Kozma Prutkov is a unique phenomenon not only for Russian, but also for world literature. There are fictional heroes to whom monuments are erected, museums are opened in the houses where they “lived,” but none of them had their own biography, collection of works, critics of their work and adherents.

Kozma Prutkov’s aphorisms were published in such well-known publications in the 19th century as Sovremennik, Iskra and Entertainment. Many famous writers of the time believed that this was a real person.

"Guardians" of the hero

Kozma Prutkov appeared thanks to the joint prank of the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers, Alexei, Vladimir and Alexander, and Count Alexei Tolstoy. The Zhemchuzhnikov brothers came from an old Russian family, which included governors, captains and senators. and Vladimir were poets, and their brother Lev was a famous artist and engraver.

Alexey Konstantinovich Tolstoy is a famous Russian writer, playwright and poet. Kozma Prutkov, whose quotes and aphorisms were loved by many of their contemporaries, arose from the failure of a play co-written by Tolstoy and Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov. Nicholas I, who was present at the performance, was dissatisfied, the play was removed from the repertoire, and in revenge, the brothers began to write parodies of poets pleasing to the tsar under the name of Kozma Prutkov.

Gradually, there were so many works published in various publications on behalf of Prutkov that the creators had to give him not only a biography, but also an appearance. Thus, they become patrons and advisers of the graphomaniac they created.

Biography of Kozma Prutkov

The aphorisms of Kozma Prutkov, which became famous in literary circles, became the main reason for their author to find his own face. Introduced in 1854 by the brothers Zhemchuzhnikov and Tolstoy, Prutkov, according to them, was born on April 11, 1803 in the village of Tenteleva. He even had his own small estate Pustynka, not far from Sablino station.

At the age of 17, the future graphomaniac entered military service in a hussar regiment, in which he served for a little more than 2 years. After he resigned, Kozma joined the Assay Office, where he made a successful career.

Prutkov died on January 13, 1863 due to a nervous attack that overtook him while serving in the director’s office.

Prutkov in military service

Kozma Prutkov’s military aphorisms arose against the background of his memories of military service, which ended very hastily. The reason for leaving the regiment in 1823 was a dream that the young hussar had on the night of his birthday, April 11.

Kozma dreamed of a naked brigadier general who ordered him to get up and follow him. After wandering around, the general led the young hussar to a crypt on the top of the mountain, from which he began to take out expensive materials and show them to him. After the brigadier general passed one of the materials over Prutkov’s body, he was struck by an electric shock and woke up.

Despite the fact that the dream happened after a heavy drinking session, it made such an indelible impression on Kozma that he resigned.

Thanks to this short service, readers were able to get acquainted with his “outstanding” thoughts about the army:

• “When building new greatcoats for soldiers, remember what they drank and ate.”
• “Let the precise fitting of ammunition be the goal of a soldier’s ambition.”
• “If you want to be beautiful, join the hussars” and many others.

Civil Service Career

Kozma Prutkov, whose quotes and aphorisms were an undoubted success with the public, made a brilliant career not only in the literary field.

The management treated the young employee of the Assay Office very favorably, since they noticed his zeal for work, for which they encouraged and rewarded him. Kozma's talents allowed him to go from a simple employee to the highest civil rank of state councilor and receiving not only the position of director of the Assay Office, but also the Order of St. Stanislav 1st degree.

Kozma Prutkov’s aphorisms about public service are no less profound than about the military path. “Only in public service can you learn the truth,” he sincerely believes. “If there were no tailors, how would you distinguish between official departments?” - this is a question of vital importance for every official.

The would-be author's friends and literary guardians, Tolstoy and the Zhemchuzhnikovs, encouraged their ward to publish his works. Thus, the book “Thoughts and Aphorisms” by Kozma Prutkov was born, which contains his statements about life, love and much more.

Literary career

The first literary experience of the new graphomaniac was his play “Fantasy,” the production of which failed in the presence of the august person. Discouraged by this, Prutkov wanted to quit his literary studies, but his friends persuaded him to continue writing and they were right.

The philosophical aphorisms of Kozma Prutkov (“No one will embrace the immensity,” for example) earned him the reputation of a wise man who deeply sees the essence of things. It is interesting that many readers of Sovremennik perceived the author of aphorisms, fables and satirical poems as a real person. Prutkov even had his critics and admirers. Thus, Dostoevsky for a long time perceived him as a would-be creator of bad poetry.

Not only Kozma Prutkov’s aphorisms, but also his fables, poems, romances and prose formed the basis for the author’s collected works. The books were not only published and were a success among readers living in his time, but also after his death they were republished, and his statements were used to be considered smart and educated people.

About love

Kozma Prutkov’s aphorisms about love showed his true attitude towards women, love and marriage:

• “The wedding ring is the first link in the chain of married life.”
• “Girls are like checkers: not every one succeeds, but every one wants to get into the queens.”
• “We don’t keep what we have, and when we lose it, we cry.”

In fact, many of Kozma Prutkov’s statements, despite his limited mind, are worthy of attention. Having no family of his own, he devoted all his time to service, writing poetry and his friends.

His colleagues appreciated him, his colleagues and relatives loved him, his superiors treated him with sympathy, this was quite enough to live up to his aphorism: “If you want to be happy, be happy.”

His other expressions began to be used in everyday life as allegorical vernacular. The phrase “If you have a fountain, shut it up” began to be pronounced as “Shut up the fountain,” which meant “shut up.”

The aphorisms of Kozma Prutkov and their meaning caused laughter among readers, since they were an indicator of the stupidity and self-confidence of a pompous graphomaniac, who considered his statements worthy of the wisdom of ancient philosophers: “Many people are like sausages: what they are stuffed with, they carry in themselves.”

Portrait of Prutkov

Thanks to the efforts of the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers and Alexei Tolstoy, their fictional hero gained not only the fame of a graphomaniac and a biography, but also a personality. Lev Zhemchuzhnikov and his fellow painters were invited by Prutkov to paint a portrait of the “great” writer, who wished to publish with him a collection of his works.

This is how the famous image appeared, conveyed so realistically that the customer spoke flatteringly about the artists. They depicted his graying curls, warts, and even a band-aid on his neck where there was a razor cut.

At the request of Kozma Prutkov, the painters placed a lyre with rays emanating from it under the portrait. Although the literary activity of this hero lasted only 5 years, he left a noticeable mark on Russian literature, and his famous “Thoughts and Aphorisms” were published and quoted many years after his death.

Prutkov's creativity today

Today, the most famous are 10 aphorisms of Kozma Prutkov, which have become common phrases in everyday life. Among them, the most popular are “Bdi!” and “Look at the root!” Often people, when pronouncing them, do not even know who their author is.

The phenomenon of Kozma Prutkov remains unsurpassed, since a hero with his own collected works and life has never appeared in world literature.

