The case began with trifles - with a powder match. She's not so hot as a long time ago. Will a hundred years be enough with a small one? At first, as the powder flask went into action, a lot of thought was given to it. Which are completely in vain. Who, say, came up with the idea of ​​​​making chiseled straws, who again began to lubricate matches with such a composition that they would burn with different lights: raspberry, green, and what else. With capping, too, a lot of weirdos. To put it bluntly, the gunpowder match was in great fashion.

I'm not talking about people, I'm talking about myself. In those years, when people went to the collective farms in droves, I was already in my middle years. Instead of fair-haired curls, he grew a bald spot all over his head. And my old woman did not look young. Before, I used to call it a song machine, but now it’s like a grinder. So it sharpens me, and it sharpens me: that is not there, this is a lack.

With people, the peasants will take care of everything, but with us, as soon as it tangles up and evaporates in the bath, so on the side. And he doesn't think about anything!

In these places before common man I wouldn’t have been able to resist: the beast would have eaten it or the vile would have overcome it. At first, these places were inhabited by the heroes. They, of course, looked like people, only very large and stone. This, of course, is easier: the beast will not bite him, he is completely calm from the gadfly, you cannot get through the heat and cold, and there is no need for houses.

For the eldest of these stone heroes, one went by the name Denezhkin. He, you see, in response was a glass with small money from all sorts of local stones and ore. According to these ore and stone money, that hero had a nickname.

The glass, of course, is heroic - taller than human height, much larger than a forty-bucket barrel. That glass is made of the best golden topaz and is so finely and cleanly carved that there is nowhere else to go. Ruins and stone coins are visible through and through, and the power of these coins is such that they show the place.

We're not very rich here anyway. We all have mountains and spoons, spoons and mountains. You won't go around them, you won't go around. Mountain, of course, grief discord. No one takes another into account, and the other, not only in their own district, but even distant people know: it is well-known, famous.

One such mountain fell right by our plant. At first, a verst, or even more, such a pull that a strong horse walks lightly, and that one is in soap, and then you still have to overcome the wickedness, like a scallop of the most difficult climb. What can I say, a remarkable hill. Once you pass, or you pass, you will remember for a long time and you will begin to tell others.

Behind the pond, we have one logo that has been famous for a long time. Such a fun place. The spoon is wide. In the spring it stays a little wet here, but the grass grows curlier and the flowers are more powerful. Around, of course, a forest of any kind. Have a look. And it’s handy to stick to that logo from the pond: the shore is not steep and not gentle, but at the very one, to say, as if it were settled on purpose, and the bottom is sand with hazel grouse. At all a strong bottom, and the leg does not prick. In a word, everything is as designed. One can say that this place itself draws to itself: it’s good to sit here on the shore, smoke a pipe or two, light a fire, and let them take a look at their factory - wouldn’t our little one seem better?

The local people have been accustomed to this spoon for centuries. Even under the Mosolovs, fashion started.

They - these Mosolov brothers, under whom our factory began with a building, left the carpenter's rank. In today's way to say, like contractors, apparently, were. yes, they got very rich and let's set up our own plant. On big, means, water have floated. Wealth made them heavy, of course. All three brothers forgot to walk along the rafters with a spirit level and a plumb line. In one word they say:

Two boys grew up in our factory, in close proximity: Lanko Puzhanko and Leiko Shapochka.

Who and for what they came up with such nicknames, I can’t say. Between themselves, these guys lived together. We got to match. Mind level, strong level, height and years too. And there was no big difference in life. Lank’s father was a miner, Lake’s was grieving on the golden sands, and mothers, as you know, were busy with the housework. The guys had nothing to be proud of in front of each other.

Katya - Danilov's bride - remained unmarried. Two or three years have passed since Danilo got lost - she completely left the bride's time. For twenty years, in our opinion, in a factory way, an overage is considered. Guys like that rarely woo, widowers more. Well, this Katya, apparently, was handsome, all suitors climb to her, and she only has words:

Daniel promised.

There were a lot of famous miners in our places. There were also those that really learned people, academicians called them professors and seriously marveled at how they subtly recognized the mountains, even though they were illiterate.

The matter, of course, is not simple - not to pick a berry from a bush. No wonder one of these was nicknamed the Heavy Knapsack. He carried a lot of stones on his back. And how much it looked like, how much the rocks were turned over and turned over - it's impossible to count.

They say that the treasury (with state funds. - Ed.) Set up our Field Field. There were no other factories in those places then. They went with a fight. Well, the treasury, you know. The soldiers were sent. The village of the Mountain Shield was purposely built so that the road was safe. On Gumeshki, you see, at that time the visible wealth lay on top - they approached him. We got there, of course. The people were caught up, the plant was installed, some Germans were brought in, but things did not go well. It didn't work and it didn't work. Either the Germans didn’t want to show it, or they didn’t know it themselves - I can’t explain, only Gumeshki were ignored by them. They took it from another mine, but it was not worth the work at all. A completely useless mine, skinny. You can't build such a good factory. It was then that our Polevaya landed on Turchaninov.

Ural tales of Bazhov

Tales of Bazhov absorbed plot motifs, unusual images, colors, the language of national legends and folk wisdom. Pavel Petrovich Bazhov managed to give unusual characters (Mistress of the Copper Mountain, Veliky Poloz, Ognevushka-Poskakushka) bewitching poetry. Magic world into which we are introduced by the old Ural tales of Bazhov they immersed ordinary Russian people, and with their real, earthly strength they defeated the conventions of fairy-tale magic. On our website you can see online list of Bazhov's fairy tales, and enjoy reading them absolutely is free.

