessary: “1) on the one hand, to make a subscription to this publication obligatory for all offices; 2) on the other hand, to order all publishers and editors of private print media to reprint leading articles from the official media, only allowing themselves to repeat and develop them; 3) in addition, to impose monetary fines on them in favor of the editors of the official body for all those opinions that turn out to be contrary to the opinions recognized as dominant, and 4) at the same time to charge all the heads of individual parts of the administration with the duty to vigilantly lead and constantly report to one central place lists of all persons serving under their department, with the designation: which of them receives which magazines and newspapers, and who do not receive an official body, as not sympathizing with the beneficent forms of government, do not at all promote either in office or in rank and do not honor any awards, no business trips ... "Thus," concludes the esteemed Kuzma Petrovich Prutkov, "the government will avoid the danger of erroneously placing its trust."
I hope that the editors will not refuse to place this true historical document for the edification of posterity...
Sincerely devoted and dearly beloved nephew of the deceased
Timofey Sherstobitov.
From Kozma Prutkov to the reader
With a smile of stupid doubt, layman, you look at my face and my proud gaze; You are more interested in the capital's dandies, Their vulgar talk, empty talk. In your eyes, I, as in a book, read, That you are a faithful slander of a vain life, That you consider us to be a daring flock, You do not love; But listen to what a poet means. Who from childhood, owning a verse at the behest, Stuffed his hand and from his childhood years with the guise of a sufferer, for greater publicity, Decided to hide behind - that is a true poet! Who, despising everyone, curses the whole world, In whom there is no compassion and pity, Who looks at the tears of the unfortunate with laughter, - that powerful, great and strong poet! Who loves heartily former Hellas, Tunica, Athens, Acharna, Miletus, Zeus, Venus, Juno, Pallas - That wonderful, graceful, plastic poet! Whose verse is harmonious, rattling, even without thought, Full of fire, water cannons, rockets, To no avail, but truly calculated on the fingers, - He, too, believe me, is a great poet! .. So, do not be afraid when meeting with us, Although we are harsh and impudent in appearance And we tower proudly over your heads; But who else will distinguish us in the crowd ?! In the poet you see contempt and malice; He looks gloomy, sick, clumsy; But you look at least anyone in the womb - He is kind in soul and prejudiced in body.
An excerpt from the poem "Medic" (The crafty doctor...)
The crafty doctor is looking for medicine, To help the watchman's aunt, There is no medicine; he whistles into his fist, And it's already night in the yard. There is not a single flask in the closet, Only there by tomorrow One envelope with dry raspberries And very little rhubarb. Meanwhile, in a fever, the aunt is delirious, The aunt is sick with a fever... The crafty physician still does not go, She has been waiting for medicine for a long time! .. The old woman's body burns with fire, Nature's strange game! It's dry everywhere, but only the left calf is sweating... Here comes a hasty ding-ding-ding call from the front, You should come the other day! What? - Amen, Auntie! “There is no way to help the old woman” - So the evil doctor says, “Does she have an inheritance left? Who will pay me for the visit?
Memory of the past
As if from Heine I remember you as a child, Soon it will be forty years old; Your apron is wrinkled, Your tight corset. Was it awkward for you; You told me secretly: "Loosen my corset from behind; I can't run in it." All filled with excitement, I untied your corset... You ran away with a laugh, I stood thoughtfully.
Works of Kozma Prutkov. Minsk: Narodnaya Asveta, 1987.
Shepherd, milk and reader
Fable Once a shepherd was carrying milk somewhere, But so terribly far away, That he never returned back. Reader! he didn't get you?
Works of Kozma Prutkov. World Poetry Library. Rostov-on-Don, "Phoenix", 1996.
Before the sea of life
I'm still standing on a stone - Let me throw myself into the sea ... What will fate send me, Joy or sorrow? Maybe it will puzzle ... Maybe it won't offend ... After all, the grasshopper jumps, But where it doesn't see. * We remind you that this poem was written by Kozma Prutkov at a moment of despair and embarrassment about the impending government reforms. (See about this above, in "Biographical information").
Works of Kozma Prutkov. World Poetry Library. Rostov-on-Don, "Phoenix", 1996.
Letter from Corinth
Ancient Greek (dedicated to the city of Shcherbina) I recently arrived in Corinth ... Here are the steps, and here is the colonnade! I love the local marble nymphs And the sound of the Isthmian waterfall. All day long I sit in the sun, Rub the oil around my waist, Between the stones of Parian I follow the winding of the blind tinsel. Pomeranians grow before me, And I look at them in rapture. I cherish the peace I long for. "Beauty, beauty!" - I keep repeating. And the night will only descend on the earth, We will be completely stupefied with the slave ... I send all the slaves away And again I rub myself with oil.
Russian poets. Anthology of Russian poetry in 6 volumes. Moscow: Children's Literature, 1996.
Trip to Kronstadt
Dedicated to my colleague in the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Benediktov The steamer flies like an arrow, Terrifyingly grinds the waves into dust And, smoking with its chimney, Cuts a trail in the gray waves. Foam by the club. Steam bubbles. Spray pearls fly. At the helm the sailor is busy. The masts stick out in the air. Here comes a cloud from the south, Everything is blacker and blacker... Although a blizzard is terrible on land, But even more terrible in the seas! Thunder rumbles, and lightning flashes... The masts bend, a crack is heard... The waves lash the ship hard... Shouts, noise, and a cry, and a splash! I stand alone on the nose*, And I stand like a cliff. I sing songs in honor of the sea, And I sing not without tears. The sea breaks the ship with a roar. The waves are churning around. But it is not difficult for a ship to sail With an Archimedean screw. Here it is close to the goal. I see - my spirit was seized by fear - Our near trace is barely, Barely seen in the waves ... And I don’t even mention the distant one, And I don’t even mention it; Only the plain of water, Only the storms I see a trace!.. So sometimes in our world: Lived, wrote a different poet, Forged a sonorous verse on the lyre And - disappeared in the wave of the world!.. I dreamed. But the storm was silent; Our ship has stopped in the bay, Gloomy head down, In vain on the vain people: "So, - I thought, - in the world The bright path of glory is fading; Oh, will I, too, drown in Summer someday ?!" * Here, of course, the bow of the steamer, and not the poet; The reader himself could guess about it. Note by K. Prutkov.
Works of Kozma Prutkov. World Poetry Library. Rostov-on-Don, "Phoenix", 1996.
Landlord and gardener
A fable to the Landowner one Sunday His neighbor brought a present. It was a certain plant, Which, it seems, does not even exist in Europe. The landowner put him in a greenhouse; But as he himself did not deal with it (He was busy with other business: He knitted the bellies of his relatives), Then since he calls the gardener to him And says to him: "Efim! Take special care of this plant; Let it vegetate well." Winter has arrived in the meantime. The landowner remembers his plant And so Yefima asks: "What? Does the plant vegetate well?" "Pretty much," he answered, "it's completely frozen!" Let everyone hire such a gardener, Who understands What the word "vegetates" means.
Works of Kozma Prutkov. World Poetry Library. Rostov-on-Don, "Phoenix", 1996.
landowner and grass
Fable Returning to his homeland from service, The young landowner, loving success in everything, Gathered his peasants: "Friends, the connection between us is a pledge of joy; Come, my men, to inspect the fields!" And, having inflamed the devotion of the peasants with this speech, He went with them together. "What's mine here?" - "Yes, that's all," answered the head, "Here's timothy grass..." return this one immediately to Timothy!" This opportunity, for me, is not new. Antonov is fire, but there is no law that fire always belongs to Anton.
