In the biography of the poet and publicist Ivan Andreevich Krylov, fables occupied a special place - he wrote more than 230 of them and became famous as a fabulist. All works were published during his lifetime and included in 9 collections. He was not born a genius - at first, critics were merciless to the author. There are other unusual moments in the biography - 5 interesting facts about Krylov that are not familiar to a wide range of readers, we have collected below.

Ignorant and mediocrity

Such fame was about the beginning poet: critics did not spare epithets and comparisons in reviews of Krylov's works, publishers refused him. Amazing Fact: a close friend Lobanov, who later became a biographer of the writer, considered his early work pretentious and superficial.

The author listened and continued to work with redoubled zeal, tried his hand at theatrical drama, translated French plays into Russian. It was already unusual that Ivan Andreevich studied French at home, wealthy neighbors helped him in this.

The future writer had a talent for languages. AT adulthood he argued with the translator Gnedich that he would learn ancient Greek. In less than two years, the debater freely read the collected works of the Greek classics in the original.

strange habits

Another interesting fact from the life of a publicist is the love of walking without clothes. The man was in the body, but he was not at all embarrassed by his fullness, on the contrary, it seemed to those present that he enjoyed such a demonstration.

Prince Golitsyn recalled how he once dropped in on a visit to a writer without warning. He left the bedroom "in what the mother gave birth." The guest was not taken aback - he joked that the poet's clothes were too light.

The writer cared little about appearance- the camisole was always dirty, the boots were full of holes, the hair was unkempt. He took a bath only on holidays, while sweating profusely. Once, Empress Maria Feodorovna at a reception granted a talented subject a new camisole and boots.

Another oddity of the poet was the fires, which he looked at for hours. Ivan Andreevich lived in St. Petersburg and tried not to miss a single fire.

Passion and hobbies

An absent-minded, obese slob - his image does not fit well with a gambler, a virtuoso gambler, but it's true. After his dismissal from the service, Ivan Andreevich earned his living with cards for a long 10 years - he was a professional at the gambling table, and the skill of a magician helped to win. Another interesting fact from the biography is that at one time the gambler was banned from entering Moscow and St. Petersburg. The reason is the passion for gambling.

The writer also had another passion - the violin. He owned the instrument mediocre, had no hearing. Neighbors in the village country house said that even the wolves in the neighborhood fled from the creaking of the strings.

In his youth, the fabulist possessed remarkable strength and liked to visit fairs, squares, and other places where fisticuffs were held, and was a regular participant in them.

Gluttony

According to Krylov's complexion, it was easy to understand that food occupies a special place in his life. The poet adored feasts at home and at a party, treated himself without hesitation to everything that was served to the table.

Eyewitnesses recalled an episode that happened in the house of the court diplomat, Count Musin-Pushkin. The poet was late for the beginning - he arrived when the main course was served. Then the owner of the house ordered the guest to serve a "penalty" plate of pasta prepared according to the Italian recipe, and after them - all the dishes prepared for dinner. Ivan Andreevich gladly fortified himself with pasta, soup and main dishes, and then with a second plate of pasta. He assured the astonished guests that there would be no harm to the stomach.

Unusual in the biography of the publicist was the fact that he was a regular at the empress's dinner parties. The "meager" assortment often caused Ivan Andreevich's dissatisfaction - the man did not eat enough, from that he was in a bad mood. Vasily Zhukovsky recalled how Krylov pounced on food without greeting the audience and without waiting for the invitation of the Empress. The man explained his behavior by the fact that he was hungry, and her highness was slow to start the meal.

The passion for food was so strong that freshness and quality did not matter to the writer. It happened that after a dinner party, he was supported by pies or black bread, covered with mold. They made fun of Krylov's gluttony - he treated it with humor and always aptly answered the offenders.

Personal life

The talented fabulist did not work out with his family - he died a bachelor. The most amazing quality in Krylov is an even attitude towards himself, he lived one day, not becoming attached to women and people in general, not perceiving insults and ridicule in relation to himself.

And yet, romantic stories happened in Krylov's life. For the first time, the young man fell in love with the priest's daughter, sought her favor, asked for the girl's hand. The guy could not marry his beloved - poverty prevented.