The name of Pavel Petrovich Bazhov is known to every adult. At the mention of the name of this Russian writer, wonderful original tales arise in our minds about a malachite box, a stone flower, hardworking and kind Ural prospectors and skilled craftsmen. Bazhov's works take you into the world of the Ural underground and mountain kingdom and introduce you to its magical inhabitants: the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, the Poskakushka Ognevushka, the Silver Hoof, the Great Snake and the Blue Snake.

P.P. Bazhov - master of Ural tales

Pavel in the Urals in 1879. His family traveled a lot, and much of what the boy heard and saw in his childhood in Sysert, Polevskoy, Seversky, Verkh-Sysert formed the basis of his tales about the Urals and his life. Pavel Bazhov has always been attracted to folklore.

He had great respect for the history of his people, for his original character and oral art. The writer constantly collected and updated folklore records and based on them created his own unique tales. The heroes of his works are ordinary workers.

Display of historical events in the tales of P. Bazhov

Serfdom existed in the Urals until late XIX century. The works of P.P. Bazhov describe the time when the people lived under the yoke of masters. Plant owners in pursuit of income did not think about the price human life and the health of their wards, forced to work in dark and damp mines from morning to night.

In spite of Hard times and hard labor, the people did not lose heart. Among the workers were very creative, smart people who know how to work and deeply understand the world of beauty. Description of their characters, life and spiritual aspirations contain the works of Bazhov. Their list is quite large. The literary merits of Pavel Bazhov were appreciated during his lifetime. In 1943, he was awarded the Stalin Prize for the book of Ural tales, The Malachite Box.

The message of the Ural tales

Tales are not early works Pavel Bazhov. Despite the fact that the journalist, publicist and revolutionary Bazhov was always interested in folklore, the idea of ​​writing fairy tales did not appear to him immediately.

The first tales "The Mistress of the Copper Mountain" and "Dear Name" were published before the war, in 1936. Since then, Bazhov's works began to appear in print regularly. The purpose and meaning of the tales was to raise the fighting spirit and self-awareness of the Russian people, to realize themselves as a strong and invincible nation, capable of exploits and confronting the enemy.

It is no coincidence that Bazhov's works appeared before the start of the Great Patriotic War and continued to be published during it. In this regard, P.P. Bazhov was a visionary. He managed to foresee the onset of trouble and contribute to the opposition to world evil.

Mystical images in the literary works of P.P. Bazhov

Many people know what works Bazhov wrote, but not everyone understands where the writer borrowed magical images their tales. Of course, the folklorist only conveyed folklore about otherworldly forces that helped good heroes and punished evil people. There is an opinion that the surname Bazhov comes from the word "bazhit", which is a Ural dialect and literally means "tell", "foreshadow".

Most likely, the writer was a person well versed in mysticism, since he decided to recreate mythological images Great Snake, Pokakushki Firefire, Mistress of the Copper Mountain, Silverhoof and many others. All these magical heroes represent the forces of nature. They possess untold riches and open them only to people with pure and with open hearts opposing the forces of evil and in need of help and support.

Bazhov's works for children

The meaning of some tales is very deep and does not lie on the surface. It must be said that not all of Bazhov's works will be understandable to children. The tales addressed directly to the younger generation traditionally include "Silver Hoof", "Fire Jumper" and "Blue Snake". Bazhov's works for children are written in a very concise and accessible language.

Here, much attention is not paid to the experiences of the characters, but the emphasis is on the description of miracles and magical characters. Here Fire-Rapting in a fiery sarafan is mischievous, in another tale Silver Hoof suddenly appears and knocks out precious stones for an orphan girl and a good hunter Kokovani. And, of course, who doesn't want to meet the Blue Snake, which spins with a wheel and shows where the gold lies?

Bazhov's Tales and Their Use in Fairytale Therapy

Bazhov's works are very convenient to use in fairy tale therapy, the main task of which is to form positive values ​​and motivations in children, strong moral principles, develop their creative perception of the world and good intellectual abilities. Bright images of fairy tales, simple, sincere, hardworking people from the people, fantastic characters will make the child's world beautiful, kind, unusual and bewitching.

The most important thing in Bazhov's tales is morality. Her child must learn and remember, and the help of an adult in this is very necessary. After the fairy tale is told, it is necessary to have a conversation with the children in the same friendly manner about the main characters, about their behavior and fate. Kids will be happy to talk about those characters and their actions that they liked, express their opinion about the negative characters and their behavior. Thus, the conversation will help to consolidate the positive effect of fairy tale therapy, contributing to the firm rooting of the acquired knowledge and images in the mind of the child.