Works of Kozma Prutkov. World Poetry Library. Rostov-on-Don, "Phoenix", 1996.
dying
Found recently, during the revision of the Assay Chamber, in the affairs of this latter Here is the hour of the last forces of decline From organic causes ... Forgive me, Assay Chamber, Where I won a high rank, But the muses did not reject the embrace Among my entrusted occupations! I'm two or three steps to the grave ... Forgive me, my verse! and you, pen! And you, O writing paper, on which I sowed good! I am an extinguished lamp Or an overturned boat! Here, everyone has come ... Friends, God help! .. Gishpans are standing, Greeks are standing around ... Here is Junker Schmidt ... Pakhomych brought a bunch of forget-me-nots to my coffin ... Calling the Conductor ... Oh!.. Necessary explanation
This poem, as indicated in its title, was found recently, during the revision of the Assay Tent, in a secret case, during the management of this Tent by Kozma Prutkov. Colleagues and subordinates of the deceased, interrogated by the inspector separately, unanimously testified that this poem was written by him, probably on that very day and even before the very moment when all the Palatka officials were suddenly, during office hours, shocked and frightened by a loud cry: " Ah!", resounded from the director's office. They rushed into this office and saw their director, Kozma Petrovich Prutkov, motionless, in an armchair in front of the desk. They carefully carried him out, in the same chair, first to the reception hall, and then to his state-owned apartment, where he died peacefully three days later. The auditor recognized these testimonies as worthy of full confidence for the following reasons: 1) the handwriting of the found manuscript of this poem is in everything similar to the undoubted handwriting of the deceased, with which he wrote his own reports on secret cases and numerous administrative projects; 2) the content of the poem fully corresponds to the circumstance explained by the officials, and 3) the last two stanzas of this poem are written in a very unsteady, trembling handwriting, with an obvious but futile effort to keep the lines straight, and the last word "Ah!" not even written, but as if drawn thickly and quickly, in the last impulse of a fleeting life. Following this word, there is a large ink spot on the paper, which obviously came from a pen that fell out of his hand. Based on all of the above, the auditor, with the permission of the Minister of Finance, left this case without further consequences, confining himself to extracting the found poem from the secret correspondence of the director of the Assay Chamber and transferring it quite privately, through the colleagues of the late Kozma Prutkov, to his closest employees. Thanks to such a happy accident, this momentous poem by Kozma Prutkov is now becoming the property of the domestic public. Already in the last two verses of the 2nd stanza, the dying confusion of the thoughts and hearing of the deceased is undoubtedly shown, and reading the third stanza, we seem to be personally present at the poet's farewell to the creations of his muse. In a word, this poem imprinted all the details of the curious transition of Kozma Prutkov to another world, right from the post of director of the Assay Chamber.
Works of Kozma Prutkov. World Poetry Library. Rostov-on-Don, "Phoenix", 1996.
Cold
Seeing Julia on the slope of Steep Mountain, I hurriedly got out of bed, And from that time on, Nasm O I feel a terrible pk And broken bones, Not only at home I sneeze, But also at a party. I, endowed with rheumatism, Although I have become old, But I dare not boldly remove Papier Faillard.
Kozma Prutkov. Full composition of writings. Moscow, Leningrad: Academia, 1933.
Wayfarer
Ballad The traveler rides a slope; The traveler hurries across the field. He casts a dim glance over the Steppe's snowy, melancholy sight. "Whom are you hurrying to meet, Proud and dumb traveler?" "I will not answer anyone; The secret is the sick soul! For a long time I have buried this secret in my chest And insensible light I will not reveal this secret: Not for nobility, not for gold, Not for piles of silver, Not under the swings of damask steel, Not in the midst of the flames of a fire !" He said and rushes along the Hillside, covered in snow. The frightened horse is shaking, Stumbling on the run. The traveler with anger drives the Karabakh horse. The tired horse falls, The rider drops with him And buries the Lord and himself under the snow. Buried under a snowdrift, the Traveler hid the secret with him. He will be beyond the grave, the same proud and dumb.
Works of Kozma Prutkov. World Poetry Library. Rostov-on-Don, "Phoenix", 1996.
Heels out of place
Fable Who hurts the back of the head, That one does not scratch the heels! My neighbor was too hot. He lived in a village, in the wilderness, Once it happened to him, while walking, To hurt a knot with his head; He, briefly thinking, Angry at the push, Grab both heels with his hand - And then grab his nose into the mud!
Works of Kozma Prutkov. World Poetry Library. Rostov-on-Don, "Phoenix", 1996.
Taste difference
Fable * It would seem, well, how not to know Or not to hear the Old proverb, That a dispute about tastes is empty talk? However, once, on some holiday, It so happened that with his grandfather at the table, In a large meeting of guests, His own grandson, a prankster, began to argue about tastes. The old man, heated up, said in the middle of dinner: "Puppy! Is it for you to defame your grandfather? You are young: everything is for you and radish and pork; You swallow a dozen melons a day; You and bitter horseradish - raspberries, And for me and blancmange - wormwood!" Reader! in the world it has been so arranged for a long time: We differ in fate, In tastes, and even more so; I explained this to you in a fable. You're crazy about Berlin; I like Medyn better. You, my friend, and bitter horseradish - raspberries, And me and blancmange - wormwood! * In the first edition (see the Sovremennik magazine, 1853), this fable was entitled: "A lesson for grandchildren," in commemoration of a real incident in the family of Kozma Prutkov.
Works of Kozma Prutkov. World Poetry Library. Rostov-on-Don, "Phoenix", 1996.
In Russian literature there is a certain mysterious classic. His complete works (with the obligatory addition of a portrait) are constantly reprinted, his biography has been thoroughly studied; significant literary works are devoted to him. The address in St. Petersburg is also known: Kazanskaya, 28 (in Soviet times - Plekhanov), in the building of the Assay Office of the Mining Department of the Ministry of Finance (now here is the Assay Supervision Inspectorate of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation). The famous writer occupied a state-owned apartment of eighteen rooms in this house, since he was the director of this state institution. Kazanskaya Street originates from the Kazan Cathedral on Nevsky Prospekt. Therefore, we are talking about the very center of the capital of the empire. It would be time to install a memorial plaque on the house. Obviously, the only constraint is that this writer never existed. Many probably already guessed that we are talking about Kozma Petrovich Prutkov.
This name was first mentioned in print in 1854. But even earlier, as follows from the biography attached to the complete collection of works, Kozma Prutkov wrote a lot "on the table", not dreaming of literary glory. He was prompted to publish his works by a chance acquaintance with four young people: Alexei Tolstoy and his cousins - Vladimir, Alexander and Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov. The circumstances of their convergence are extremely interesting and require a detailed story.
In 1850, Kozma Petrovich Prutkov took an extended vacation with the intention of going abroad (primarily, of course, to Paris). After some deliberation, he decided, in order to save money, to find himself a companion who spoke foreign languages. The corresponding announcement was placed in the "Northern Bee". On the same night, at about four o'clock, he was awakened by a valet who reported that some young people (two of them in court uniforms) were demanding a general. I had to get out of bed and, in a dressing gown and a nightcap, go out into the hallway, where strangers were really waiting for Kozma Petrovich: a tall hero in an embroidered gold uniform introduced himself as Count Tolstoy, the rest - Zhemchuzhnikovs. One of them inquired whether he had read the advertisement of the venerable master of the house that day in the newspaper. Kozma Prutkov confirmed that it was his. In response, the young man said that they had come specially to say that none of them could go abroad at the moment. After these words, the visitors bowed politely and left.
It is clear that Kozma Petrovich was no longer up to sleep. In the morning he remembered that Count Tolstoy was the closest friend of the heir to the throne, and the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers were the sons of a senator and a privy councilor. However, the same evening all four came to him with apologies for their trick. Just the night before, they were at a court ball and could not part until Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov remembered the announcement in the Northern Bee, which accidentally caught his eye. Kozma Petrovich invited the young people into the living room and, over tea, read them several of his poems. They were enthusiastically received. Young people unanimously began to assure Kozma Petrovich that it was simply criminal to bury such a talent in the ground.
It is immediately worth noting that the director of the Assay Tent always called himself Kozma (even Kosma), and not, as is customary, Kuzma. By this, he seemed to emphasize that he was from the same breed as Saints Cosmas and Damian or Cosmas Minin.
One of the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers - Alexei Mikhailovich - subsequently (like Tolstoy) became a famous poet, but "did not go into the classics." The other brothers - Alexander and Vladimir - also wrote poetry, but this was just a tribute to youth. In the history of Russian literature, they remained the only "creators of Kozma Prutkov." Subsequently, Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov wrote to the famous historian and literary critic Alexander Nikolaevich Pypin:
“We were all young then, and the “mood of the circle”, in which Prutkov’s creations arose, was cheerful, but with an admixture of a satirical-critical attitude to modern literary phenomena and to the phenomena of modern life. Although each of us had his own special political character, all of us were tightly connected by one common feature: the complete absence of "official" in ourselves, and, as a result, a great sensitivity to everything "official". This feature helped us - at first, regardless of our will and quite unintentionally - to create the type of Kozma Prutkov, who is so state-of-the-art that neither his thought nor his feeling is accessible to any so-called topic of the day, if attention is not paid to it from the official point of view . He is ridiculous because he is completely innocent. He seems to say in his creations: "everything human is alien to me." Later, as this type became clear, its official character began to be emphasized. So, in his "projects" he is a deliberately state-owned person.