Later, Ivan Andreevich had a short affair with his own cook. From this relationship, an illegitimate daughter was born. The girl was named Alexandra.
After the death of his mother, he raised the girl and married her off. Property, money and rights to literary works Krylov bequeathed his wife Alexandra.

Krylov considered literature to be a vocation, but he also had a completely ordinary profession: he worked in the imperial public library and was known as a great lover of books, even collecting rare publications.

Krylov's fables, the plots of many of which he borrowed from Aesop and Lafontaine, were far from being as harmless as it might seem at first glance. Behind the complete omissions of the Aesopian language, there was a harsh criticism of the society contemporary to the fabulist. It is not surprising that his works were subjected to no less severe criticism and banned from publication. Censorship in him softened only after the death of Catherine II, who did not like him for mocking her order and even subjected the writer to persecution.

He began to work at the age of 10, because after the death of his father, the already poor family was left without any means at all. In order to somehow help his mother, the boy entered the service of the Tver court. Later, the family, which lost its breadwinner, moved to St. Petersburg, where Vanya's mother was able to receive a widow's pension.

Screen adaptation of the fable "The Fox-Builder".

(Cartoon 1950, director Panteleimon Sazonov)

Krylov was in all respects an outstanding classic. Due to his addiction to food, he was famous for being obese and often became the butt of jokes of those around him. Moreover, varying degrees of severity: from mild irony to outright sarcasm. But he always got out of awkward situations with dignity. One day, walking along the street, he heard impudent young people call him a cloud. Ivan Andreevich reacted instantly: “Yes, the frogs have croaked something.”

Krylov left a mark not only in literature, but also in the history of linguistics: he was the main compiler of the Slavic-Russian dictionary.

Once Krylov was late for the dinner party of Count Musin-Pushkin. They served Italian pasta. Noticing the guilty fabulist, the count decided to play a trick on him and ordered him to give him a huge plate of pasta as a "penalty", and even with a "slide". The classic of Russian literature quickly ate them. Then Musin-Pushkin invited Ivan Andreevich to catch up and taste the soup, which he “missed” due to being late. Krylov agreed and also quickly destroyed the first. After the soup, the second logically followed, and another deep plate of pasta appeared in front of the fabulist. The guest welcomed them with pleasure. When only a few pieces remained on the bottom, the astonished owner expressed fears for the health of Ivan Andreevich. And he, as if nothing had happened, replied that he was ready to be guilty again, and right now.

Despite the slowness and generally sedentary lifestyle, Ivan Andreevich was very fond of traveling and traveled to many regions of Russia, studying the customs and life of its different parts. And he tried to call not in large, but in small cities and even villages. It was there that he found new ideas for his works.

A cheerful and good-natured man, Krylov had an unusual predilection: he liked to watch fires. As soon as a serious fire occurred in St. Petersburg, the fabulist immediately went to the place and admired the rampant elements.

It was from Krylov that Goncharov “copied” his main character, Ivan Oblomov. Ivan Andreevich's favorite piece of furniture was indeed his sofa. Another “attraction” of the house was considered to be a picture hanging over the sofa: very heavy and placed at a critical angle. Friends have repeatedly advised the owner to fix it properly so that trouble does not happen. To which Krylov, who did not change his principles, replied that even if the picture fell, it would fly tangentially, which means that his head would remain intact.

Krylov was a very gambling man. He watched the cockfights with pleasure and skillfully played cards, cleaning his rivals to the last penny.

There are streets named after the fabulist in at least 30 Russian cities.

Ivan Andreevich was the first fabulist in Russian literature and, in fact, opened this genre for her.

7.12.2019 at 17:02 · VeraSchegoleva · 1 030

10 interesting facts about Krylov Ivan Andreevich

Ivan Krylov is one of the famous poets and fabulists. He is also known to many as a publisher of satirical and educational magazines. The future poet was born in Moscow in 1769. His father was a very poor officer who served as a captain. After the siege of the city, Ivan went to Orenburg with his mother.

Ivan could not study for a long time, which is why his father taught him to read. As a legacy, little Vanechka received many books from his father, which later became very useful to him. The Krylovs' neighbors allowed the boy to attend French classes.

Ivan read a lot, played the violin. At the age of 15, he was able to write his first opera. When the family moved to St. Petersburg, Ivan immediately went to the theater. From the age of 18 he began to engage in literary activities.