List of works by Bazhov:

• "Diamond match";
• "Amethyst business";
• "Bogatyrev's mitten";
• "Vasina Gora";
• "Veselukhin Spoons";
• "Blue snake";
• "Mining Master";
• "Distant gazer";
• "Two Lizards";
• "Demidov's caftans";
• "Dear name";
• "Dear earth coil";
• "Ermakov swans";
• "Zhabreev walker";
• "Iron tires";
• "Zhivinka in business";
• "Live light";
• "Snake trail";
• "Golden Hair";
• "The Golden Flower of the Mountain";
• "Golden dykes";
• "Ivanko-winged";
• "Stone Flower";
• "Key of the Earth";
• "Root mystery";
• "Cat's ears";
• "Circular Lantern";
• "Malachite Box";
• "Markov stone";
• "Copper share";
• "Mistress of the Copper Mountain";
• "On the same spot";
• "The inscription on the stone";
• "Not that heron";
• "Fire-jump";
• "Eagle Feather";
• "Prikazchikov's soles";
• "About the Great Snake";
• "About divers";
• "About the main thief";
• "Ore Pass";
• "Silver Hoof";
• "Sinyushkin well";
• "Sun Stone";
• "Juicy pebbles";
• "Gift of the Old Mountains";
• "Cockroach soap";
• "Tayutkino mirror";
• "Grass trap";
• "Heavy coil";
• "At the old mine";
• "Fragile twig";
• "Crystal Lacquer";
• "Pig-iron grandmother";
• "Silk Hill";
• "Broad Shoulder".

Bazhov's works, a list of which parents should study in advance, will help to form in children a sense of sympathy for kind characters, such as the old man Kokovanya, Darenka, and a negative attitude, censure of others (the clerk from the fairy tale "The Mistress of the Copper Mountain"). They will instill in the child a sense of kindness, justice and beauty and teach him to empathize, help others and act decisively. Bazhov's works will develop the creative potential of children and will contribute to the emergence in them of the values ​​and qualities necessary for a successful and happy life.

Pavel Petrovich Bazhov

The master of tales

Bazhov Pavel Petrovich (1879/1950) - Russian Soviet writer, laureate of the State Prize of the USSR in 1943. Bazhov became famous for the collection "Malachite Box", which presents folklore images and motives taken by the writer from the legends and fairy tales of the Trans-Urals. In addition, Bazhov wrote such lesser-known autobiographical works, like "Green Filly" and "Far - Close".

Guryeva T.N. New literary dictionary/ T.N. Guriev. - Rostov n / a, Phoenix, 2009, p. 26.

Pavel Petrovich Bazhov is an original Russian Soviet writer. Born on January 15 (27), 1879 in the family of a mining worker at the Sysert plant near Yekaterinburg. He graduated from the Perm Theological Seminary, taught in Yekaterinburg and Kamyshlov. Participated in the Civil War. Author of the book "Ural Essays" (1924), the autobiographical story "The Green Filly" (1939) and the memoirs "Far - Close" (1949). Laureate of the Stalin (State) Prize of the USSR (1943). Bazhov's main work is the collection of tales "The Malachite Box" (1939), which goes back to the oral traditions of prospectors and miners in the Urals and combines real and fantastic elements. Tales that have absorbed plot motifs, colorful language and folk wisdom deservedly enjoy the love of readers. Based on the tales, the film "The Stone Flower" (1946), S.S. Prokofiev's ballet "The Tale of the Stone Flower" (staged in 1954) and the opera of the same name by V.V. Molchanov were created. Bazhov died on December 3, 1950 and was buried in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg).

Used materials of the book: Russian-Slavic calendar for 2005. Authors-compilers: M.Yu. Dostal, V.D. Malyugin, I.V. Churkin. M., 2005.

prose writer

Bazhov Pavel Petrovich (1879-1950), prose writer.

Born on January 15 (27 n.s.) in the Sysert plant, near Yekaterinburg, in the family of a mining foreman.

He studied at the Theological School (1889-93) in Yekaterinburg, then at the Perm Theological Seminary (1893-99). During the years of study, he took part in the speeches of seminarians against reactionary teachers, as a result of which he received a certificate with a note of "political unreliability." This prevented him from enrolling, as he dreamed, at Tomsk University. Bazhov worked as a teacher of Russian language and literature in Yekaterinburg, then in Kamyshlov. In the same years, he became interested in Ural folk tales.

Since the beginning of the revolution, he "went to work in public organizations", maintained contacts with the workers of the railway depot, who stood on the Bolshevik positions. In 1918 he volunteered for the Red Army and took part in military operations on the Ural front. In 1923-29 he lived in Sverdlovsk and worked in the editorial office of the Peasant Newspaper, from 1924 speaking on its pages with essays about the old factory life, about civil war. At this time, he wrote over forty tales on the themes of the Ural factory folklore.

In 1939, Bazhov's most famous work, the collection of fairy tales The Malachite Box, was published, for which the writer received the State Prize. In the future, Bazhov replenished this book with new tales.

During the Patriotic War, Bazhov took care of not only the Sverdlovsk writers, but also the writers evacuated from different cities of the Union. After the war, the writer's vision began to deteriorate sharply, but he continued his editorial work, and the collection, and creative use of folklore.

In 1946 he was elected a deputy of the Supreme Council: "... now I am doing something else - I have to write a lot according to the statements of my voters."

In 1950, in early December, P. Bazhov died in Moscow. Buried in Sverdlovsk.

Used materials of the book: Russian writers and poets. Brief biographical dictionary. Moscow, 2000.