I must say that for their hoax, young people made, one might say, a brilliant find. The assay business (determining impurities in precious metals and applying special brands to them) was established by decree of Peter I of February 13, 1700. A fee was levied for the brand, which was what the Assay Office was supposed to do. The well-known economist A.N. Guryev explained at one time why such a comic character as Kozma Petrovich Prutkov could be in the place of the head of this institution:
“In the old ministerial system, directors of only departments were appointed, they were not“ fools ”. The Prutkov company needed an “authoritative fool,” and they chose the director of the Assay Office remarkably correctly and witty. Already the verbal composition of this title detracts from the eyes of the reader of the “tent director”, but for people familiar with bureaucratic institutions, it struck not in the eyebrow, but in the eye. The fact is that in almost every ministry, in addition to the institutions that were part of the central administration, there were also special institutions, also of a central nature, but with purely executive functions. They were not engaged in the most important business of the ministries (and, consequently, the directors of departments) - the drafting of laws, but they conducted the business. In the Ministry of Finance, such institutions were the Assay Office and the Commission for the Redemption of Public Debts. Both institutions were located on Kazanskaya Street in state-owned houses, with huge apartments for commanding generals. Honored fools were made directors of these institutions, who could not be missed as directors of departments. The rank of general, a large salary of maintenance and a huge apartment of eighteen rooms, of course, made these well-deserved fools very authoritative.
So, the expression "Prutkov's company" has already flashed, but in literary criticism it is more customary to speak of the "Prutkov circle"; This definition will be followed further. The "Prutkovsky circle" was a kind of "joyful union" of four young people. Many anecdotes were told about their tricks, most of which have come down to our time (of course, thanks to the fame of Kozma Prutkov). In fact, such a circle was quite consistent with the spirit of the first half of the 19th century, when the talented youth of the nobility "played tricks" and thus found a way out for their young, unspent forces. In the 1820s, Pushkin, Anton Delvig and Pavel Nashchokin "tricked up", in the 1830s - Lermontov and Alexei Stolypin-Mongo. Close friends of the great poets are now remembered as reckless daring, at any moment ready to take part in any risky adventure. In the Perovsky family, the tendency to "leprosy", one might say, was hereditary. An attentive witness of the era, Pyotr Andreevich Vyazemsky, recalled in the "Old Notebook":
“Alexey Perovsky (Pogorelsky) was ... a successful hoaxer. He once assured his colleague (who later became famous for several historical writings) that he was a great master of some Masonic lodge and, by his power, ranks him among its members. Here he invented various funny trials, through which the new convert dutifully and willingly passed. Finally, he forced him to sign that he had not killed the beaver.
Perovsky wrote amfiguri (amphigouri), comic, funny nonsense. Here are some verses from it:
Avdul vizier
bubble on forehead
And cherishes and cherishes;
And Papa's son.
Taking an orange
I don't remember what it does. But about a dozen verses were written in such verses. He brings them to Antonsky, the then rector of the university and chairman of the Society of Lovers of Literature, introduces him to his work and says that he wants to read his poems at the first public meeting of the Society. It should not be forgotten that at that time Count Alexei Kirillovich Razumovsky was a trustee of Moscow University or already the Minister of Public Education. One can imagine the embarrassment of the timid Antonsky. He, blushing and stammering, says: “Your poems are very sweet and intricate; but, it seems, it is not the right place to read them in a learned assembly.” Perovsky insists that he wants to read them, assuring them that there is nothing anti-censorship in them. Explanations and bickering continued for half an hour. Poor Antonsky turned pale, blushed, was exhausted almost to the point of fainting.
And here is another leprosy of Perovsky. His friend was the groom. The bride's patron was a so-so man. Perovsky assured him that he, too, was passionately in love with his friend's fiancee, that he was not responsible for himself and was ready for any desperate trick. The votchim, touched and frightened by such a confession, admonishes him to come to his senses, to overcome himself. Perovsky Pushcha indulges in its lamentations and passionate rantings. The votchim does not leave him, guards, does not let him out of his sight in order to prevent some kind of trouble in time. Once the whole family was walking in the garden. Votchim goes hand in hand with Perovsky, who continues to whisper his complaints and desperate confessions to him; finally breaks out of his hands and throws himself into the pond, past which they were walking. Perovsky knew that this pond was not deep, and was not afraid of drowning; but the pond was dirty and covered with green slime. It was necessary to see how he got out of it like a mermaid and how Mentor looked after his ill-fated Telemachus: he dressed him with his dressing gown, gave him warm chamomile to drink, and so on and so on.
Vyazemsky cites from memory only one verse (and even that is incorrect) from a rather large poem by Alexei Perovsky. It sounds like this in full:
Abdul vizier
bubble on forehead
He cares and cherishes his own.
Bayle geometr.
Taking a thermometer
Sowing wheat in the field.
A Bonaparte
With a deck of cards
Hurries to Russia.
Sitting in a balloon
He is for Boston
Papa is invited.
But daddy's son
Taking an orange
He throws it in the father's nose.
And in the sea a whale
Looks at them
And picks in the nostrils.
Mohammed is here
Wearing a corset
And thirsty,
Water heating
And sitting down to them,
He gives them tea.
That's in vain, mosquito
To the samovar
Jumping up, sweating in the heat.
Selena is here
Taking a tourniquet in hand,
It warms his thighs.
flies station,
Strengthen your spirit
They clapped their hands
And Epictetus,
To change
Dance, put on galoshes.
Minister Pete
Sitting in the corner
And plays on the whistle.
But the pop comes in
And, removing the coat.
He sits politely.
Voltaire is an old man.
Taking off your wig
Whisks eggs in it
And Jean Racine
Like a good son
Crying out of pity.
It seems that it was from these verses that “prutkovism” entered Russian poetry. But it should be recognized as the initiator not of Alexei Perovsky, but of the famous Moscow wit Sergei Alekseevich Neyolov. He orally responded in verse to any event that took place in Moscow. Neyolov poured impromptu everywhere - both in the English club, and at balls, and at bachelor's feasts. His poems were sometimes "off the record" and rarely recorded. Often they were parodies of popular works by famous poets. Pushkin and Vyazemsky paid tribute to his polished language. Sergey Sobolevsky and especially Ivan Myatlev became true followers of Neyelov, whose poem “Sensations and remarks of Mrs. Kurdyukova abroad” were read in the 19th century. Pushkin's friend Sobolevsky entered the history of Russian literature with his oral epigrams. Myatlev was a master of the so-called "macaronic verse", which was equally bilingual; foreign (most often French) words and phraseological units were inserted into Russian poems. This produced a great comic effect, since, as in the poem about the Tambov landowner, Mrs. Kurdyukova, verses were put into the mouth of a person who did not really know either one or the other language.
The main ringleader of the "Prutkov circle" was Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov. Subsequently, he rose to the ranks of major ranks, but until the end of his life he remained a caustic wit and joker, who did not disregard any of the absurdities he encountered. Here are examples of his pranks, which Prince Vladimir Meshchersky cites in his memoirs (the objects of the young man's buffoonery were the all-powerful ministers of justice and finance - Viktor Nikitich Panin and Fyodor Pavlovich Vronchenko):
“Every God's day along Nevsky Prospekt, at five o'clock in the afternoon, one could meet a tall old man, straight as a pole, in a coat, in a top hat on a small longish head, with glasses on his nose and with a stick always under his arm. This walk is all the more interesting because everyone saw Count Panin, but he never saw anyone, looking straight ahead into space: the whole world did not exist for him during this walk, and when someone bowed to him, the count mechanically raised his hat, but did not turning and not moving his head, he continued to look into the distance ahead of him. From here, at that time, an anecdote began to circulate about the famous comedian Zhemchuzhnikov, who once dared to dare to break the monotony of Count Panin's walk: seeing him approaching, he pretended to be looking for something on the sidewalk, until Count Panin reached him and, not expecting an obstacle, he was suddenly stopped in his course and, of course, bending over, threw himself over Zhemchuzhnikov, who then, as if nothing had happened, took off his hat and, respectfully apologizing, said that he was looking for a dropped pin on the panel.
No less comical is the anecdote about Zhemchuzhnikov, concerning the daily walks of Finance Minister Vronchenko. He walked daily along the Palace Embankment at 9 o'clock in the morning. Zhemchuzhnikov also had a fantasy of taking a walk at this time, and, passing by Vronchenko, whom he personally did not know, he stopped, took off his hat and said: Minister of Finance, spring of activity - and then passed on.
He began to do this every morning, until Vronchenko complained to Chief Police Officer Galakhov, and Zhemchuzhnikov, under pain of expulsion, was charged not to disturb the Minister of Finance anymore.
The above story about the first acquaintance of the “Prutkov circle” with the director of the Assay Chamber is extremely reminiscent of their undertaking, the victim of which was the famous military writer and court historiographer Alexander Ivanovich Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky (by the way, a good friend of the father of the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers). Once, in the dead of night, they raised him from his bed and declared that they had arrived from the palace in order to inform him that Nicholas I demanded to be presented with a copy of the "History of the Patriotic War of 1812" by the morning exit; and this must be done by the author himself (that is, Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky).