Kozma Prutkov is the most unique satirist of the 19th century, mocking the morals and foundations of his era and dispensing memorable ringing slaps to public taste. The unusualness of Kozma Prutkov was manifested not only in the style and content of his works. This extraordinary man is himself one of the most remarkable literary inventions: his pedigree, biography and work are entirely invented by several original writers - the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers, Pyotr Ershov and Alexei Tolstoy. The book includes the collections “Leisure” and “Down and Feathers”, containing the most poignant immortal aphorisms, socio-political projects, parody poems and fables by Kozma Prutkov. The book also includes “Excerpts from the Notes of My Grandfather” - anecdotal incidents and “historical materials” proving that Kozma Prutkov’s grandfather had no less literary talents than his outstanding grandson, biographical information about the personality and life milestones of Prutkov Jr., a short obituary on his death, as well as a unique posthumous work dictated by him during a seance.

Biographical information about Kozma Prutkov

Kozma Petrovich Prutkov spent his entire life, except for the years of childhood and early adolescence, in 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 with the 11th day of April or other month; and secondly, that he wrote his name: Kozma, not Kuzma. Both of these facts are true; but the first of them was interpreted erroneously. It was believed that, by marking his works with the 11th, he wanted to commemorate his birthday each time; in fact, with such a mark he commemorated not his birthday, but his wonderful dream, which probably only coincided by chance with his birthday and had an influence on his entire life. The content of this dream is described below, from the words of Kozma Prutkov himself. As for the way he wrote his name, in reality it was not even written “Kozma”, but Kosma, like his famous namesakes: Kosma and Damian, Kosma Minin, Kosma Medici and a few others like that.

In 1820, he entered military service, only for the uniform, and remained in this service for only a little over two years, in the hussars. It was at this time that he had the above-mentioned dream. Precisely: on the night of April 10-11, 1823, returning home late from a comradely drinking party and barely laying down on his bed, he saw in front of him a naked brigadier general, in epaulettes, who, lifting him from the bed by the hand and not allowing him to get dressed, He dragged him silently 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 from the ancient crypt in front of him, showing them to him one after another and even placing some of them on his chilled body. Prutkov awaited with bewilderment and fear the outcome of this incomprehensible event; but suddenly, from the touch of the most expensive of these materials, he felt a strong electric shock throughout his body, from which he woke up covered in perspiration. It is unknown what importance 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 same morning, as soon as I woke up, I decided to leave the regiment and resigned; and when my resignation came, I immediately decided to serve in the Ministry of Finance, in the Assay Office, where I will remain forever!”

Indeed, having entered the Assay Office in 1823, he remained there until his death, that is, until January 13, 1863. His superiors recognized and rewarded him. Here, in this Tent, he was honored to receive all civil ranks, up to and including full state councilor, and the highest position: director of the Assay Tent; and then - the Order of St. Stanislav 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. It was only during the period of preparing the reforms of the previous reign that he seemed at a loss. At first it seemed to him that the ground was disappearing 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 with transformative projects and was very indignant when these projects rejected him for their obvious inconsistency. He explained this by envy, disrespect for experience and merit, and began to become despondent, even despairing. At one of the moments of such gloomy despair, he wrote a mystery: “The Affinity of World Forces,” which was 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 same atmosphere around him, and the same soil beneath him. 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 Office, just as he was about to leave for duty, put an end to these hopes, ending his glorious days. This edition contains for the first time his “Dying” poem, recently found in the secret file of the Assay Office.

But no matter how great his career successes and merits were, they alone would not have given him even a hundredth part of the fame that he acquired through his literary activities. Meanwhile, he remained in public service (counting the hussarship) for more than forty years, 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 had never thought about literary or any other public activities. He understood himself only as a zealous official of the Assay Office and dreamed of nothing further than career success. In 1850, Count A.K. Tolstoy and Alexei Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov, not foreseeing serious consequences from their undertaking, decided 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, at a benefit performance of the then favorite of the public, Mr. Maximov 1st. That same evening, however, it was removed from the theatrical repertoire, by special order; this can only be explained by the originality of the plot and the poor acting of the actors.

It is being published for the first time only now.

This first failure did not cool the aspiring writer either towards his new friends or towards the literary field. He obviously began to believe in his literary talents. Moreover, the mentioned Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov and his brother Alexander encouraged him, inducing him to start writing fables. He immediately became jealous of the glory of I. A. Krylov, especially since I. A. Krylov was also in public service and was also a holder of the Order of St. Stanislav 1st degree. In this mood he wrote three fables! “Forget-me-nots and heels”, “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 a New Poet”) and the public really liked it. The famous writer Druzhinin published a very sympathetic article about them, it seems, in the magazine “Library for Reading”.

Taking these first steps in literature, Kozma Petrovich Prutkov, however, did not think of surrendering to 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; That's why he hid his name to the public.

He presented his first work, the comedy “Fantasia,” on the poster as having written some “Y and Z”; and he published his first three fables, named above, 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 mentioned 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 under the name of Kozma Prutkov. He became self-confident, smug, harsh; he began to address the public “as one in power”; and in this new and final image of his, he talked with the public for five years, in two sessions, namely: in 1853 - 54, placing his works in the magazine. “Contemporary”, in the “Jumble” department, 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 section of this essay) were published in the journal. "Iskra" and one in the magazine. “Entertainment”, 1861, No. 18. The intervening six years between Kozma Prutkov’s two appearances in print were for him those years of languid embarrassment and despair mentioned above.

In both of his brief appearances in print, Kozma Prutkov turned out to be amazingly diverse, namely: a poet, a fabulist, a historian (see his “Excerpts from the Notes of his Grandfather”), a philosopher (see his “Fruits of Meditation”), and a dramatic writer . And after his death, it was discovered that at the same time he managed to write government projects, like a brave and decisive administrator (see his project: “On the introduction of unanimity in Russia,” published without this title, at his obituary, in Sovremennik, 1863, book IV). And in all types of this versatile activity, he was equally sharp, decisive, and self-confident. In this respect, he was a son of his time, characterized by self-confidence and disrespect for obstacles. That was, as you know, the time of the famous teaching: “zeal overcomes everything.” Perhaps it was not 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. True to this teaching and excited by his guardians, Kozma Prutkov did not doubt that he only had to apply diligence to take possession of all knowledge and talents. The question is, however: 1) to what does Kozma Prutkov owe that, despite his low qualities, he so quickly acquired and still retains fame and public sympathy? and 2) what guided his guardians in developing these qualities in him?