Pavel Petrovich Bazhov.
Photo from www.bibliogid.ru

Bazhov Pavel Petrovich (15.01.1879-3.12.1950), writer. Born in the Sysert plant, near Yekaterinburg, in the family of a mining foreman. After graduating from the Perm Theological Seminary in 1899, he was a teacher of the Russian language in Yekaterinburg, then in Kamyshlov (until 1917). In the same years, Bazhov collected folklore at the Ural factories. In 1923-29 he worked in Sverdlovsk, in the editorial office of the Peasant Newspaper. Bazhov's writing path began relatively late: the first book of essays, "The Urals were," was published in 1924. In 1939, the most significant work Bazhov - a collection of tales "The Malachite Box" (Stalin Prize, 1943) and an autobiographical story about childhood "The Green Filly". In the future, Bazhov replenished the "Malachite Box" with new tales: "The Key-Stone" (1942), "Tales about the Germans" (1943), "Tales about the gunsmiths" and others. The works of the mature Bazhov can be defined as "tales" not only because their formal genre features and the presence of a fictional narrator with an individual speech characteristic, but also because they go back to the Ural "secret tales" - the oral legends of miners and prospectors, characterized by a combination of real-everyday and fairy-tale elements. Bazhov's tales absorbed plot motifs, fantastic images, color, language folk tales and folk wisdom. However, Bazhov is not a folklorist-processor, but an independent artist who used his knowledge of the Ural miner's life and oral art to embody philosophical and ethical ideas. Talking about the art of the Ural craftsmen, reflecting the colorfulness and originality of the old mining life, Bazhov at the same time raises general questions in the tales - about true morality, about the spiritual beauty and dignity of a working person. The fantastic characters of fairy tales personify the elemental forces of nature, which entrusts its secrets only to the brave, hardworking and pure soul. Bazhov managed to give fantastic characters (the Mistress of the Mednaya Mountain, Veliky Poloz, Ognevushka the Poskakushka) extraordinary poetry and endowed them with subtle complex psychology. Bazhov's tales are an example of the masterful use of the folk language. Carefully and at the same time creatively referring to the expressive possibilities on mother tongue, Bazhov avoided the abuse of local sayings, the pseudo-folk "playing on phonetic illiteracy" (Bazhov's expression). Based on Bazhov's tales, the film "The Stone Flower" (1946), S. S. Prokofiev's ballet "The Tale of the Stone Flower" (post. 1954), K. V. Molchanov's opera "The Tale of the Stone Flower" (post. 1950), symphonic poem by A. A. Muravlev "Azov-mountain" (1949), etc.

Site materials used Big Encyclopedia Russian people - http://www.rusinst.ru

Bazhov Pavel Petrovich

Autobiography

G.K. Zhukov and P.P. Bazhov were elected to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
from the Sverdlovsk region. March 12, 1950

Born on January 28, 1879 in the Sysert plant of the former Yekaterinburg district of the Perm province.

According to his estate, his father was considered a peasant of the Polevskaya volost of the Yekaterinburg district, but never agriculture did not work, and could not do it, since in the Sysert factory district there were no arable land plots at that time. My father worked in puddling and welding workshops in Sysert, Seversky, Verkh-Sysertsky and Polevsk plants. By the end of his life, he was an employee - a "junky supply" (this roughly corresponds to a shop supply manager or toolmaker).

Mother, in addition to housekeeping, was engaged in needlework "for the customer." She acquired the skills of this work in the "master's needlework" that remained from serfdom, where she was adopted in childhood as an orphan.

How only child in a family with two able-bodied adults, I had the opportunity to get an education. They sent me to a theological school, where the fee for the right to study was much lower than in gymnasiums, no uniforms were required, and there was a system of "dormitories" in which maintenance was much cheaper than in private apartments.

I studied at this theological school for ten years: first at the Yekaterinburg Theological School (1889-1893), then at the Perm Theological Seminary (1893-1899). He graduated from the course in the first category and received an offer to continue his education at the Theological Academy as a scholarship holder, but he refused this offer and became a teacher elementary school to the village of Shaydurikha (now the Nevyansk region). When they began to impose on me there, as a graduate of a theological school, the teaching of the law of God, I refused teaching in Shaydurikha and entered the teacher of the Russian language at the Yekaterinburg Theological School, where I once studied.

I consider this date, September 1899, to be the beginning of my seniority, although in reality I began work for hire earlier. My father died when I was still in the fourth grade of the seminary. For the last three years (my father was ill for almost a year), I had to earn money for maintenance and education, as well as help my mother, whose eyesight had deteriorated by that time. The work was different. Most often, of course, tutoring, short reporting in Perm newspapers, proofreading, processing of statistical materials, and "summer practice" sometimes happened in the most unexpected industries, such as dissection of animals that died from epizootics.

From 1899 to November 1917 there was only one job - a teacher of the Russian language, first in Yekaterinburg, then in Kamyshlov. I usually devoted my summer vacations to traveling around the Ural factories, where I collected folklore material that had interested me since childhood. He set himself the task of collecting fables-aphorisms associated with a certain geographical point. Subsequently, all the material of this order was lost along with the library that belonged to me, which was plundered by the Whites when they captured Yekaterinburg.

Even in his seminary years, he took part in the revolutionary movement (distributing illegal literature, participating in school leaflets, etc.). In 1905, with a general revolutionary upsurge, he became more active, taking part in protests, mainly on school issues. Experiences during the years of the first imperialist war brought before me the question of revolutionary affiliation in full.

From the beginning of the February Revolution, he went into the work of public organizations. For some time he was undecided in the party, but still he worked in contact with the workers of the railway depot, who stood on the Bolshevik positions. From the beginning of open hostilities, he volunteered for the Red Army and took part in military operations on the Ural front. In September 1918 he was admitted to the ranks of the CPSU (b).