On another occasion, one of the “Prutkovites” in the uniform of an aide-de-camp traveled around all the famous St. Petersburg architects with an order to appear in the Winter Palace in the morning, since St. Isaac's Cathedral collapsed and the emperor was in terrible anger.
Here is another anecdotal case. The “Prutkovites” came to the performances of the visiting German troupe with huge dictionaries and, during the action, noisily rustled the pages, as if looking for an incomprehensible word. Sometimes one of them shouted at the top of his voice in the direction of the Warten Sie stage: (wait. - V.N.). In general, the Germans especially got it. At night, the naughty drove around the German bakers and woke up with the question: do they have baked bread? When they heard an affirmative answer, they thoughtfully said that this was wonderful, since many people are generally deprived of a piece of bread.
Chronologically, the first work of Kozma Prutkov, included in his complete works, is the one-act buffoon play "Fantasy", which even happened to see the lights of the imperial stage. “Fantasy” is the fruit of the joint work of Alexei Tolstoy and Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov (who has already hit the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater with his “comedy from high society life” “Strange Night”).
For A. K. Tolstoy, this was by no means the first experience of such writing. In 1837-1838, in letters from Krasny Rog to his friend Nikolai Adlerberg, he included a number of comic dramatic scenes with numerous allusions to the big world, now defying decipherment. In one letter, he even asks "to destroy these lines after reading them, because I can make enemies among the most prominent families of the empire."
According to Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov, they wrote "Fantasy" in the same room at different tables. The co-authors broke the play into an equal number of scenes; Tolstoy took the first half, Zhemchuzhnikov took the second. The latter recalled:
“The case was not without difficulty. Imagine that during the reading, two phenomena, one of which belonged to Tolstoy and the other to me, turned out to be inconvenient for staging. You remember, of course, in Fantasia there is a short intermission, when the stage remains empty for some time, clouds and a thunderstorm come in, then a pug runs across the stage, the storm subsides and the characters appear on the stage. This intermission was due to the fact that with Tolstoy the appearance ended with the departure of all the actors, while the following appearance of mine began with the appearance on the stage of them again all together. We thought for a long time what to do, and finally came up with this intermission. The finale of the play (probably the final monologue of Kutilo-Zavaldaisky) was completed by Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov.
Apparently, it was at this time that the pseudonym of the "group of authors" arose. Alexey Zhemchuzhnikov continues his memoirs:
“When we had already completed everything, we did not know what pseudonym to sign this common play of ours. At that time Kuzma Frolov served as our valet, a fine old man, we all loved him very much. So my brother Vladimir and I say to him: “You know what, Kuzma, we wrote a book, and you give us your name for this book, as if you wrote it ... And everything that we get from the sale of this book, we will give you” . He agreed. “Well, he says, I, perhaps, agree, if you really want to ... But, he says, let me ask you, gentlemen, is the book smart or not?” We all burst out laughing. "Oh no! We say: the book is stupid, stupid. Look, our Kuzma frowned. “And if, he says, the book is stupid, then I, he says, do not want my name to be signed under it. I don’t need your money either, he says… “Huh? How would you like it? When brother Alexei (country A. Tolstoy) heard this answer from Kuzma, he almost died of laughter and gave him 50 rubles. “Na, he says, this is for your wit.” Well, then the three of us decided to take the pseudonym not of Kuzma Frolov, but of Kuzma Prutkov. Since then, we began to write all sorts of jokes, poems, aphorisms under one common pseudonym, Kuzma Prutkov. Here is the origin of our pseudonym.
At first glance it seems that this is just a "literary tradition". So, it is not entirely clear: why, if a play was written, then we are talking about a book. (It can be assumed that the Prutkovites already had far-reaching plans.) However, Kuzma Frolov is a real person. He is mentioned in the diary of Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov. In addition, in the memoirs of Sofya Khitrovo, the niece of Sofya Andreevna Tolstaya, known only fragmentarily, this old valet, who, together with Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov, stayed in Krasny Rog in the winter of 1865, is spoken of precisely as Kuzma Prutkov.
Fantasia was hastily created in December 1850. On December 23, the play was presented to the directorate of the imperial theaters, on the 29th it was approved by the censors, handed over to the director Kulikov, and on January 8 of the following year it was staged. At the present time - dizzying pace!
The show ended in scandal. Present at the theater, Nicholas I, as soon as the dogs began to run around on the stage, defiantly got up from his seat and left. When he came out, he told the director of the imperial theaters, A. M. Gedeonov, that he had never seen such nonsense before, although he had to deal with a lot of nonsense. After the departure of the emperor, a hubbub arose in the auditorium. The situation was saved by the audience's favorite Alexander Martynov, who delivered the final monologue (by the way, those present mistook him for acting improvisation and saw off Martynov with applause). Be that as it may, "Fantasy" was immediately withdrawn from the repertoire.
More than thirty years later, Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov spoke about what happened in his diary: “Tsar Nikolai Pavlovich was at the first performance of Fantasia, written by Alexei Tolstoy and me. This play went to Maximov's benefit performance. Neither Tolstoy nor I were in the theatre. That evening there was some kind of ball to which we were both invited and which we should have been. In the theater were: Tolstoy's mother and my father with my brothers. Returning from the ball and curious to know how our play went, I woke my brother Lev and asked him about it. He replied that the audience had booed the play and that the sovereign, at the time when the dogs were running around the stage during a thunderstorm, got up from his seat and left the theater. Hearing this, I immediately wrote a letter to the director Kulikov that, having learned about the failure of our play, I ask him to remove it from the poster and that I am sure that I agree with my opinion of Count Tolstoy, although I am addressing him with my request without first . Tolstoy meeting. I gave this letter to Kuzma, asking him to take it down early tomorrow to Kulikov. The next day I woke up late, and an answer had already been received from Kulikov. It was short: “Your play and gr. Tolstoy has already been banned by the Highest Command. Let us note that the valet Kuzma Frolov also appears in this story.
There were many reasons for the failure. First of all - a bad game of actors who did not know their roles and hoped for a prompter. Kulikov was an experienced director, but he considered "Fantasy" to be just a trifling vaudeville, which dozens passed through his hands; so they rehearsed once or twice, no more. But most importantly, "Fantasy" turned out to be an evil and apt, albeit rude, parody of the dramatic production of that time, based on the numerous absurdities of positions and faces. In Fantasia, everything was taken to the point of absurdity, although any single phenomenon repeated what could easily be found in vaudeville that was successful. But the theatrical audience wanted to see just such vaudevilles on stage, and therefore a parody of them was doomed to indignant whistles and hisses.
As was customary at the time, Fantasia was presented along with other vaudeville acts; there were five of them and the play by the Prutkovites was the fourth in a row. The first three vaudevilles fully met the taste of the public, and naturally, after them, "Fantasy" seemed utter nonsense. The demonstrative departure from the theater of Nicholas I was the signal for an outburst of indignation. Perhaps it would be even more deafening if the audience realized that the authors were deliberately laughing at her; but they were considered simply incompetent.
Again, the ill-fated "Fantasy" was staged only on April 23, 1909 by Nikolai Evreinov on the stage of the V. F. Komissarzhevskaya Theater in St. Petersburg. The performance was designed in the style of an elegant grotesque and this time completely satisfied the audience. It is characteristic that the poster announced: "Live dogs will run on the stage." There were no more (as far as is known) attempts to stage "Fantasy", but, despite its unsuccessful stage fate, this parody play happened to play a role similar to the role of other banned works of Russian literature. A. K. Tolstoy and A. M. Zhemchuzhnikov were the first to ridicule the then ridiculous repertoire of the national stage and, with caustic jokes, raised a serious question about the need to update it.
The first poems of Kozma Prutkov appeared on the pages of Nekrasov's Sovremennik in the autumn of 1851. These were the fables "Forget-me-nots and heels", "The conductor and the tarantula", "The heron and the racing droshky". It must be said that the fables were published in the text of an article by one of the magazine's editors, Ivan Panaev, "Notes of a New Poet on Russian Journalism." Panaev wrote that from among the numerous poems received by the editors, he singled them out as truly remarkable works. The fables were composed by the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers in the summer of the same year at the Pavlovka estate in the Oryol province. At first, Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov broke out with the fable "Forget-me-nots and commas", considering it just an ordinary joke; the rest have already become the fruits of collective creativity. Nobody thought about printing. But the “Prutkovites” were in the circle of Sovremennik, where they were repeatedly recited with general delight. The fables evoked Homeric laughter and asked themselves to appear on the pages of the magazine. Somebody's words have become a common joke, as if Zhemchuzhnikov's fables are superior to Krylov's fables. But, of course, not the fables of the great Krylov! By this time, the fable genre had degenerated and became the lot of minor poets who did not shine with talent. Myatlev's fables stand apart, they are completely "Prutkov's".