To resolve these important issues, it is necessary to delve into the essence of the matter, to “look at the root,” as Kozma Prutkov puts it; and then the personality of Kozma Prutkov will turn out to be as dramatic and mysterious as the personality of Hamlet. They both have commentary, and they both inspire sympathy, although for different reasons. Kozma Prutkov was obviously a victim of the three mentioned persons, who arbitrarily became his guardians or minions. They treated him like “false friends”, displayed in tragedies and dramas. They, under the guise of friendship, developed in him qualities that they wanted to ridicule publicly. Under their influence, he adopted from other people who had success: courage, complacency, self-confidence, even arrogance, and began to consider his every thought, every writing and saying as a truth worthy of publication. He suddenly considered himself a dignitary in the field of thought and began to smugly expose his limitations and his ignorance, which otherwise would have remained unknown outside the walls of the Assay Office. 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 thereby brought out such qualities of him that were hidden before the incident. Encouraged by his minions, he himself began to demand that they listen to him; and when they began to listen to him, he showed such a self-confident lack of understanding of reality, as if there was a label over his every word and work; “Everything human is alien to me.”

Kozma Prutkov’s self-confidence, complacency and mental limitations were expressed especially clearly in his “Fruits of Thought,” i.e., in his “Thoughts and Aphorisms.” Usually the form of aphorisms is used to convey the conclusions of worldly wisdom; but Kozma Prutkov used it differently. In most of his aphorisms, he either speaks with the importance of “official” vulgarities, or breaks into open doors with force, or expresses such “thoughts” that not only have no correlation with his time and country, but seem to be outside of any 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!" resembles a military command: “Fire!” And in general, Kozma Prutkov spoke out so smugly, boldly and persistently that he made us believe in his wisdom. According to the proverb: “the city takes courage,” Kozma Prutkov won literary fame for himself with his courage. Although mentally limited, he gave advice of wisdom; 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. - “Diligence overcomes everything!..”

The aforementioned three guardians of Kozma Prutkov carefully developed in him such qualities that he turned out to be completely unnecessary for his country; and, next to this, they mercilessly robbed him of everything that could have made him even a little useful. The presence of the former and the absence of the latter are equally comical, and since Kozma Prutkov retained a deep, innate good nature, making him innocent in all his antics, he turned out to be funny and likable. This is the drama of his situation. Therefore, he can rightly be called a victim of his guardians: he unconsciously and against his will amused, serving their purposes. If it weren’t for these guardians, he would hardly have decided, while he was only in the position of director of the Assay Office, to expose himself so openly, self-confidently and complacently to the public.

But is it fair to reproach Kozma Prutkov’s guardians for making him look funny? After all, only through this did they bring him fame and sympathy from 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 “fame pleases a person.” His guardians guessed that he would never understand the comedy of his fame and would childishly enjoy it.

And he truly enjoyed his fame with enthusiasm, until his death, always believing in his extraordinary and varied talents. He was proud of himself and happy: the most well-intentioned guardians could not have given him more than this.

The fame of Kozma Prutkov was established so quickly that in the very first year of his public literary activity (in 1853), he had already begun preparing a separate edition of his works with a portrait. For this purpose, three artists were then invited by him, who drew and redrawn his portrait on stone, printed in the same 1853, in a lithograph by Tyulin, in a significant number of copies. For some reason, the censorship of that time 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, which were retained by the publishers immediately after printing, disappeared, along with the stone, when the premises of Tyulin's lithograph were changed in 1854 to a new lithography premises. Subsequently, some individuals acquired these missing copies by purchasing them at Apraksin Yard; That is why this edition contains a photohyalotype copy, in a reduced format, from one of the surviving copies of that portrait, and not original prints.

Treasuring the memory of Kozma Prutkov, one cannot help but point out those details of his appearance and clothing, which he attributed to the artists as a special merit for conveying in the portrait; namely: skillfully curled and tousled, brown, gray-tinged 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 on the neck, under the right cheekbone, in the place of his constant razor cuts; the long, sharp ends of a shirt collar protruding from under a colored scarf tied around the neck with a wide and long loop; an almaviva cloak with a black velvet collar, one end picturesquely thrown over the shoulder; his left hand, tightly covered with a white suede glove of a special cut, exposed from under the almaviva, with expensive rings on top of 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 already completed portrait; but in the reduced copy from the portrait attached to this edition, these poetic rays, unfortunately, are barely noticeable.

Kozma Prutkov never abandoned his intention to publish his works separately. In 1860, he even announced in print (in the Sovremennik magazine, in a footnote to the poem “Disappointment”) about their upcoming publication; but circumstances have prevented the fulfillment of this intention until now. Now it is being carried out, among other things, to protect the type and literary rights of Kozma Prutkov, which belong exclusively to his literary educators named in this essay.

In view of the erroneous indications in the press of the participation of various other persons in the activities of Kozma Prutkov, it seems worthwhile to repeat information about their cooperation:

Firstly: the literary personality of Kozma Prutkov was created and developed by three persons, namely: Count Alexey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Alexey Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov and Vladimir Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov.

Secondly: cooperation in this matter was provided by two persons, in the amount defined here, namely:

1) Alexander Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov, who took a very significant part in the composition of not only three fables: “Forget-me-nots and commas”, “The conductor and the tarantula” and “Heron and the racing droshky”, but also the comedy “Blondes” and the unfinished comedy “Love and Silin” (see about it in the opening callout), and

2) Pyotr Pavlovich Ershov, the famous author of the fairy tale “The Little Humpbacked Horse,” who delivered several couplets placed in the second scene of the operetta: “Skullbreaker, that is, Phrenologist.”

And thirdly: therefore, no one - neither from the editors and employees of the Sovremennik magazine, nor from all the other Russian writers - had the slightest participation in the authorship of Kozma Prutkov.

Look to the root!

If you read the inscription “buffalo” on an elephant’s cage, don’t believe your eyes.

The author of these famous aphorisms is Kozma Prutkov. In addition to these, the author has written fables, epigrams, satirical poems, dramatic works, children's alphabet books, and parodies of poems by famous poets. But it was “Fruits of Thought” that brought him fame – a collection of well-written aphorisms that are still popular in our time. “Look into the distance - you will see the distance; look at the sky - you will see the sky; looking into a small mirror, you will see only yourself” - I love this aphorism of Kozma Prutkov most of all. Having heard him at the age of twelve in a literature lesson, I became very interested in this author.

Kozma Petrovich Prutkov is a fictitious person, a so-called literary hoax or literary mask. This is a literary device in which the texts of works are attributed to a fictional author, who, nevertheless, is endowed with his own biography, personal qualities and certain literary reference points. The creators of this parody image were the poet Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy and his cousins ​​Alexei, Vladimir and Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov. It was their collective literary pseudonym, but most of Kozma Prutkov’s works belong to the pen of Alexei Tolstoy. This technique is most often used in humorous and satirical literature. Its purpose is to separate the works of a fictitious author from the real authentic work of the author, which very often has nothing in common with the works written by the “mask”. This is exactly what happened with the creators of Kozma Prutkov, who wrote works in other genres. For example, the famous lyric poem “Among a noisy ball, by chance” and the novel “Prince Silver” were written by Alexei Tolstoy.