The main job was editorial. Since 1924, he began to act as the author of essays on the old factory life, on work on the fronts of the civil war, and also gave materials on the history of the regiments in which I had to be.

In addition to essays and articles in newspapers, he wrote over forty tales on the themes of the Ural workers' folklore. Recent works, based on oral working creativity, were highly appreciated. Based on these works, he was accepted in 1939 as a member of the Union of Soviet Writers, in 1943 he was awarded the Stalin Prize of the second degree, in 1944 he was awarded the Order of Lenin for the same works.

The heightened interest of the Soviet reader in my literary work of this kind, as well as my position as an old man who personally observed the life of the past, encourage me to continue the design of the Ural tales and reflect the life of the Ural factories in the pre-revolutionary years.

In addition to the lack of systematic political education, weakness of vision greatly interferes with work. With the beginning of the decomposition of the macula, I no longer have the opportunity to freely use the manuscript (I almost do not see what I am writing) and with great difficulty I make out printed matter. This slows down other types of my work, especially editing the Ural Contemporary. I have to perceive a lot “by ear”, and this is unusual and requires much more time, but I continue to work, albeit at a slower pace.

In February 1946, he was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from the 271st Krasnoufimsky constituency, from February 1947 - a deputy of the Sverdlovsk City Council from the 36th constituency.

... The path of collecting and creative use of folklore is not particularly easy. Among young people, especially inexperienced ones, reproaches were heard that Bazhov found the old man, and he "told him everything." There is an institution of factory old people, they know and heard a lot and evaluate everything in their own way. And often this assessment happens, it is contradictory, it goes “in the wrong direction”. The stories of factory old people must be taken critically and, on the basis of these stories, presented as it seems to you, but, in any case, you must not forget that this is the basis. Bazhov's skill lies in the fact that he tried, as far as possible, to treat the main creators with great respect - the Ural workers. And the difficulty was that the language spoken by our grandfathers and great-grandfathers is not so easy for a person who is already accustomed to the literary language. You sometimes struggle with this difficulty for a long time in order to find one word, so as not to overflow with Gorbunov's excess. Gorbunov was fluent in the language. But with a mistake: he laughed. It is not the time for us to laugh at the language of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers. We must take the most valuable from it and throw out phonetic errors.

And this selection, of course, is a rather difficult matter. It's up to you to guess which word is more in line with the working understanding.

Another old man, perhaps, served as a lackey for the master, was a sycophant, and perhaps in his stories an assessment slips entirely not ours. The writer's job is to make it clear where it's not ours.

The main thing: when a writer is preparing to work on working folklore, one must remember that this is still an unexplored area, still too little studied. But we have ample opportunities to collect this folklore. At one time I worked as a teacher, and at first I went around the villages, setting myself the task of collecting folklore. I walked along Chusovaya, heard a lot of legends from robber folklore and wrote them down superficially. Take people like you. Nemirovich-Danchenko, he wrote down a lot of such legends that spoke about Yermak and others. We must look in those places from where they came, where many such legends have been preserved. All of them represent a great price.

Question. When did you get acquainted with Marxist-Leninist ideas? What are the sources of this knowledge? To what period should the final formation of your Bolshevik worldview be attributed?

Answer. I studied at the theological school. During the seminary years in what was then Perm, we had revolutionary groups that had their own school library, which had been passed down from previous generations.

Political literature was mostly populist, but still there was some part of Marxist books. I remember during those years I read Engels' The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State. I did not read Marx during my seminary years and became acquainted with him only later, during the years of my school work.

Thus, I believe that my acquaintance with Marxist literature began in the years of the seminary, then continued already in the years school work. I cannot say that I did much in this matter, but the main Marxist books available at that time were known to me...

In particular, I began to get acquainted with the works of Vladimir Ilyich from the book, which was published under the name of Ilyin, "The Development of Capitalism in Russia." This was my first acquaintance with Lenin, and I became a Bolshevik almost during the civil war.

My decision about my party membership was made, perhaps without sufficient theoretical justification, but in the practice of life it became clear to me that this was the party that came closest of all, I went with it and since 1918 I have been a member of its ranks.

When and what I first read by Leskov, I don’t remember exactly. At the same time, it must be recalled that in youth treated this writer negatively, not knowing him. He was known to me by hearsay as the author of reactionary novels, which is probably why I was not drawn to Leskov's works. I read it completely already in adulthood, when the edition of A. f. Marx (I think in 1903). At the same time, I also read reactionary novels (“On Knives” and “Nowhere”) and was literally struck by the wretchedness of the artistic and verbal fabric of these things. I just couldn’t believe that they belonged to the author of such works as “The Cathedral”, “Non-lethal Golovan”, “The Enchanted Wanderer”, “ Toupee artist”and others, sparkling with fiction and verbal play, with their life truthfulness. Leskov's completely new reading of old printed sources seemed interesting: prologues, four menaias, flower beds.

“Disappointing placon”, “edge”, etc., seems to me a great verbal replay, sometimes bringing Leskov closer to Gorbunov, who, for the amusement of the public, deliberately exaggerated speech and phonetic irregularities and looked for rarites personelles to make it funnier.

Speaking frankly (attention! attention!), Melnikov always seemed closer to me. Simple close nature, situation and carefully selected language without overlapping in word game. I began to read this author back in those years when the meaning of the words “oh, temptation!” I was not quite clear. I re-read it later. And if it is necessary to look for who stuck something, then why not look through this window. And most importantly, of course, Chekhov. Here I distinctly remember what and when I first read it. I even remember the place where it happened.