Soon his first fables were published, which were not noted by the public. He had to go through a lot of work in order for his works to be noticed.

We bring to your attention a list of 10 interesting facts about Ivan Andreevich Krylov for children, students in grades 5-6: a biography of the great fabulist, short stories from the writer's life.

10. Went to work at age 11

At an early age, Ivan lost his beloved father, which is why the boy had to go to work at age 11. This was a big blow for him and his family. But it was necessary to eat something, which is why Ivan took on such a duty.

He was too small, not everyone wanted to take him. But he managed to get a job at first as a simple clerk in the Tver court. The work was not difficult, just sit and write down all the words spoken by the judge. After that, he worked for some time in the office with papers. The work also turned out to be simple, and Vanechka quickly learned everything.

9. Opened the literary genre fable

A fable is such a genre of didactic literature, which received its dawn during the period of classicism and enlightenment. There have always been two beginnings in the fable - artistic, that is, a short story, and logical, that is, morality.

It was Krylov who was the first to discover this literary genre.. It was after him that fables began to appear, in which there was a meaning and its own morality. Then, in the genre of didactic literature, many other famous authors and poets began to write.

His famous instructive fables were: "The Pig under the Oak", "The Raven and the Fox", "The Quartet", "Dragonfly and Ant", "Swan, Pike and Cancer" and many others. These fables are still loved by many. They are read with pleasure not only by children, but by adults.

8. Loved watching fires

One of Krylov's occupations was watching fires.. If he found out that something was on fire somewhere, he immediately packed up and drove to that place. And then he would stop and just watch everything go up in flames. This sight greatly fascinated him. He didn't find out about it by accident. Among the firefighters, he had his own man who informed Ivan about fires.

This interest arose because Krylov's negligence". Once there was a terrible fire on the Senate Square. When the emperor found out about this, he asked Krylov what he was doing there. Then Ivan admitted that he loves to look at the fires. And it happened in 1825 in the month of December.

7. Rarely washed and combed

It is worth noting that Krylov did not like to take care of himself. He very rarely washed and brushed his hair.. He also rarely changed his clothes. In such an untidy form, he could even come to high society. But he didn't think about it at all.

It should be assumed that he never heard anything addressed to him, otherwise he would have changed something.

6. The love of food led to health problems.

There was one the legend that the writer died of gluttony, as he received intestinal volvulus. The reasons for this were the man's addiction to food. He didn't hesitate to talk about it. Ivan Krylov ate rather large portions, eating as much at a time as it would be impossible to eat common man for several times.

All his life he adhered to a strict rule - be sure to have a hearty lunch and dinner. But, of course, such a large absorption of food led to problems with. Although the fabulist always treated him very lightly.

It is worth noting that Krylov very often visited his friends, from whom he ate the most delicious Russian dishes. They ate a lot of different food at one time.

Interesting fact: all Krylov's friends knew that he was very fond of food. Once, on Maslenitsa, they baked large pancakes for Ivan as thick as a finger, which he smeared with caviar. In one sitting, the writer ate about 30 pieces of such cakes.

5. My father inherited a huge chest of books.

From his father, Ivan received a huge chest with various books. It was a very generous gift, since the boy had nothing else. These books taught him a lot and helped him become a real person.

It is worth noting that it was on these books that he learned everything. He studied various information. He was interested in everything, and otherwise he could not improve his level of knowledge.

4. Wrote over 200 fables

Krylov really wrote more than 200 fables during the period from 1809 to 1843. These fables were published in 9 parts. It is worth noting that they were published in huge editions. Even for that time it was quite a big sale. Each fable of the author is very interesting and unusual in its own way.

Each small work has its own meaning and teaches something important. That was what was missing then, what is now. At the same time, he wrote so many fables, having no education at all. Only the books he read helped him.

He worked on them until his very last days. His friends were able to receive the last edition only in 1844, after the notice of his death arrived.

3. He worked in the library for about 30 years

Ivan Andreevich Krylov spent about 30 years of his life working in a simple library. It is worth noting that others worked in the same library famous people such as the scientist-historian Ermolaev, the writer Odoevsky.

2. Was fond of gambling

is a very attractive way to spend your leisure time. Few could resist them. Many even famous people spent their time like this.
Krylov was no exception in this story.