How did Kozma Prutkov begin? Young talented aristocrats, gathering in the family circle, joked, composed fables, wrote parodies and epigrams. Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov, who was an inexhaustible joker and writer of absurdities stylized as fables, succeeded especially well in this. In the family circle, his work was called “Sasha’s nonsense.” And by 1851, there was already a whole notebook of this nonsense. And on the advice of brother Alexei, the fables “The Conductor and the Tarantula”, “Forget-me-nots and heels”, “The Heron and the Racetracks” were published in the November issue of the Sovremennik magazine, but the name of the author was not mentioned. And in January 1852, the literary critic Alexander Druzhinin, in the then very popular magazine “Library for Reading,” wrote a laudatory review of the fable “The Conductor and the Tarantula,” which added to the popularity of the new, but still unnamed author. And since the fables were a great success, it was decided to write more and more. The nameless author's fame grew, and he was named Kuzma, in honor of the Zhemchuzhnikovs' valet. And so in 1854, in the “Literary Jumble” - a humorous supplement to the magazine “Sovremennik”, of which N.A. was then the editor. Nekrasov, under one of the fables the name of Kozma Prutkov first appeared.

Kozma Prutkov even had his own biography: he was born on April 11, 1803 in the village of Tenteleva near Solvychegodsk. In 1816 he began serving as a cadet in the hussar regiment. After leaving military service, in 1823 he joined the Assay Office (a state institution in which the presence of precious metals in a product is determined and recorded by applying a test mark), subsequently became its director, rose to the rank of full state councilor, and was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus I degrees. In his spare time he enjoyed writing. But in addition to poems and fables, the author also created government projects. The most famous of them is the project “On the introduction of unanimity in Russia,” which was never implemented. The “author” died on January 13, 1863 in St. Petersburg in the arms of his grief-stricken wife and sobbing children. This data can be read in “Biographical information about Kozma Prutkov”.

Why was Kozma Prutkov needed? The aphorisms and satirical poems of Kozma Prutkov ridiculed the illiteracy, mental stagnation and political good intentions that reigned during the reign of Nicholas I. And his very image was a satire on bureaucrats and the bureaucratic type of thinking. This was an author - a parodist - resourceful, apt and topical. When creating this literary mask, the authors did not even think that their hero would surpass his creators in glory and would soon live an independent life. Over time, Kozma Prutkov even acquired his own appearance - his fictional portrait was created by Lev Zhemchuzhnikov together with the artists Alexander Beideman and Lev Lagorio. By the way, the censors immediately banned the portrait along with the author’s writings, as they considered it “a mockery of a real person.”

In 1884, the first “Complete Works of Kozma Prutkov” was published; its circulation was six hundred copies, which were immediately sold out. The preparation of this publication was carried out by the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers; Alexei Tolstoy was no longer alive by that time. When releasing the “Complete Works” into the world, the Zhemchuzhnikovs said that by creating Prutkov, they developed in him those qualities that they wanted to ridicule publicly.

Subsequently, circulations of Kozma Prutkov’s works reached hundreds of thousands of copies. They are still popular in our time, probably because “Our land is rich, but there is just no order in it,” as Alexei Tolstoy wrote in 1868. Little has changed in a century and a half, which means we will continue to read Kozma Prutkov...

literary mask under which the poets Alexei Tolstoy and the brothers Alexei, Vladimir and Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov appeared in the magazines Sovremennik, Iskra and others in the 50-60s of the 19th century

Kozma Prutkov

short biography

Kozma Petrovich Prutkov- a literary mask under which the poets Alexey Tolstoy (the largest contribution in quantitative terms), brothers Alexey Zhemchuzhnikov, Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov and Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov (in fact - collective pseudonym of all four). According to several testimonies of contemporaries, staff captain Alexander Ammosov, who died early due to severe wounds, also took a significant part in creating the legacy of Kozma Prutkov. In particular, the famous fable “The Shepherd, the Milk and the Reader” belongs to his pen.

Satirical poems, aphorisms of Kozma Prutkov and his very image ridiculed mental stagnation, political “good intentions”, and parodied literary epigonism.

From “Biographical information about Kozma Prutkov”

Kozma Petrovich Prutkov spent his entire life, except for his childhood and early adolescence, in public service: first in the military department, and then in the civil service. He was born on April 11, 1803 in the village of Tentelevoy near Solvychegodsk, and died on January 13, 1863. He had an estate in the village “Pustynka” near the Sablino railway station.

In 1820, he entered military service, only for the uniform, and remained in this service for only a little over two years, in the hussars. It was at this time that he had a dream. Precisely: on the night of April 10-11, 1823, returning home late from a comradely drinking party and barely laying down on his bed, he saw in front of him a naked brigadier general, in epaulettes, who, lifting him from the bed by the hand and not allowing him to get dressed, silently dragged 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 from the ancient crypt in front of him, showing them to him one after another and even placing some of them on his chilled body. Prutkov awaited with bewilderment and fear the outcome of this incomprehensible event; but suddenly, from the touch of the most expensive of these materials, he felt a strong electric shock throughout his body, from which he woke up covered in perspiration. It is unknown what importance 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 same morning, as soon as I woke up, I decided to leave the regiment and resigned; and when my resignation came, I immediately decided to serve in the Ministry of Finance, in the Assay Office, where I will remain forever!” - Indeed, having entered the Assay Office in 1823, he remained there until his death, that is, until January 13, 1863.

His superiors recognized and rewarded him. Here, in this Tent, he was honored to receive all civil ranks, up to and including full state councilor, and the highest position: director of the Assay Tent; and then - the Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st degree, which always attracted him, as can be seen from the fable “The Star and the Belly.”

In general, he was very pleased with his service. It was only during the period of preparing the reforms of the previous reign that he seemed at a loss. At first it seemed to him that the ground was disappearing 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 with transformative projects and was very indignant when these projects rejected him for their obvious inconsistency. He explained this by envy, disrespect for experience and merit, and began to become despondent, even despairing. In one of the moments of such gloomy despair, he wrote a mystery play: “The Affinity of World Forces.”

Soon, however, he calmed down, felt the same atmosphere around him, and the same soil beneath him. 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 Office, just as he was about to leave for duty, put an end to these hopes, ending his glorious days.

The problem of authorship

According to several testimonies of contemporaries, a large part in creating the legacy of Kozma Prutkov belonged to Alexander Ammosov, who actively participated in the “Prutkov circle”, and himself often acted under the pseudonym “follower of Kozma Prutkov”. Only early death from numerous wounds prevented him from taking a greater place among the co-authors. Peter Schumacher spoke most definitely about this subject (in 1884).

“The Zhemchuzhnikov brothers acted dishonestly by keeping silent about Alexander Ammosov, who participated in their circle more than Alexei Tolstoy: “Zapyatki” <т.е. «Незабудки и запятки»> and “Shepherd and Milk” - not theirs, but Ammosov’s. Many people know this, but if Count Alexey were alive, he, as an honest and truthful man, would not have allowed this overexposure.”