It had to be in 1894. Your respected brothers of the past - literary scholars and critics - by this time had already fully "recognized and appreciated" Chekhov and even, by joint efforts, pushed him to "The Muzhiks" and other works of this group. But in the provincial bookstores(I lived then in Perm) there was still only a young Chekhov "Tales of Melpomene" and "Colorful Stories".

It was the autumn slush of early November, and even had to "celebrate the death of the deceased" Alexander III. On grief to the Perm bursaks, the bishop of that time considered himself a composer. On the occasion of his “death,” he set to music some poetic whining of a Perm schoolboy. The Bursat authorities sighed reproachfully at their pupils: here, they say, a high school student mourns even in verse, and how you show yourself. And wanting to catch up, they leaned hard on the chanting of this whining episcopal composition.

On such purely sour days I bought Chekhov's little book for the first time. I forgot its cost, but it seemed to be sensitive for my then tutoring earnings (six rubles a month) ...

The seminary authorities were savage about all literature without a "permissible mark." This was the name of the last step of the permissive visa (approved, recommended, allowed, allowed, allowed for libraries).

There was no such visa on Chekhov's little book, and this book had to be read when "the awake eye has grown dull." It worked best between dinner and bedtime, between nine and eleven. These watches were left to the discretion of the Bursaks...

These hours were called free, free, and for the variety of activities - motley.

And in these colorful hours, a fifteen-year-old boy, a second-grade student at the Perm Theological Seminary, opened a padlocked desk in the second middle row ... and for the first time began to read "Colorful Stories".

From the very first page he snorted, choked with laughter. Then it became impossible to read alone - it took a listener, and soon our classroom resounded with the laughter of a dozen teenagers. It was even required to put a messenger in the corridor (in turn, of course) so as not to “run into”.

Since then, alas, fifty years have passed! I re-read the works of A.P. Chekhov more than once, and yet the subsequent Chekhov never obscured in my mind Chekhov's initial period, when critics and literary critics were inclined to call him only a "funny writer." Moreover, many works of this period give me more than the works of the subsequent period. "Intruder", for example, seems more truthful to me than "Men", which I do not believe in many ways. Or take at least "Witch". After all, this is a terrible tragedy of a young beautiful woman who is forced to live in a graveyard with a hateful red deacon. How much on this topic we have written in verse and prose, and everywhere it is a tragedy or a melodrama. And here you even laugh. You laugh at the red-haired sacristan who is trying to cover the face of the sleeping postman so that his wife does not look at him. You laugh even when this red deacon gets an elbow in the bridge of his nose. However, laughter in no way obscures the main idea. You believe everything here and remember forever, while tragedies are forgotten, and melodramas, by a simple change of intonation, turn into their opposite. Here, no intonation can change anything, since the basis is deeply national ... Chekhov recent years will never obscure the young Chekhov in my mind, when he easily and freely, shining with young eyes, floated along the boundless expanse of the great river. And it was clear to everyone that both the river was Russian and the swimmer was Russian. He is not afraid of either whirlpools or whirlpools of his native river. His laughter seemed to our generation a guarantee of victory over all difficulties, for it is not the one who sings sadly: “Tarara-bumbia, I’m sitting on the pedestal” that wins, and not the one who amuses himself with the future “sky in diamonds”, but only the one who knows how to laugh at the most disgusting and terrible.

The main thing, after all, is not in genealogy and literature, but in life path, in the characteristics of that social group, under the influence of which a person is formed, among which he has to live and work in one position or another. Even from the fragments of this letter, you could be convinced that the life of the students could not pass without leaving a trace. And eighteen years of teaching - how is that? Joke? Among other things, eighteen spacious summer vacats. True, some of them were spent on theatrical nature. It was necessary to see the sea, the haze of the southern mountains, the dead cypress tree and other things that are supposed to. But it still didn't take too long. Much more wandered around the Urals, and not entirely aimlessly. Remember talking about fables? After all, there are six full notebooks of these narrowly localized proverbs. And it was done quite thoroughly, with full certification: where, when it was written down, from whom I heard it. This is not a reproduction of what you heard from memory, but a real scientific document. And even though the notebooks are gone, is there anything left of this work? Yes, I still remember:

“People have a canny, but we have it easy.”

“They plow and harrow, sow and reap, thresh and winnow, but here take off your pants, get into the water and drag in a full sack.”

Or here is from the records about the Chusovoy stones-fighters:

“We live honestly, but we feed on the Robber.”

“We don’t heat the stove, but it gives warmth” (fighters Robber and Stove).

I know that these folklore adventures of mine are not entirely to your liking, but science is science. It requires a strict approach to the facts.