Then came a break for three years. Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov recalled in a letter to Alexander Nikolaevich Pypin:
“These fables have already given rise to some thoughts, which subsequently developed in my brother Alexei and in me to the personality of Prutkov; namely: when the mentioned fables were written, it was jokingly said that they prove the excess of praises to Krylov and others, because the fables now written are no worse than those. This joke was repeated on our return to St. Petersburg. and soon brought me with br. Alexey and gr. A. Tolstoy (brother Alexander was at that time in the service in Orenburg) to the idea of writing from one person, capable of all kinds of creativity. This idea lured us, and the type of Kozma Prutkov was created. By the summer of 1853, when we were again living in the Yelets village, there were already quite a few such works; and in the summer they added the comedy "Blondes", written by br. Alexander with the assistance of brethren. Alexei and mine. In the autumn, by agreement with A. Tolstoy and brothers. my Alexei, I finally took up the editing of everything prepared and handed it over to Yves. Iv. Panaev for publication in Sovremennik.
Throughout 1854, Kozma Prutkov's opuses were published in this most popular magazine in Russia from issue to issue, and not only poems, but also Fruits of Thought and Excerpts from My Grandfather's Notes. The success exceeded all expectations. Russian literature knows no other example of such an amazing creative union of writers who managed to subordinate their individualities to a single goal.
Kozma Prutkov appeared at the right moment, when Benediktov (today this poet is rarely remembered and almost always as an epigone of romanticism) overshadowed Pushkin with his popularity. Something amazing happened. Nowadays, the objects of Kozma Prutkov's parodies have long been forgotten; they are only mentioned in the comments. But the Prutkov poems themselves live and are perceived as an imperishable literary monument. Addressing readers, the director of the Assay Office was offended by criticism that he was composing parodies. No, replied Kozma Prutkov, I write the same thing as others, and if they are poets, then I am a poet. Kozma Prutkov became equal among the middle-class poets of his time, but they also shaped the literary process. However, let's make a reservation. Kozma Prutkov was far from equal in their ranks; he surpassed them. No wonder Alexey Zhemchuzhnikov at the end of his life complained that the creations of Kozma Prutkov diverge much better than his own works.
Almost half of the entire Prutkov corpus was published in five issues of Sovremennik for 1854 in the Literary Jumble section under the heading Kozma Prutkov's Leisure. In the Nekrasov circle, the last seven years of the reign of Nicholas I (1848-1855) were perceived as an era of timelessness. After the European revolutions of 1848 and the affairs of the Petrashevists, it was impossible to discuss any social issues, even those that were freely discussed several years ago. It remained only to slander in his rather narrow circle. But the gloomy mood that prevailed could not be permanent; it was inevitably interrupted by jokes and practical jokes, which were most often clothed in poetic form. A whole handwritten library of such “pranks” has been created. The creations of Kozma Prutkov came in handy.
A legitimate question is inevitable: how big is A. K. Tolstoy's contribution to the collective compendium? Among the poems, he fully owns: “Epigram No. 1 (“Do you like cheese” ...)”, “Junker Schmidt”, “Letter from Corinth”, “Ancient plastic Greek”, “Memory of the past”, “My portrait”, “Philosopher in the bath". Together with Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov, he wrote: "The Siege of Pamba", "The Valiant Studious", "The Desire to Be a Spaniard", "The Star and the Belly"; with Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov - “On the seaside”. In short, all the most artistic of Kozma Prutkov's poems. As for parodies of modern poets, A. K. Tolstoy parodies only the half-forgotten "Greek from the banks of the Dnieper" Nikolai Shcherbina; most of the rest of the opuses (including the famous "Junker Schmidt") are "imitations" of the numerous Russian provincial epigones of Heinrich Heine. The play "Fantasy" has already been mentioned earlier.
Apparently, A. K. Tolstoy came up with the idea of the cycle “Excerpts from the Notes of My Grandfather”. Most likely, it was he - a wonderful master of stylization - who wrote most of the "Excerpts". It must be said that this parody of the outdated style of "notes of the past" was also topical at that time. Similar "historical materials" extracted from dusty chests overwhelmed the Moskvityanin magazine published by Mikhail Pogodin. The venerable historian simply adored them. By the way, at the first publication in the fourth issue of Sovremennik in 1854, “Excerpts from my grandfather’s notes” were dedicated to Pogodin.
It is difficult to say whether Fyodor Dostoevsky knew about the creative community of A. K. Tolstoy and the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers and whether he was initiated into the secret of the works of Kozma Prutkov; but he paid tribute to this writer in "Winter Notes on Summer Impressions":
“We now have one most remarkable writer, the beauty of our time, a certain Kuzma Prutkov. His entire shortcoming lies in his incomprehensible modesty: he has not yet published a complete collection of his works. Well, now, since he published in the mixture in Sovremennik a very long time ago already the Notes of My Grandfather. Imagine what this stout, seventy-year-old, Catherine's grandfather, who had seen the world, visited the Kurtags and near Ochakovo, could then write down, returning to his patrimony and set to work on his memories. Something must have been interesting to write down. Something that the man did not see! Well, it all consists of the following jokes:
"The witty reply of the Chevalier de Montbazon." Once upon a time, a young and very handsome maiden of the cavalier de Montbazon in the presence of the king calmly asked: 'My lord, what is hung to what, a dog to a tail or a tail to a dog?' , on the contrary, he answered in a constant voice: 'No one, madam, can take a dog by the tail, as well as by the head'. This answer to this king caused great pleasure, and that cavalier was left not without a reward for him.
You think that this is a swindle, nonsense, that there has never been such a grandfather in the world. But I swear to you that I personally, in my childhood, when I was ten years old, read one book of Catherine's time, in which I read the following anecdote. At the same time I learned it by heart - so he lured me - and since then I have not forgotten.
„A witty reply from the Chevalier de Rogan. It is known that the Chevalier de Rohan had a very bad breath. Once, being present at the awakening of the Prince de Condé, this latter said to him: “Step aside, Chevalier de Rogan, for you smell very bad.” To which this gentleman immediately replied: ‘This is not from me, most merciful prince, but from you, for you are just getting out of bed.’”
That is, imagine this landowner, an old warrior, perhaps still without an arm, with an old landowner, with a hundred yard servants, with the Mitrofanushki children, going to the bathhouse on Saturdays and soaring to self-forgetfulness; and here he is, with spectacles on his nose, solemnly and solemnly reading such anecdotes in warehouses, and besides, he takes everything for the very real essence, almost as a duty in the service. And what a naive then belief in the efficiency and necessity of such European news ... They put on silk stockings, wigs, hung skewers - that's a European. And not only did all this not interfere, but even liked it. In fact, everything remained the same: putting de Rogan aside (who, however, was the only thing they knew about, that he smelled very badly from his mouth) aside and taking off his glasses, they dealt with their yard servants, treated them in the same patriarchal manner. family, they also fought in the stable of a small-scale neighbor, if he was rude, they also scoffed at the highest person.
At the first salvos of the Crimean War, Kozma Prutkov fell silent for almost five years. Its creators were no longer in the mood for jokes and literary play.
In the future, Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy was carried away by new ideas. He actually moved away from the "Prutkov circle". Among the works of Kozma Prutkov, which appeared at the turn of the 1850s and 1860s, there is no longer - except for two or three small poems - nothing significant that could be attributed to the pen of A. K. Tolstoy; everything else belongs to the Zhemchuzhnikovs.
Cit. Quoted from: Zhukov D.A. Kozma Prutkov and his friends. M., 1983. S. 313.
See the proverb: "To kill a beaver is not to see good."
Vyazemsky P. A. An old notebook. M., 2000. S. 206–207.
Meshchersky V.P. Memoirs. M., 2001. S. 52.
Cit. Quoted from: Zhukov D.A. Kozma Prutkov and his friends. M., 1983. S. 184.
Cit. Quoted from: Zhukov D.A. Kozma Prutkov and his friends. M., 1983. S. 213–214.
See: Lukyanov S. M. Vl. Solovyov in his youth. Pg., 1921. Book. III. Issue. 1. S. 238.
Alexander Evgrafovich Martynov (1816–1860) - an outstanding actor who played on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater in vaudeville, plays by A. N. Ostrovsky, I. S. Turgenev and others; considered one of the founders of the Russian school of stage realism. - Approx. ed.
Cit. Quoted from: Zhukov D.A. Kozma Prutkov and his friends. M., 1983. S. 185–186.