Konstantin Aleksandrovich Bulgakov (Lermontov’s classmate and a famous wit) spoke in a similar way in his letter (dated February 15, 1859) to the Iskra artist Nikolai Stepanov. Attracts attention in a special way dates these testimonies - neither in 1859, nor even in 1884 was there any talk of somehow “clinging” to the glory of the “great” Prutkov.

Famous Quotes

• You can't hatch the same egg twice.
• The present is a consequence of the past, and therefore constantly turn your gaze to your backside, which will save you from significant mistakes.
• Many things are incomprehensible to us not because our concepts are weak; but because these things are not included in the range of our concepts.
• If you read the inscription “buffalo” on an elephant’s cage, don’t believe your eyes.
• If you have a fountain, shut it up; give the fountain a rest.
• What will others say about you if you can’t say anything about yourself?
• It is more useful to go through the path of life than the entire universe.
• No one will embrace the immensity.
• Spit in the eyes of anyone who says that you can embrace the immensity!
• If you want to be happy, be it.
• If you want to be beautiful, join the hussars.
• Who's stopping you from inventing waterproof gunpowder?
• Looking at the sun, squint your eyes, and you will boldly see spots in it.
• Diligence overcomes everything!
• It happens that diligence overcomes reason.
• If you are asked: what is healthier, the sun or the month? - answer: month. For the sun shines during the day, when it is already light; and the month is at night.
• Where is the beginning of the end with which the beginning ends?
• It’s better to say little, but well.
• Drive love through the door, it will fly out the window.
• It is easier to hold the reins than to hold the reins.
• Not everything that grows is sheared.
• There is no state in the world freer than ours, which, while enjoying liberal political institutions, at the same time obeys the slightest instruction of the authorities.
• I’ll say it again: no one can embrace the immensity!
• And the oyster has enemies.
• Under sweet expressions, insidious thoughts lurk: just like someone who smokes tobacco often smells of perfume.
• Sticking to the people's party is both modern and profitable.
• Don't walk along the slope, you'll wear out your boots!
• Seek not unity in the totality, but rather in the uniformity of division.

• The Bryansk Literary Museum (Bryansk, Russia) has the “Prutkov Hall”, which houses an exhibition dedicated to Kozma Prutkov.
• The authorship of the phrase “Look at the root” is erroneously attributed to K. Prutkov. In “The Fruits of Thought” there is the phrase “Look to the root,” and one of the chapters of A. S. Shishkov’s “Slavic Russian Corner Book” is called “Look to the root: the son always speaks in the language of his father.”
• One of those very close in spirit and style to Kozma Prutkov was his senior contemporary, colleague in the Ministry of Finance and now almost forgotten poet Peter Schumacher, many of whose poems could well have been included in Prutkov’s collected works.
• In Arkhangelsk, on Chumbarov-Luchinsky Avenue, there is a monument to Kozma Prutkov.
• In the Dolgorukovsky district of the Lipetsk region, near the turn to the village of Vyazovoe, a bust of Kozma Prutkov was erected - it is believed that it was there that the estate of a real person was located, whose biography formed the basis of the literary character.
• Nowadays, following the style and style of Kozma Prutkov with free participation can be found on numerous sites on the Internet.
• Alexei Tolstoy was a cousin of the Zhemchuzhnikov brothers.

Literature

• Berkov P. N. Kozma Prutkov. Director of the assay office and poet. On the history of Russian parody. - M.: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1933. - 226 pp.
• Zhukov D. Kozma Prutkov and his friends. / Series: Library “For Lovers of Russian Literature”. - M.: Sovremennik, 1976. - 382 pp.
• Zhukov D. The classic that never happened. // Prutkov K. Works of Kozma Prutkov. - M.: Publishing house "Soviet Russia", 1981.
• Krivin F. Our well-wisher Kozma Prutkov // Works of Kozma Prutkov. Classics and contemporaries: Russian classical literature. - M.: Fiction, 1987.
• Smirnov A. Kozma Prutkov. Biography. - St. Petersburg: Vita Nova, 2010. - p. 512. - Series: Biography
• Smirnov A. Kozma Prutkov. - M.: Young Guard, 2011. - 406 p. - (Life of wonderful people)

Categories:

Timofeeva Alena

In the early 50s, Kozma Prutkov was “born” - the author of poems, fables, epigrams, parodies, plays, aphorisms, and historical anecdotes. This is a mysterious person, because not everyone is able to laugh at themselves and “exhibit” their portrait for public viewing. Who is Kozma Prutkov? What was the reason for the emergence of his meetings, precise, caustic, touching the living?

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MBOU Secondary School No. 6

with in-depth study of individual subjects

city ​​of Stavropol

Job title “Who is Kozma Prutkov?”

Head: Natalya Vladimirovna Mostakova

2008

Plan

Introduction

1. Authors Kozma Prutkova
2. Originality of creativity

conclusions

Bibliography

Application

Introduction

In the early 50s, Kozma Prutkov was “born” - the author of poems, fables, epigrams, parodies, plays, aphorisms, and historical anecdotes.

One of Kozma Prutkov’s collections opens with this poem:

My portrait

When in a crowd you meet a person who is naked;*

Whose forehead is darker than the foggy Kazbek,

The step is uneven;

Whose hair is raised in disorder;

Who, crying out,

Always trembling in a nervous fit, -

Know: it's me!

Whom they sneer with ever-new anger,

From generation to generation;

From whom the crowd wears his laurel crown

Vomits madly;

Whoever bows his flexible back to no one, -

Know: it's me!..

There's a snake in my chest!

I was interested in this personality, because not everyone is able to laugh at themselves and “exhibit” their portrait for public viewing. Who is Kozma Prutkov? What was the reason for the emergence of his meetings, precise, caustic, touching the living?

Goal of the work:

Identify the reasons for the emergence of the writer Kozma Prutkov and his works;

Determine the main facets of Kozma Prutkov’s creativity;

Note the role of Kozma Prutkov’s works in the history of Russian literature.

1. The personality of Kozma Prutkov - truth and fiction

The biographical sketch, placed in the first collected works of Kozma Prutkov and reprinted in all subsequent ones, provides the following basic information about the poet’s life.

Kozma Petrovich Prutkov was born on April 11, 1803. In 1820, he was accepted into one of the best hussar regiments, but served in it for only a little over two years. He entered military service “only for the uniform” and, having retired in 1823, at the same time he decided to take a civil service in the Ministry of Finance - in the Assay Office. Here he served for forty years, until his death.

Kozma Prutkov became a writer at a very old age - in his late fifties. He made his debut in 1850 with the comedy Fantasia, staged at the Imperial Alexandria Theater; the following year he published his first poems anonymously. Then his talent quickly developed. Since 1854, Prutkov began to publish under his own name. This year and then in 1860, all of his main works belonging to various genres were published in the Sovremennik magazine: Prutkov wrote poems, aphorisms, historical anecdotes, and dramatic works.