Of course, you have nowhere to know the details of these folklore journeys, since your object in those Arcadian times did not yet know the smell of a freshly printed sheet. Another thing is the civil war period. After all, you looked at three whole books here. Whatever they are, you can also learn something about the author and the environment in which he had to work. To a high degree, it does not matter who and when he was at that time. I won't even answer this question. This is a questionnaire. If you answer in detail - a book, not even one. You know the main thing - the political worker of those days. Mainly editor of the front and revolutionary committee press. Both presuppose great communication with the masses and an extreme variety of questions. This was the same for the front-line situation, and for the first months of the “setting of power”, and then, when he edited the newspaper “Krasny Put” in Kamyshlov, already in 1921-1922. It seems to me that the period of work in the Peasant Newspaper (later it was called the Collective Farm Way) from 1923 to 1930 is especially important. There I had to manage the department of peasant letters. You know about it, but I don't think you really know. The flow of letters then could be measured in tons, and the range - from the "patience of a goat" (the whole winter lived buried in a haystack) to international problems in the understanding of a village illiterate person. What situations, how much material for the most unexpected turns, and language! O! This is the same thing that can only be dreamed of in youth. I already wrote an enthusiastic page about this in the "Sources of Local Lore", but how can I express it. What kind of cracker and blockhead do you have to be, so as not to experience the effects of this pristine beauty. Yes, put a man of Chekhov's talent on this business for seven whole years, what would he do! Without long trips, which Chekhov, according to N. D. Teleshov, usually recommended to writers, and he himself did not shy away (what could be further from Sakhalin?).

The literary sources of the past should be treated no less critically. In addition to the already mentioned work by Gleb Uspensky "The Morals of Rasteryaeva Street", we know great amount other works of the same type, where drunkenness, darkness and half-animal life were served especially thickly. The old writers had many reasons for this. selection dark colors they tried to draw attention to the need to reorganize and improve cultural events. This, of course, was understandable in its own way, since there was indeed a lot of darkness in the past. But now it is high time to talk about the past in a different way. The dark is dark, but there were in the past the germs of what the revolution was born from, the heroism of the civil war and the subsequent development of the world's first workers' state. And these were not rare units. New people did not grow out of total drunkenness and darkness. Settlements of the working type in this respect stood out in particular. This means that there were more sprouts of light there.

The old miners and ore prospectors of our region have always cherished a kind looker - such a wash or cliff where the layers are clearly visible. rocks. By such lookers, most often they got to rich ore places. There was, of course, a fairy tale about a special gazer, unlike the usual ones.

This peeper does not go outside, but is hidden in the very middle of the mountain, and which one is unknown. In this mountain gazer, all layers of the earth converged, and each, whether it be salt or coal, wild clay or expensive rock, shines through and leads the eye along all the descents and ascents to the very exit. However, it is impossible to reach such a gazer alone or by an artel. It will open only when all the people, from old to small, will begin to look for their share in the local mountains.

The years of the war turned out to be such a mountain gazer for me.

It seemed that from childhood I knew about the riches of my native land, but during the war years so many new things were discovered here and in such unexpected places that our old mountains seemed different. It became clear that we were by no means aware of all the riches, and now this has not yet reached its full extent.

He loved and respected the strong, hardy and hard people of his region. The war years not only confirmed this, but strengthened it many times over. You need to have the shoulders, arms and strength of heroes to do what they did in the Urals during the war years.

At the beginning of the war, there was doubt as to whether we should be engaged in a fairy tale at such a time, but they answered from the front and supported me in the rear.

We need an old fairy tale. There was a lot of that road in it, which is useful now and will be useful later. Through these precious grains, the people of our day will see the beginning of the path in reality, and this must be reminded. It is not for nothing that they say: a young horse walks easily with a cart along a beaten road and does not think about how hard it was for those horses that were the first to pass through these places. It’s the same in human life: what everyone knows now, then great-grandfathers got it with great later and labor, and it required fiction, and even such that even now one has to marvel.

So, with a refreshed eye, look at my native land, at its people and at my work, and the war years taught me, just according to the saying: “After a big misfortune, like after a bitter tear, the eye clears up, you will see something behind you that you didn’t notice before, and you will see the road ahead.”

To some extent they got used to my manner of writing, but they were no less accustomed to the idea that this one always writes about the past. Many do not see modernity in it, and I think they will not see it for a long time. The reason, in my opinion, is in some kind of calendar definition of history and modernity. Set on things written on the most acute topic of our time, the date of the past is antiquity, history. With such a look, try to prove that “Dear Name” is the October Revolution, that “Vasina Gora” is a reflection of the mood with which the Soviet people adopted the five-year plan, that “Mountain Gifts” is a Victory Day, etc. Behind the old frame people do not see content that is not quite old, which, however, cannot be given in the form of a photograph, so that a person can say for sure - this is me. But I also have tales of direct combat. For example, "Circular Lantern", written about the VIZ distributor Obertyukhin. I don't know the hero of the story. I read only a few newspaper articles about him and moved his qualities to the way of life well known to me. Is it history or modernity? Here, solve this question.

I have always been a historian, not a real one, of course, and a folklorist also not very orthodox. The state of my education did not allow me to fully climb the highlands that Marxism opened up to us, but the height to which I nevertheless managed to climb makes it possible to take a fresh look at the past familiar to me ...

I consider this the quality of a contemporary, and I am referred to a group that shovels old material, where from time to time "pass" phrases and characteristics are inserted. Write here I am "Painted punk" or "Yegorsh case" - they recognize memoir literature. With luck, they can even praise: “no worse than “Childhood of the Theme”, “Nikita”, “Ryzhik”, etc., but no one will think why the old Soviet journalist, who feels the issues of our time, was drawn to talk about what happened sixty years ago : Is it just to remember the days when he was a baby, or is there another task. Like, for example, how the cadres of people who had to work hard during the years of the revolution were formed.

The assumption that in silence I pick something historical, unfortunately, does not seem to be true. I am now engaged in another, - not very writing business. I have to write a lot according to the statements of my voters. Of course, in the sense of accumulating material about the present, this gives a lot, but it is unlikely that I will be able to cope with this new one as a writer. Got a squirrel cartload of nuts when her teeth were worn out. And those here really things. One should be surprised how they are not seen.