Despite his lifestyle, and he was a very lazy person, Krylov loved to spend his free time brightly and unusually.

He often played cards for money and also sometimes participated in fistfights. Since Ivan was very large in physique, he easily managed to win fights. As for the cards, he both won and lost large sums of money.

1. More than three dozen streets in Russia and other countries of the former USSR are named after him

Really, in many cities there are streets that are named after Ivan Krylov. Streets in such cities as Penza, Odintsovo, the village of Vishnevskoye, Pervomaisk and others were named after him.

It is worth noting that monuments were also erected to him. A bust was erected in the village of Vishnevskoye in 1951, and some of his personal belongings are in the museum. A bust of Krylov also stands in the village of Tamala, Penza Region.

Many schools are also named after Krylov. For example, higher Kharkov military school. One of the ships of the measuring complex is named after Ivan Andreevich Krylov.

What else to see:

The fabulist Ivan Krylov became famous as the first Russian author who successfully worked in this field. He had an amazing talent to subtly ridicule the vices of his contemporary society, dressing them in the images of his characters, which made his works very topical. And this, by the way, did not prevent Krylov from establishing himself as a poet and publicist, although these areas literary creativity almost never overlap.

Facts from the biography of Ivan Krylov

• The future fabulist learned to read early, as he inherited a huge chest of books from his father who died early.
• Ivan Krylov learned French as a child thanks to wealthy neighbors who allowed him to study with their children.
• He first started working when he was only 10 years old to help his mother support the family.
• According to the memoirs of his contemporaries, Krylov had a cold attitude towards the sciences, and in general did not like to study, but he read books avidly.
• In his youth, Ivan Krylov's favorite pastime, along with reading, was visiting folk gatherings of various kinds. In the crowd, he felt like a fish in water, he noticed and remembered everything.
• Another entertainment for young Krylov was fisticuffs. Being a strong and strong man, he usually came out victorious.
• When Ivan Krylov was only 15 years old, he wrote an opera libretto. For the book, he helped out 60 rubles - a lot of money, but the buyer in the end never published it. This libretto was published only after almost a hundred years and was not highly appreciated by critics.
• Before becoming a fabulist, Krylov wrote several comedies, plays and tragedies.
• After the death of his mother, the writer had to take care of younger brother. Throughout his life, he took care of him, like a father to a son.
• The poet Vasily Zhukovsky, without hesitation, criticized his work, however, recognizing Krylov as the "king of fabulists" ().
• The satirical magazine of Ivan Krylov "Mail of Spirits" caused displeasure of the Empress. Not strong enough to arrest the author, but strong enough to invite him to travel abroad for 5 years at public expense. Krylov, however, refused.
• In total, during his lifetime, Krylov wrote 236 fables. Most of them were invented by him, but some of the plots have something in common with the plots of the fables of Aesop and La Fontaine.

• The surviving original manuscripts show that the fabulist sometimes wrote with spelling errors.
• Ivan Krylov began publishing his first magazine, the aforementioned Spirit Mail, when he was only 20 years old. The magazine only had 80 subscribers.
• He had a habit of sleeping after dinner. This afternoon nap usually lasted several hours.
• Translation of Krylov's fables into French and Italian was published at the beginning of the 19th century in France ().
• Krylov did not look after himself too much, and often appeared in public uncombed, in crumpled and stale clothes, but he never reacted to comments on this matter.
• Krylov, who became obese in age, had an exorbitant appetite. At dinner, he could easily eat the amount of food designed for two or three guests.
• For almost 30 years of his life, Ivan Krylov worked in the library.
• One of Krylov's strange hobbies was observing fires. If a house was on fire somewhere in the city, he would go there and look at what was happening.
• The fabulist preferred to create, lying on the sofa. According to some sources, Ivan Goncharov wrote his famous "Oblomov" precisely from Krylov ().
• All Krylov's fables were collected in 9 collections and published during his lifetime.
• At one time he was a teacher of literature and Russian literature for the children of Prince Golitsyn, despite the fact that he himself could only read and write. The prince was pleased with the results.
• For several years of his life, Ivan Krylov indulged in revelry and gambling. His behavior led to the fact that he was temporarily banned from entering Moscow and St. Petersburg.
• During his lifetime, Krylov was never married, but most historians agree that the girl he adopted was his illegitimate daughter from his own maid.
• The fabulist became one of the compilers of the Russian-Slavic dictionary.
• In the 19th century, the fables of Ivan Krylov were translated into Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani.
• There are monuments to Krylov in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and more than three dozen streets in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union bear his name.