Kozma Prutkov died on January 13, 1863 with the rank of director. Assay Office, having the rank of actual state councilor.

All this information, with the exception of bibliographical information, is fictitious. The events described above did not actually occur. The very object of the biography is fictional. The director of the Assay Office, Kozma Petrovich Prutkov, never actually existed. This personality, with all her life and creative path, with sharply defined features of appearance and character, is the same fruit of artistic invention as the works of Kozma Prutkov. The life and work of this writer is an artistic whole, unified in concept and execution.

Kozma Prutkov is a pseudonym that has developed into an independent person, into an “author’s mask.” Such “author’s masks” took root in Russian literature precisely with the light hand of Kozma Prutkov.

The integrity of Kozma Prutkov’s personality and creativity was not diminished by the fact that several authors collaborated here, each of whom, of course, contributed their own artistic aspirations and characteristics of their talent, thereby expanding the creative range of the fictional poet. The image of Kozma Prutkov so cemented the works of these authors that the only case in Russian literature arose when a fictional author-hero became on a par with real writers.

The works of Kozma Prutkov are not divided into works of individual authors, but are published and studied as the creative heritage of one author. True, it is impossible to completely separate Prutkov’s works by individual authors, since some of the works were written together.

A.K. Tolstoy and his cousins ​​the Zhemchuzhnikovs are the creators of Kozma Prutkov, a fictional author on whose behalf three poets collectively performed satirical works.

Alexey Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov (1821-1908). Outside of Prutkov, his many years of literary activity have a rather modest significance in the history of Russian poetry. He wrote landscape and love poems, but did not have sufficient lyricism and focused mainly on “civil” poetry. His main creative activity occurred at a time much later than the activities of Kozma Prutkov - in the 70-90s. In the 40s, according to P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, he attended Petrashevsky’s circle.

Vladimir Mikhailovich Zhemchuzhnikov (1830-1884) did not show himself in literature outside of Prutkov. Meanwhile, this is, strictly speaking, the central figure of the Prutkov triumvirate. In terms of the number of works by Kozma Prutkov that he owns, Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov is in first place. He was also the organizer and editor of Kozma Prutkov’s publications, prepared the “Complete Works” and wrote “Biographical Information”.

V. Zhemchuzhnikov was a member of the editorial staff of Sovremennik; judging by the materials of gendarmerie observations, he visited Chernyshevsky several times. The surviving office book of Sovremennik from 1860 states that the fee for Prutkov’s materials was issued to Zhemchuzhnikov “through Chernyshevsky.”

The “Biographical Information about Kozma Prutkov” acknowledges the participation of another Zhemchuzhnikov, Alexander Mikhailovich (1826-1896), in the literary heritage of Prutkov, but to a strictly limited extent: it is indicated that he participated in the composition of three fables and two comedies.

Of the creators of Kozma Prutkov, the most famous is Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy (1817-1875). A prominent lyricist, whose poems are still widely known, especially due to the fact that almost half of them were set to music by Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, an outstanding playwright, whose play “Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich” was glorified by the Moscow Art Theater production, Alexei Tolstoy at the same time brilliant satirist. Particularly remarkable is his poem “Popov’s Dream” - one of the best satires on the cruel and hypocritical bureaucracy and police of Russian tsarism.

At the time of the creation of Kozma Prutkov, Alexey Tolstoy already had fifteen years of experience in the most unbridled buffoonery on paper. His letters from the 30s are a kind of stream of foolishness, in which much, due to the unknown reality, is completely incomprehensible to us. In some places there are funny couplets, parodies, and deliberately ridiculous ballads.

Alexei Tolstoy, like his cousins, was fascinated by the comedy of absurdity. One can imagine what this itch of scolding was like in his youth, if in his old age A. Tolstoy could begin a letter with something like:

Yellow-bellied Gavril

Doused with milk

And Malanya said:

He is a complete stranger to me!

Dislike of despotism and bureaucracy is generally characteristic of Alexei Tolstoy, but there is nothing revolutionary in it. Alexei Tolstoy is hostile to the idea of ​​a revolutionary coup; his opposition to the authorities is largely in the nature of aristocratic opposition to the depersonalizing despotism and omnipotence of the bureaucracy.

“Kozma Prutkov” was created in the free atmosphere of noble family life. The Zhemchuzhnikov brothers and their cousin Alexei Tolstoy were the darlings of fate: handsome and strong, cheerful, rich, well-educated, with great court, high-society and high-ranking connections, brilliant wits and gifted poets.

Life was in full swing in them and in the musty atmosphere of Nicholas’s reign it burst through in provocative inventions and daring pranks. Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov was especially distinguished in these pranks - an inexhaustible funnyman with an extraordinary gift for imitating. Numerous anecdotes about the antics of the Zhemchuzhnikovs, preserved by memoirists, relate mainly to him. Let me give you a few such anecdotes.

Having deliberately stepped on the foot of one high-ranking official in the theater, Zhemchuzhnikov then appeared to him every reception day with an apology, until the enraged dignitary kicked him out.

Minister of Finance Vronchenko walked along Palace Embankment every day at nine o'clock in the morning. Zhemchuzhnikov, unfamiliar with the minister, began to pass by him every morning and, raising his hat, greeted him with the words: “The Minister of Finance is the spring of activity.” Vronchenko finally complained to the St. Petersburg Chief of Police Galakhov, and Zhemchuzhnikov, under pain of expulsion from the capital, was ordered not to disturb the minister in the future.

It is difficult to say what is true and what is fiction in these stories, but the “Prutkovsky” spirit is felt in them. Everything state-owned, everything official, recognized as sublime and respectable, aroused evil and playful irony in Prutkov’s creators.

The circle of such pranks and inventions also included the literary pranks of the merry brothers. Here is one of them:

Thoughts and observations

With borscht or cabbage soup

Rarely ends the feast

Blancmange.

The warrior who was on guard

Resting, taking off his uniform,

In a negligee.

Pearls in threads and things

Buys a jeweler

Faberge.

Alexey Zhemchuzhnikov was a master of comic notes, dedications, and album poems. The manuscript makes us think that Kozma Prutkov’s famous poem “Into the Album of NN” was originally written by Alexei Zhemchuzhnikov on his own behalf in the album of some lady, and then became the literary property of Kozma Prutkov.

The younger brothers also set out early on the path of mockery paved by their elders. Alexander buffooned himself in poetry and prose, as in life. Absurd fables - a prominent genre in the work of Kozma Prutkov - he began to cultivate. On copies of some of Alexander’s works that were published under the name of Kozma Prutkov, but not included in the collection of his works, there is the same note from the editor of the collection, Vladimir Zhemchuzhnikov: “Sashenkin’s stupidity!” How many such “nonsense” things were probably written before the idea of ​​“Kozma Prutkov” arose!