Kozma Petrovich Prutkov spent his entire life, except for the years of childhood and early adolescence, in the public service: first in the military department, and then in the civil service. He was born April 11, 1803; died January 13, 1863
In the Obituary and in other articles about him, attention was drawn to the following two facts: first, that he marked all his printed prose articles on the 11th of April or any other month; and secondly, that he wrote his own name: Kozma, not Kuzma. Both of these facts are true; but the first of them was misunderstood. It was believed that, marking his works with the 11th number, he wanted to commemorate his birthday each time; in fact, he did not commemorate his birthday with such a mark, but his wonderful dream, probably only coincidentally coincided with his birthday and had an impact on his whole life. The content of this dream is described below, according to Kozma Prutkov himself. As for the way he wrote his name, in reality he was not even written "Kozma", but Cosmas, like his famous namesakes: Cosmas and Damian, Cosmas Minin, Cosmas Medici and a few others like him.
In 1820, he entered the military service, only for the uniform, and stayed in this service for just over two years, in the hussars. It was at this time that he had the aforementioned dream. Namely: on the night of April 10-11, 1823, returning home late from a comrade's drinking bout and barely lying down on his bed, he saw in front of him a naked brigadier general, in epaulettes, who, having lifted him from the bed by the hand and not allowing him to get dressed, silently led him along some long and dark corridors to the top of a high and pointed mountain, and there he began to take out various precious materials in front of him from the ancient crypt, showing them to him one after another and even trying some of them on his chilled body. Prutkov expected with bewilderment and fear the denouement of this incomprehensible event; but suddenly, from the touch of the most expensive of these matters, he felt a strong electric shock throughout his body, from which he woke up covered in perspiration. It is not known what significance Kozma Petrovich Prutkov attached to this vision. But, often talking about him later, he always became very excited and ended his story with a loud exclamation: “That very morning, barely waking up, I decided to leave the regiment and resigned; and when the resignation came out, I immediately decided to serve in the Ministry of Finance, in the Assay Office, where I will stay forever!
Indeed, having entered the Assay Chamber in 1823, he remained there until his death, that is, until January 13, 1863. The authorities distinguished and rewarded him. Here, in this Tabernacle, he was honored to receive all civil ranks, up to and including the actual state councilor, and the highest position: director of the Assay Tabernacle; and then the Order of St. Stanislav of the 1st degree, who always seduced him, as can be seen from the fable "The Star and the Belly."
In general, he was very pleased with his service.
Only during the period of preparing the reforms of the last reign, he seemed to be at a loss. At first it seemed to him that the soil was leaving from under him, and he began to grumble, shouting everywhere about the prematureness of any reforms and that he was “the enemy of all so-called questions!”. However, later, when the inevitability of reforms became undeniable, he himself tried to distinguish himself by reforming projects and was very indignant when these projects rejected him for their obvious failure. He explained this by envy, disrespect for experience and merit, and began to fall into despondency, even despair. In one of the moments of such gloomy despair, he wrote a mystery: "The Affinity of the World Forces", which is published for the first time in this edition and quite correctly conveys the then painful state of his spirit. 1
In the same state of mind, he wrote the poem "Before the Sea of Life", also published for the first time in this edition.
Soon, however, he calmed down, felt the old atmosphere around him, and under him the old soil. He again began to write projects, but in a shy direction, and they were accepted with approval. This gave him reason to return to his former complacency and expect a significant promotion. A sudden nervous shock that befell him in the director's office of the Assay Tent, at the very departure of the service, put an end to these hopes, ending his glorious days. This edition contains for the first time his "Death" poem, recently found in the secret file of the Assay Chamber.
But no matter how great his service successes and virtues, they alone would not have brought him even a hundredth of the glory that he acquired through his literary activity. Meanwhile, he had been in the public service (including the hussars) for more than forty years, and in the literary field he acted publicly for only five years (in 1853-54 and in the 1860s).
Until 1850, precisely before his accidental acquaintance with a small circle of young people, consisting of several Zhemchuzhnikov brothers and their cousin, Count Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Kozma Petrovich Prutkov never thought about literary or any other public activities. He understood himself only as an assiduous official of the Assay Chamber and did not dream of anything further in official success. In 1850, Count A. K. Tolstoy and Alexei Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov, not foreseeing serious consequences from their undertaking, took it into their head to assure him that they saw in him remarkable talents for dramatic creativity. He, believing them, wrote under their leadership the comedy "Fantasy", which was performed on the stage of the St. Petersburg Alexandria Theater, in the highest presence, on January 8, 1851, for the benefit of the then favorite of the public, Mr. Maksimov 1st. On the same evening, however, she was withdrawn from the theatrical repertoire, by special order; this can only be explained by the originality of the plot and the bad acting of the actors.
It is being printed for the first time only now.
This first failure did not cool the novice writer either to his new friends or to the literary field. He obviously began to believe in his literary talents. Moreover, the aforementioned Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov and his brother Alexander encouraged him, persuading him to engage in composing fables. He immediately became jealous of the glory of I. A. Krylov, especially since I. A. Krylov was also in the public service and was also a knight of the Order of St.. Stanislav 1st degree. In this mood he wrote three fables! "Forget-me-nots and commas", "The conductor and the tarantula" and "The heron and the racing droshky"; they were published in the magazine. "Contemporary" (1851, book XI, in "Notes of the New Poet") and the public liked it very much. The well-known writer Druzhinin published a very sympathetic article about them, it seems, in the journal Library for Reading.
Taking these first steps in literature, Kozma Petrovich Prutkov, however, did not think of indulging in it. He only obeyed the persuasion of his new acquaintances. He was pleased to be convinced of his new talents, but he was afraid and did not want to be known as a writer; therefore he concealed his name from the public.
His first work, the comedy "Fantasy", he gave out on the poster for writing some kind of "Y and Z"; and his first three fables, named above, he gave to the press without any name. This was the case until 1852; but this year a radical revolution took place in his personality under the influence of three persons from the aforementioned circle: Count A. K. Tolstoy, Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov and Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov. These three persons took possession of him, took him under their wing and developed in him those typical qualities that made him known as Kozma Prutkov. He became self-confident, self-satisfied, harsh; he began to address the public "as one in authority"; and in this new and final image of his, he talked with the public for five years, in two steps, namely: in 1853-54, placing his works in the magazine. "Sovremennik", in the "Yeralash" section, under the general title: "Leisure of Kozma Prutkov"; and in 1860 - 64, published in the same magazine in the "Whistle" section, under the general title "Down and Feathers (Daunen und Federn)". In addition, during his second appearance before the public, some of his works (see about this in the first callout of this essay) were published in the journal. "Iskra" and one in the magazine. "Entertainment", 1861, No. 18. The intervening six years, between the two appearances of Kozma Prutkov in print, were for him those years of agonizing embarrassment and despair, which were mentioned above.
In both of his short-term appearances in the press, Kozma Prutkov turned out to be amazingly diverse, namely: a poet, a fabulist, a historian (see his “Excerpts from Grandfather’s Notes”), and a philosopher (see his “Fruits of Meditation”), and a dramatic writer . And after his death, it turned out that at the same time he managed to write government projects, as a bold and determined administrator (see his project: “On the introduction of unanimity in Russia”, printed without this title, with his obituary, in Sovremennik, 1863, book IV). And in all kinds of this versatile activity, he was equally sharp, resolute, self-confident. In this respect he was the son of his time, which was distinguished by self-confidence and disrespect for obstacles. That was, as you know, the time of the famous teaching: "zeal overcomes everything." It is hardly even Kozma Prutkov who was the first to formulate this doctrine in the aforementioned phrase, when he was still in minor ranks? At least, it is found in his “Fruits of Thought” under No. 84. Faithful to this teaching and excited by his guardians, Kozma Prutkov did not doubt that he only needed to apply zeal to take possession of all knowledge and talents. The question is, however: 1) to what does Kozma Prutkov owe the fact that, despite his low qualities, he so quickly acquired and still retains the glory and sympathy of the public? and 2) what guided his guardians by developing these qualities in him?
To resolve these important issues, it is necessary to delve into the essence of the matter, “look at the root”, in the words of Kozma Prutkov; and then the personality of Kozma Prutkov will turn out to be as dramatic and enigmatic as the personality of Hamlet. Both of them cannot do without comments, and both inspire sympathy for themselves, although for different reasons. Kozma Prutkov was obviously the victim of the three persons mentioned, who arbitrarily became his guardians or minions. They treated him like "false friends", exhibited in tragedies and dramas. They, under the guise of friendship, developed in him such qualities that they wanted to ridicule in public. Under their influence, he adopted from other people who had success: courage, complacency, self-confidence, even impudence, and began to consider his every thought, every scripture and saying - the truth worthy of utterance. He suddenly considered himself a dignitary in the field of thought and began to smugly expose his narrow-mindedness and his ignorance, which otherwise would have remained unknown outside the walls of the Assay House. From this it is clear, however, that his guardians, or "false friends," did not give him any new bad qualities: they only encouraged him, and thus they called out such qualities of him that had been hidden before the accident. Encouraged by his slanderers, he himself began to demand that they listen to him; and when they began to listen to him, he showed such a self-confident misunderstanding of reality, as if there was a label over every word and work of his; "everything human is alien to me."