It is impossible not to quote Krylov's fables - in addition to being easy to remember, they are also beautiful. Even Pushkin admired how rich literary language fabulist and his fables are so original and ingenuous.

About life

Ivan Andreevich worked in the library for 30 years. Books were something special for him, he not only loved them, but collected them. His collection included even very rare editions, and he often acted as a compiler of the Slavic-Russian dictionary.

In addition to books, Krylov loved to travel. He spent a whole decade studying the culture and life of Russia, and visiting its different parts. Moreover, this process was inspiring for him.

The fabulist grew up in a poor family. His mother and father did not have the opportunity to give him a good, decent education. However, the love of books and the fact that he began to read early enough influenced his whole life.

An interesting fact: Krylov was never married, but he had an illegitimate daughter who was born to him by a cook.

About Krylov as a person

One of the most interesting facts about Krylov is that he did not like everything related to personal hygiene. He did not like combing, bathing, changing clothes. Once he even asked his friend to advise what to wear to a masquerade. She replied that if he combed his hair, shaved and bathed, no one would recognize him anyway.

Now you can often hear the expression "thick-skinned." And we understand that this does not mean "fat", it's just that a person has strong nerves. As for Krylov, this expression was applicable to him in both cases. His behavior seemed strange to everyone but himself.

The woman who gave birth to his child died - he left to play cards. His mother died - he went to the theater. And when the only daughter was in a state close to death, he went to the ball.

About addictions

They say that as soon as it became known about the fire, Ivan Andreevich immediately went to the place, no matter where in St. Petersburg it happened. What caused such a passion for fire is unknown, but this is a truly interesting fact.

Food is not even an addiction, it is the love of a lifetime. Krylov was a real glutton, and ate everything in the world. He even chose as friends only those who fed him deliciously.

Well, after a hearty dinner, the fabulist definitely needed to sleep. And this is his third passion. Moreover, Krylov did not care where he was, so he slept both at a party and at work.

Interesting facts about Krylov's fables

Today, Krylov's fables are not known by heart, but a crow with cheese or a singing dragonfly are well-known characters and have long become household names, people and their actions are compared with them, they frighten the irresponsible and naive with these fables, in general they influence society in every possible way through them. What is the secret of Krylov's fables and why are they so remarkable?

Krylov did not just compare people and animals, he had some sociological experience and developed analogies of human characters with animals, in his opinion, having similar views on life.

In addition, Ivan Andreevich described in his fables cases from his personal life and historical facts. He deduced morality in them, and initially gave a positive or negative face to each hero. Thus, from instructive rhymes, fables turned into works with a huge supply of wisdom.

What are his fables about?

An interesting fact worthy of the first place is the fables dedicated to the activities of Napoleon. He described the cunning and courageous, but not able to calculate his strength man as a dog and a cat in two fables: “ cat and pike" and " Dog at the kennel". Interestingly, despite the time of writing fables, the author's attitude towards the hero is very positive.

« raising a lion"an equally important part of not only fable culture, but also history in general. Thus, Krylov described the situation with the upbringing of Alexander the First by a sophisticated Swiss. He, unfortunately, taught the future ruler the wrong sciences, made him sufficiently developed intellectually, but at the same time incapable of decisive action, an eternally doubting person.

In the fable Peasant and snake"In 1813, he managed to describe the situation that torments the Russian people even in our time, expressed the opinion of a whole people about newcomers and that it is impossible to let strangers into their land even if they only want to bring good:

Then they will crawl here for the good Snake,
One
One hundred evil and all the children here will perish.

But in fables about Pug, Monkey, Dragonfly- Krylov ridicules stupidity, laziness and unwillingness to know at the same time. These fables gave impetus to the acquisition of his work of the greatest popularity, since everyone wants to make fun of a neighbor by exposing him to an animal, while not recognizing himself in this printed mirror.

The moral of this article is that Krylov's fables should be read not only to children, but also to adults. For the information hidden in light poetic forms not only brings rest from everyday life, but also makes you think about your actions.