The younger brother Vladimir was primarily a parodist. He had a wonderful gift for artistic imitation. He easily and subtly ridiculed the manner of any poet, competing with Alexei Tolstoy. These two authors mainly own the parodies of Kozma Prutkov. Judging by the dates of the works at which the sting of the parodies is directed, some of these parodies almost date back to the 40s.

In 1851, Alexey Tolstoy and Alexey Zhemchuzhnikov first came out with their jokes from an intimate environment into the public arena. Having written together a one-act vaudeville “Fantasia”, they staged it not at the “home theater”, but on the Alexandria stage.

When Kozma Prutkov subsequently appeared, this play was retroactively attributed to him, designated on the theater poster as “The Work of Y and Z.” “Fantasy” is a mockery of the squalor of the then comedic repertoire. Printing “Fantasy” for the first time in 1884 in the first collected works of Kozma Prutkov, V. Zhemchuzhnikov unusually enriched the text of the comedy, citing all the censor’s corrections in footnotes. It turned out to be a double Kozma Prutkov: Prutkov above and below, Prutkov censored by Prutkov.

3. The originality of Kozma Prutkov’s creativity

From the very inception of the idea of ​​“Kozma Prutkov”, the best form of publication of his works seemed to be a collected works. After all, the idea was precisely to write from one person, “capable of all types of creativity” and, moreover, endowed with a number of comic traits. But this idea could reach the reader only by comparing a number of Prutkov’s works. Therefore, from the very beginning of Kozma Prutkov’s literary activity, his creators were faced with the question of a collected works.

The portrait of Kozma Prutkov, published only during the collected works of 1884, was apparently well known in the literary circle. According to this portrait, A.V. Druzhinin describes the appearance of Kuzma Prutkov in “Notes of a St. Petersburg Tourist” (“St. Petersburg Gazette”, 1856, No. 431, February 22). Based on this portrait, the appearance of Kuzma Prutkov is given and in the caricature of N. A. Stepanov in Iskra (1860, No. 43). )

The Complete Works was published only thirty years later, although it was announced during the publication of Down and Feathers in the Whistle* and in the obituary of 1863, and although prominent writers spoke about the need for its release. So, in the same 1863, F. M. Dostoevsky wrote in “Winter Notes on Summer Impressions”: “We now have one most wonderful writer, the beauty of our time, a certain Kozma Prutkov. His whole shortcoming lies in his incomprehensible modesty: he has not yet published a complete collection of his works.”

Kozma Prutkov is understood as a typical representative of the era of Nicholas I, as “a son of his time, distinguished by self-confidence and disrespect for obstacles.”

The Complete Works was an unexpected success for the authors and publisher. Released in a small edition (600 copies), it sold out immediately and was reprinted in 2,000 copies the following year. Since then it has been constantly reprinted. The twelfth edition was published in 1916. During the Soviet years, the collected works of Kozma Prutkov were published many times, supplemented by materials that were not included in the pre-revolutionary publications.

Since the time of the first collected works, the glory of Kozma Prutkov has become indestructible. Kozma Prutkov entered the everyday life of the Russian reader and gained a reputation as a classic without any critical guidance, for not a single significant Russian critic wrote about him. The aphorisms of Kozma Prutkov are especially famous. They are constantly quoted and many are used as proverbs.

“Drive nature through the door, it will fly in through the window.” (N.M. Karamzin)

Among the comic aphorisms of Kozma Prutkov there is a paraphrase of this saying: “drive love even at the door, it will fly into the window” (1860). And indeed, if a person loves, then no matter how much he tries to hide from this feeling, “close the doors and windows,” it will still be there, because it lives in his soul, inside and cannot be gotten rid of.

“Shut up the fountain!”

A shortened version of a comic aphorism from “Fruits of Thoughts” (1854) by Kozma Prutkov: “If you have a fountain, shut it up: let the fountain rest.” Used to mean: shut up.

“No one will embrace the immensity.”

Aphorism from “Fruits of Thoughts” by Kozma Prutkov (1854). A person often uses the phrase “embrace the immensity” in his speech, but does not think that this is impossible; but this expression can be understood differently: you are so strong that you have been given the opportunity to do the impossible, and everyone has this opportunity, they just need to strive for it; or: everyone has their own “immense” that they can achieve.

“Look at the root!”

Aphorism by Kozma Prutkov. In order to understand, pay attention to the qualities that are at the core.

“We don’t keep what we have; when we lose it, we cry.”

The name of the vaudeville (1844) by S. Solovyov, used as an aphorism in the Fruits of Thoughts (18540) by Kozma Prutkov.

Thus, we can judge that the authors not only composed themselves, but carefully analyzed the words and phrases of other people, reworked them or quoted them in Kozma Prutkov’s collections. The authors were very observant, and sometimes noticed something that did not bother and left others indifferent.

Kozma Prutkov was conceived primarily as a poet. For the first time speaking under his own name, he immediately instilled in the public the idea of ​​himself as a poet-parodist: “I am a poet, a gifted poet! I am convinced of this; I was convinced by reading others: if they are poets, so am I!..”

So, Kozma Prutkov for his contemporaries was, first of all, the author of parodies of poets.

Kozma Prutkov does not miss any of the standards of romanticism - first of all, of course, disappointment, world sorrow, contempt for the crowd, proud isolation. Like all popular Byronic heroes, the Byronic hero of Kozma Prutkov is a man with an unknown biography, with unclear goals and with painful, but not revealed secrets:

Who are you rushing to meet?

Proud and dumb traveler?

- “I won’t answer anyone:

The secret is a sick soul!

I've been keeping this secret for a long time

I bury it in my chest,

And the insensitive light

I will not reveal this secret. ("Traveler")

Kozma Prutkov loves to throw on Childe Harold’s cloak, “embrace menacing suffering,” and show off a contemptuously calm look that hides a tormented, withered heart:

There is a calm smile on my lips,

There's a snake in my chest! ("My portrait")

Kozma Prutkov pays abundant tribute to the theme of “the greatness of the poet.” He is filled with the consciousness of being chosen and contempt for the insignificant crowd, high above which the poet stands:

Brand, brand, crowd, in the fumes of all-hour vanities,

Out of low envy, my thunderous verse:

You cannot frighten the pet of the beautiful muses,

You will not break the golden tripods!..

Are you angry?! so look at the fire of contempt,

With what pride my ardent gaze burns,

How boldly I draw inspiration from the sea

The lead verse is a shame on you! ("To the Crowd")

Prutkov’s wonderful poem “My Dream” is dedicated to the poet’s theme. This is a kind of “synthetic” parody of three poems by Khomyakov*. The poems of Khomyakov the wise man speak of the importance of a poet who quenches the thirst of mortals to understand the “secret voice of nature” and merge in spirit with the “world soul.” Khomyakov talks about the poet in general. Kozma Prutkov - about a specific poet, about himself. Verse by Khomyakov:

I had a dream that I was a singer...

in Prutkov’s parody the verse corresponds:

And I dreamed that I was that singer**.