The self-confidence, self-satisfaction and mental limitations of Kozma Prutkov expressed themselves especially clearly in his “Fruits of Meditation”, that is, in his “Thoughts and Aphorisms”. Usually the form of aphorisms is used to convey the conclusions of worldly wisdom; but Kozma Prutkov took advantage of it in a different way. For the most part of his aphorisms, he either speaks with dignity "official" vulgarities, or breaks with an effort through open doors, or expresses such "thoughts" that not only have no relation to his time and country, but, as it were, are outside of all time and whatever the area. At the same time, in his aphorisms one often hears not advice, not instruction, but a command. His famous "Bdi!" reminiscent of a military command: "Ply!" And in general, Kozma Prutkov spoke out so smugly, boldly and persistently that he made me believe in his wisdom. According to the proverb: “the courage of the city takes”, Kozma Prutkov won literary fame for himself with his courage. Being mentally handicapped, he gave wisdom advice; not being a poet, he wrote poetry and dramatic works; believing to be a historian, he told jokes, having neither education nor even the slightest understanding of the needs of the fatherland, he composed management projects for him. - "Eagerness overcomes everything! .."
The aforementioned three guardians of Kozma Prutkov carefully developed in him such qualities, in which he turned out to be completely unnecessary for his country; and, besides this, they ruthlessly robbed him of all such that might make him at least a little useful. The presence of the former and the absence of the latter are equally comical, and just as Kozma Prutkov retained a deep, innate good nature, which makes him innocent in all antics, he turned out to be amusing and sympathetic. Therein lies the drama of his position. Therefore, he can rightly be called the victim of his guardians: he unconsciously and against his will amused, serving their purposes. Without these guardians, he would hardly have dared, while he was only the director of the Assay Office, to expose himself so frankly, self-confidently and smugly to the public.
But is it fair to reproach Kozma Prutkov's guardians for making him look funny? After all, only through this they brought him fame and sympathy of the public; and Kozma Prutkov loved fame. He even rejected in print the validity of the opinion that "glory is smoke." He confessed in print that he "wants fame," that "glory amuses a man." His guardians guessed that he would never understand the comical nature of his fame and would childishly enjoy it.
And he really enjoyed his fame with enthusiasm, until his death, always believing in his extraordinary and diverse gifts. He was proud of himself and happy: the most well-intentioned guardians would not have given him more than that.
The glory of Kozma Prutkov was established so quickly that in the very first year of his public literary activity (in 1853) he was already busy preparing a separate edition of his works with a portrait. For this, three artists were then invited by him, who painted and redrawn on a stone his portrait, printed in the same 1853, in the lithograph of Tyulin, in a significant number of copies. 2
These artists were then students of the Academy of Arts, who studied and lived together: Lev Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov, Alexander Egorovich Veideman and Lev Feliksovich Lagorio. Their original drawing is still preserved by L. M. Zhemchuzhnikov. Tyulin's lithograph mentioned here was located in St. Petersburg on Vasilyevsky Island along the 5th line, against the Academy of Arts
For some reason, the then censorship did not allow the release of this portrait; as a result, the entire publication did not take place. The following year, it turned out that all the printed copies of the portrait, except for five that were retained by the publishers immediately after printing, disappeared, along with the stone, when Tyulin's lithography premises were changed in 1854 in the new lithography premises. Subsequently, some persons acquired these missing copies by purchase at Apraksin Dvor; that is why the present edition includes a photohyalotype copy, in a reduced format, from one of the surviving copies of that portrait, and not genuine prints.
Treasuring the memory of Kozma Prutkov, one cannot fail to point out those details of his appearance and clothing, which he attributed to the artists in the portrait as a special merit; namely: skillfully curled and disheveled, chestnut, with gray hair; two warts: one at the top of the right side of the forehead, and the other at the top of the left cheekbone; a piece of black English plaster around his neck, under his right cheekbone, where he used to get regular razor cuts; long, sharp ends of a shirt collar sticking out from under a colored scarf tied around the neck with a wide and long loop; a cloak-almaviva, with a black velvet collar, picturesquely thrown over the shoulder at one end; the left hand, tightly covered with a white suede glove of a special cut, exposed from under the almaviva, with expensive rings over the glove (these rings were granted to him on various occasions).
When the portrait of Kozma Prutkov was already painted on the stone, he demanded that a lyre be added below, from which rays emanate upward.
The artists satisfied this desire of his, as far as possible in the finished portrait; but in the reduced copy from the portrait, attached to the present edition, these poetic rays, unfortunately, are hardly noticeable.
Kozma Prutkov never abandoned his intention to publish his works separately. In 1860, he even announced in print (in the journal Sovremennik, in a footnote to the poem Disappointment) about their forthcoming publication; but circumstances have prevented the fulfillment of this intention of his until now. Now it is carried out, among other things, to protect the type and literary rights of Kozma Prutkov, which belong exclusively to his literary founders named in this essay.
In view of the erroneous indications in the press about the participation of various other persons in the activities of Kozma Prutkov, it seems useful to repeat the information about their cooperation:
Firstly, the literary personality of Kozma Prutkov was created and developed by three persons, namely: Count Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Alexei Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov and Vladimir Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov.
Secondly: The cooperation in this matter was rendered by two persons, in the amount specified here, namely:
1) Alexander Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov, who took a very significant part in composing not only three fables: “Forget-Me-Nots and Calfs”, “The Conductor and the Tarantula” and “The Heron and the Racing Drama”, but also the comedy “Blondes” and the unfinished comedy “Love and Silin” (see about it in the initial callout), and
2) Pyotr Pavlovich Ershov, the famous writer of the fairy tale "The Little Humpbacked Horse", who was delivered several verses placed in the second picture of the operetta: "Skulls, that is, Phrenologist" 3
P. P. Ershov personally handed over these couplets to V. M. Zhemchuzhnikov in Tobolsk, in 1854, declaring his desire: “Let Kozma Prutkov use them, because I myself no longer write anything.” Incidentally, in the biography of P. P. Ershov, published by Mr. Yaroslavtsev in 1872, on page 49 there is an excerpt from Ershov’s letter dated March 5, 1837, in which he mentions “couplets” for the vaudeville “Skulls”, written by his friend "Chzhov". Were it not these "couplets" who were handed over to P.P. Ershov in 1854? They also had the title "Skulls".
And thirdly: therefore, no one - neither from the editors and employees of the Sovremennik magazine, nor from all other Russian writers - had the slightest participation in the authorship of Kozma Prutkov.
"Leisure" and "Down and Feathers" 4
The heading "Leisure" and "Down and Feathers" combines the titles of two publications in 1854 ("Literary jumble") and 1860 ("Whistle").
Foreword 5
First published in Sovremennik, 1854, No. 2.
Reader, here are my "Leisure" ... Judge impartially! This is only part of the writing. I have been writing since childhood. I have a lot of unfinished (d'inachev?). I am publishing an excerpt. You ask: Why? Answer: I want fame. - Glory amuses a person. Glory, they say, "smoke"; it is not true. I don't believe it!
I am a poet, a gifted poet! I made sure of it; I was convinced by reading others: if they are poets, so am I! .. Judge, I say, for yourself. Yes, judge impartially. I'm looking for justice; no indulgence is needed, I do not ask for indulgence! ..
Goodbye reader! If you like these essays, read others.
I have a large stock, a lot of materials; only an architect is needed, an architect is needed; I am a good architect!
Goodbye reader! Look, read with attention, but do not remember dashingly!
Your well-wisher is Kozma Prutkov.
Letter from the famous Kozma Prutkov to an unknown feuilletonist 6
Full title - Letter from the famous Kozma Prutkov to the unknown columnist of the St. Petersburg Vedomosti (1854) regarding the article of this latter, for the first time - in Sovremennik, 1854, No. 6.
Feuilletonist, I ran through your article in No. 80 of the St. Petersburg Vedomosti. You mention me in it; it's nothing. But you unreasonably blaspheme me in it! I will not praise you for this, although you obviously want my praise.
Are you saying that I write parodies? Not at all!.. I don't write parodies at all! I never wrote parodies! Where did you get the idea that I write parodies? I have simply analyzed in my mind most of the successful poets; this analysis led me to a synthesis; for the talents, scattered among other poets separately, turned out to be combined all in me as one! .. Having come to such a consciousness, I decided to write. Having decided to write, I wished for glory. Wishing for fame, I chose the surest path to it: imitation precisely to those poets who have already acquired it to some extent. Do you hear? - “imitation”, not a parody! .. Where did you get the idea that I write parodies ?!
In this direction, I also wrote “The Dispute of the Ancient Greek Philosophers about the Graceful”. How do you, feuilletonist, assure that for him "there is no model in modern literature"? I, firm in my direction, like flint, could not have written this “Dispute” if I had not seen for it “a model in modern literature”! .. It seemed to you outdated form this "Dispute"; and it's not like that! The form is the most ordinary, colloquial, dramatic, fully corresponding to this, truly dramatic, my creation! .. And where did you see that dramatic works were not written in colloquial form ?!
Then you, like others, seem to attribute to my pen the Dwarfs and other Scenes from Everyday Life? Oh, this is a cruel mistake! You read the table of contents, delve into my works and then you will understand how twice two makes four: what is mine in Yeralashi and what is not mine! ..
Listen, feuilletonist! - I see from your style that you are still a beginner in literature, but you have already managed to fill your hand; This is good! Now you have to seek glory; Glory amuses a person!.. Glory, they say, "smoke", but it's not true! Don't believe it, feuilletonist! - So, in the name of your literary glory, I ask you: do not call my works parodies in advance! Otherwise, I will also begin to assure that all your feuilletons are nothing but parodies; for they are like two drops of water similar to all other newspaper feuilletons!
Between my works, on the contrary, not only are there no parodies, but not even all imitation; but there are real, genuine and large nuggets! .. That's how you parody me, and very unsuccessfully! For example, you say: “Parody should be directed against something that has more or less(!) serious meaning; otherwise it will be empty fun. Yes, this is straight from my aphorism: “Throwing pebbles into the water, look at the circles they form; otherwise, such throwing will be empty fun! .. "
Works by Kozma Prutkov
Biographical information about Kozma Prutkov
Sources:
1) Personal information.
2) Works by Kozma Prutkov.
The works of Kozma Prutkov were first published exclusively in the journal. Sovremennik 1851, 1853-1854 and 1860-1864 (in 1851, only three of his fables were placed there, without a signature, in the Notes of the New Poet). Subsequently, in the early 1860s. several (mostly the weakest) of his works were published in the journal. "Spark"; and in 1861 was placed in the journal. "Entertainment", No. 18, his comedy "Love and Silin". Then in 1881 it was printed for the first time in gas. "New Time", No. 2026, the fable "The Star and the Belly". Here are all the publications in which the works of Kozma Prutkov were printed.
The present Complete Works of Kozma Prutkov includes everything that he ever published, except for the following: a) poems: “Return from Kronstadt”, “To friends after marriage”, “To the crowd”, an epigram about Diogenes, the same about Lysimakhe and the fable "Heels inopportune", b) several aphorisms, c) several "excerpts from grandfather's notes", d) the comedy "Love and Silin" and e) the project: "On the introduction of unanimity in Russia". Among these works of K. Prutkov, not included in this edition, poems, aphorisms and stories of his grandfather were excluded by him from the collection of his works being prepared due to their weakness; com. "Love and Silin" was excluded by him because it was printed without his knowledge, before its final finishing; and the project “on unanimity” was excluded by the publishers because it is an official, and not a literary work by K. Prutkov. But, in addition to the previously published works of Kozma Prutkov, the present edition includes many of those that have not yet been in print.
3) "Obituary of Kozma Petrovich Prutkov", in the journal. "Contemporary", 1863, book. IV, signed by K. I. Sherstobitov [In the St. Petersburg Vedomosti of 1876, fictitious information about Kozma Prutkov was printed, incorrectly signed also by the name of K. I. Sherstobitov]
4) "Correspondence" of Mr. Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov, to the gas. "St. Petersburg Vedomosti", 1874, No. 37, about the "Anthology for Everyone" published by Mr. Gerbel. 5) Articles: "Protection of the memory of Kozma Prutkov", in the gas. "New Time", 1877, No. 892 and 1881, No. 2026, signed: "An indispensable member of Kozma Prutkov." 6) Letter to the editor of the Vek magazine from Mr. Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov, in the newspapers: "Voice", 1883, No. 40 and "New Time", 1883, No. 2496. 7) Article: "The Origin of the Pseudonym Kozma Prutkov" A. Zhemchuzhnikova, placed in the "News", 1883, No. 20.
Kozma Petrovich Prutkov spent his entire life, except for the years of childhood and early adolescence, in the public service: first in the military department, and then in the civil service. He was born April 11, 1803; died January 13, 1863
In the Obituary and in other articles about him, attention was drawn to the following two facts: first, that he marked all his printed prose articles on the 11th of April or any other month; and secondly, that he wrote his own name: Kozma, not Kuzma. Both of these facts are true; but the first of them was misunderstood. It was believed that, marking his works with the 11th number, he wanted to commemorate his birthday each time; in fact, he did not commemorate his birthday with such a mark, but his wonderful dream, probably only coincidentally coincided with his birthday and had an impact on his whole life. The content of this dream is described below, according to Kozma Prutkov himself. As for the way he wrote his name, in reality he was not even written "Kozma", but Kosma, like his famous namesakes: Kosma and Damian, Kosma Minin, Kosma Medici and a few others like him.
In 1820, he entered the military service, only for the uniform, and stayed in this service for just over two years, in the hussars. It was at this time that he had the aforementioned dream. Namely: on the night of April 10, 1823, returning home late from a comrade's drinking bout and barely lying down on his bed, he saw in front of him a naked brigadier general, in epaulettes, who, having lifted him from the bed by the hand and not allowing him to get dressed, silently led him along some long and dark corridors to the top of a high and pointed mountain, and there he began to take out various precious materials in front of him from the ancient crypt, showing them to him one after another and even putting some of them to his chilled body. Prutkov expected with bewilderment and fear the denouement of this incomprehensible event; but suddenly, from the touch of the most expensive of these matters, he felt a strong electric shock throughout his body, from which he woke up covered in perspiration. It is not known what significance Kozma Petrovich Prutkov attached to this vision. But, often talking about him later, he always became very excited and ended his story with a loud exclamation: “That very morning, barely waking up, I decided to leave the regiment and resigned; and when the resignation came out, I immediately decided to serve in the Ministry of Finance, in the Assay Office, where I will stay forever! - Indeed, having entered the Assay Chamber in 1823, he remained there until his death, that is, until January 13, 1863. The authorities distinguished and rewarded him. Here, in this Tabernacle, he was honored to receive all civil ranks, up to and including the actual state councilor, and the highest position: director of the Assay Tabernacle; and then the Order of St. Stanislav of the 1st degree, who always seduced him, as can be seen from the fable "The Star and the Belly."
In general, he was very pleased with his service. Only during the period of preparing the reforms of the last reign, he seemed to be at a loss. At first it seemed to him that the soil was leaving from under him, and he began to grumble, shouting everywhere about the prematureness of any reforms and that he was “the enemy of all so-called questions!”. However, later, when the inevitability of reforms became undeniable, he himself tried to distinguish himself by reforming projects and was very indignant when these projects rejected him for their obvious failure. He explained this by envy, disrespect for experience and merit, and began to fall into despondency, even despair. In one of the moments of such gloomy despair, he wrote a mystery: “The Affinity of the World Forces”, which is published for the first time in this edition and quite correctly conveys the then painful state of his spirit [In the same state of mind, he wrote the poem “Before the Sea of Life”, also published for the first time in present edition]. Soon, however, he calmed down, felt the old atmosphere around him, and under him the old soil. He again began to write projects, but in a shy direction, and they were accepted with approval. This gave him reason to return to his former complacency and expect a significant promotion. A sudden nervous shock that befell him in the director's office of the Assay Tent, at the very departure of the service, put an end to these hopes, ending his glorious days. This edition contains for the first time his "Death" poem, recently found in the secret file of the Assay Chamber.
But no matter how great his service successes and virtues, they alone would not have brought him even a hundredth of the glory that he acquired through his literary activity. Meanwhile, he spent more than forty years in public service (including the hussars), and acted publicly in the literary field for only five years (in 1853-54 and in the 1860s).
Until 1850, precisely before his accidental acquaintance with a small circle of young people, consisting of several Zhemchuzhnikov brothers and their cousin, Count Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Kozma Petrovich Prutkov never thought about either literary or any other public activities. He understood himself only as an assiduous official of the Assay Chamber and did not dream of anything further in official success. In 1850, Count A. K. Tolstoy and Alexei Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov, not foreseeing serious consequences from their undertaking, took it into their head to assure him that they saw in him remarkable talents for dramatic creativity. He, believing them, wrote under their leadership the comedy "Fantasy", which was performed on stage with. - Petersburg Alexandria Theatre, in the highest presence, on January 8, 1851, for the benefit performance of the then favorite of the public, Mr. Maksimov 1st. On the same evening, however, she was withdrawn from the theatrical repertoire, by special order; this can only be explained by the originality of the plot and the bad acting of the actors. It is being printed for the first time only now.