Instead of the special significance of the poet, penetrating into the depths of human hearts and the soul of the universe, the significance of Kozma Petrovich Prutkov, very pleased with the privileges of fame and power assigned to him by the title of poet, is glorified.

Kozma Prutkov also sees his death and immortality in a dream, but the latter appears to him in the images of posthumous honors on earth and among the celestials. Kozma Petrovich is so amused by posthumous glory that he does not want to return to life:

But - ah! - I woke up, unfortunately, alive,

Healthy!

This ending - “unfortunately, alive and well” - is the apotheosis of the absurd isolation of poetry from life, arising on the basis of the aestheticization of art divorced from its ideological origins.

Prutkov’s poems expose the posturing and falsely majestic solemnity of the “anthologists.” Take, for example, the remarks in “The Dispute of the Ancient Greek Philosophers about the Elegant”:

Clephiston (self-confident)

I can't stop my enchanted eyes

With the shape of an elegant buskin.

Stif ( with calm triumph and with consciousness of his dignity)

After my walks, tired,

I lean on the urn.

In Kozma Prutkov’s wonderful poem “Letter from Corinth” (parodying Shcherbina’s “Letter”), all the typical themes of the “anthological kind”, beautiful objects of the ancient world, go verse by verse:

I recently arrived in Corinth.

Here are the steps, and here is the colonnade.

I love the marble nymphs here

And the isthmian sound of the waterfall.

Enjoyment of aesthetic contemplation:

I sit in the sun all day.

Rub oil around your lower back.

Between the Parian stones I follow

Behind the twisting of the blind copperhead.

Cult of "Beauty":

Pomeranians are growing in front of me,

And I look at them in rapture.

The longed-for peace is dear to me.

"Beauty! beauty!" - I keep saying.

The cult of “graceful voluptuousness”:

And night will only fall on the earth,

The slave and I will be completely stunned...

I send all slaves away

And again I rub myself with oil.

And in other poems by Kozma Prutkov, the figure of a Russian man in the street peeks out from under an antique toga, who in poetic dreams “rubs himself with oil” at night (“rub the oil around the lower back”), as if this is a remedy for senile back pain. Or he boasts of a conversation with the philosopher Lysimachus, who mentions glasses that did not exist in ancient times. Or, showing his erudition, he indiscriminately demands the most varied and obviously unnecessary antique objects:

Give me a barrel of Diogenes,

Hannibal's sharp sword,

What glory is Carthage

So much space from the shoulders!

Give me Psyche's foot,

Sapphia feminine poem,

And Aspazi’s ideas,

And Venus's belt! ("Ambition")

In the poems of Kozma Prutkov, the innocence with which the poet mixes the “lofty” with the ordinary is remarkably imitated. He is most vulgar where he stands on stilts most of all. The “soaring upward”, on the one hand, and the banality of everyday life, on the other, intensify, so that the unprincipled confusion of “reality” with “dream” becomes comical in the eyes of every reader.

Here is a typical romantic situation: a singer, during a storm at sea, amid general horror, fearlessly sings the hymn of the angry elements:

I forgot the songs of bliss, and the song of thunder

Tuned to your harmonic roar!

The image of Kozma Prutkov is the embodiment of those trends that its creators ridiculed in modern literature.

The main property of vulgar romanticism is eclecticism, an indiscriminate combination of ideologically and psychologically incompatible “beauties.” To demonstrate eclecticism, it was necessary to attribute all parodies to one author, “to write from one person capable of all types of creativity,” that is, thinking of himself not as a parodist, but only as a zealous imitator of recognized models.

In his “Letter from the famous Kozma Prutkov to the unknown feuilletonist of the St. Petersburg Gazette (1854) regarding the latter’s article,” Kozma Prutkov states:

“Are you saying that I write parodies? Not at all!.. I don’t write parodies at all! I've never written a parody! Where did you get the idea that I write parodies?! I simply analyzed in my mind most of the poets who were successful; - this analysis led me to synthesis; for the talents, scattered separately among other poets, turned out to be combined all in me as one!..”

In order to combine clearly contradictory tendencies in his work and not notice it, the intended author obviously had to have extraordinary simplicity, bad taste and a formally respectful attitude towards all genres and forms of poetic creativity sanctioned by literary fashion.

Reducing romantic ideas and themes with everyday concretization, decorating everyday life with romantic props, the epigon transfers the attributes of a romantic poet, as we have already seen, directly to himself, to K. P. Prutkov:

Get away, crowd!.. enough mocking!

Do you want to know Prutkov’s gift?!("To the Crowd")

It is significant that fame came to Kozma Prutkov when the main objects of his parodies had long since become the property of literary history, when he himself (according to the “Biographical Information”) and the most famous of his creators had long been buried in the grave, and the rest were living out their lives. Prutkov's enduring popularity turned out to be independent of the immediate motives and impulses of his work, and of the problems of his era.

conclusions

Kozma Prutkov is not a simple pseudonym, but a satirical mask of a stupid and narcissistic bureaucrat of the Nicholas era created by Tolstoy and his Zhemchuzhnikov brothers. On behalf of Kozma Prutkov, they wrote poems, fables, epigrams, parodies, plays, aphorisms, historical anecdotes, ridiculing the phenomena of the surrounding reality and literature.

Their sincere, cheerful laughter was based on unformed opposition sentiments, and the desire to somehow overcome the oppression and boredom of the dark years of the Nikolaev reaction.

Kozma Prutkov appears before us as confident and self-ironic. He laughs at himself and others, at the events happening around him, speaks directly in his works about human vices, combines the “lofty” and the simple, familiar, is not afraid to laugh at famous people, combines dreams and realities.

By 1860, the appearance of Kozma Prutkov acquired certain features: he is a well-intentioned official who judges everything from a frankly official point of view and thereby betrays all his squalor, the absurdity of his “philosophy.” As a result of such a frank disclosure of the holy of holies of official philosophy, a murderous satire on official-bureaucratic Russia arose.

Prutkov is both a well-intentioned official and a poet-everyman. The self-confidence and complacency of the banal “legislator” and “adviser” are combined in Prutkov with simplicity, spiritual slavery and official stupidity.

The image of Prutkov should be looked at more broadly - its creators embodied in it generally everything that they rejected in contemporary social and literary life.

In its most valuable aspects, Kozma Prutkov’s work is close to the democratic camp of Russian literature. It is not for nothing that his literary biography is so closely connected with Nekrasov’s Sovremennik. In Prutkov’s works, the separation of art from life, the tasteless varnishing of life with deadened “beauties”, the substitution of crackling rhetoric for the full expression of universally significant feelings is pursued.

The creators of Kozma, with a certain contradiction in their views, interests and moods, left a bright creative legacy that undoubtedly played a progressive role in the history of Russian literary expression.

Kozma Prutkov entered the everyday life of the Russian reader and gained a reputation as a classic without any critical guidance, for not a single significant Russian critic wrote about him.

Bibliography

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