Sat-to " Soviet writers", M., 1959

Electronic version autobiography is reprinted from the site http://litbiograf.ru/

20th century writer

Bazhov Pavel Petrovich (pseudonyms: Koldunkov - his real name led from "bazhit", dialectal - to conjure; Khmelinin, Osintsev, Starozavodsky, Chiponev, i.e. "reluctant reader")

Prose writer, storyteller.

Born in the family of a mining foreman, a hereditary Ural worker. He graduated from the Yekaterinburg Theological School (1893), then the Perm Theological Seminary (1899), taught (in the village of Shaydurikha, Perm province, Yekaterinburg, Kamyshlov, in 1917 in the Siberian village of Bergul). FROM young years wrote down Ural folklore: “he was a collector of pearls of his native language, a pioneer of precious layers of working folklore - not textbook-smoothed, but created by life” (Tatyanicheva L. A word about a master // Pravda. 1979. Feb. 1). He took an active part in the revolution and the Civil War. In his youth, he was a participant in the Motovilikha Zakama May Day meetings and an organizer of an underground library, in 1917 he was a member of the Council of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies, in 1918 he was secretary of the party cell of the headquarters of the 29th Ural Division. Bazhov not only participated in military operations, but also carried out active journalistic work (editor of the divisional newspaper Okopnaya Pravda, etc.). During the battles for Perm, he is captured and flees from prison to the taiga. Under the name of an insurance agent, he takes an active part in underground revolutionary work. After the end of the Civil War, B. actively collaborated in the Ural newspapers Soviet Power, Krestyanskaya Gazeta, the magazine Growth, Shturm, and others.

Bazhov's writing career began relatively late.

In 1924, he published a book of essays "The Urals were", and then 5 more documentary books, mainly on the history of the revolution and the Civil War ("Fighters of the first draft", "To the calculation", "Formation on the move", "Five stages of collectivization", documentary story "For the Soviet Truth"). Peru Bazhov also owns the unfinished story "Across the Boundary", autobiographical story"The Green Filly" (1939), a book of memoirs "Far - Close" (1949), a number of articles on literature ("D.N. Mamin-Sibiryak as a writer for children", "Muddy water and true heroes", etc.), little-studied satirical pamphlets ("Radioray" and others). For many years he was the soul of the writers' team in the Urals (Ekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Perm, Zlatoust, Nizhny Tagil, etc.), he constantly worked with literary youth.

main book Bazhov, which brought him worldwide fame - a collection of tales "The Malachite Box" (1939) - came out when the writer was already 60 years old. In the future, Bazhov supplemented the book with new tales, especially actively during the Great Patriotic War: "The Key-Stone" (1942); "Zhivinka in business" (1943); “Tales about the Germans” (1943; 2nd edition - 1944), etc. The tales “The Amethyst Case”, “The Wrong Heron”, “Live Light” are connected with the life and work of Soviet people in the post-war years.

"Malachite Box" immediately caused a flurry of enthusiastic responses. Critics almost unanimously noted that never before, neither in poetry nor in prose, had it been possible to glorify the work of a miner, stone cutter, foundry worker so deeply, to reveal the creative essence of professional skill so deeply. The organic combination of the most bizarre fantasy and the true truth of history, the truth of characters, was especially emphasized. The general admiration was caused by the language of the book, which combines the treasures of not only folklore, but also the lively, colloquial speech of the Ural workers, bold original word creation, which has tremendous pictorial power. But it soon became clear that many readers and critics understood the nature of this book in different ways. Two trends emerged in the evaluation of the "Malachite Box" - some considered it a wonderful document of folklore, others considered it magnificent. literary work. This question had both theoretical and practical significance. There was, for example, a long tradition of literary processing, "free rehashing" of works of oral folk poetry. Is it possible to “retell” the “Malachite Box” in verse, as Demyan Bedny tried to do? .. Bazhov himself had an ambiguous attitude to the problem. He either allowed notes to be made to editions of the book that tales are folklore, then he joked that “scientists” should understand this issue. Later it turns out that Bazhov sought to use folklore "akin to Pushkin's", whose fairy tales are "a wonderful fusion, where folk art is inseparable from the personal work of the poet" (Useful reminder // Literary newspaper. 1949. May 11). There were both objective and subjective reasons for the current situation. In Soviet folklore, for some time, criteria were lost that made it possible to clearly distinguish works of folklore from literature. There were stylizations for folklore, there were storytellers whose names became quite well known, and they created “novinas” instead of epics. In addition, in the mid-1930s, Bazhov himself, like many of his contemporaries, was accused of glorifying and protecting the enemies of the people, expelled from the party and deprived of his job. In such an environment, the recognition of authorship could become dangerous for the work. Unlike many of his other contemporaries, Bazhov was lucky - the charges were soon dropped, he was reinstated in the party. And the researchers of Bazhov's work (L. Skorino, M. Batin and others) convincingly proved that the "Malachite Box", written on the basis of Ural folklore, is, nevertheless, an independent lit. work. This was evidenced by the concept of the book, expressing a certain worldview and a set of ideas of his time, as well as the writer's archive - manuscripts demonstrating Bazhov's professional work on the composition of the work, image, word, etc. Preserving often folk stories, Bazhov clothed them, in his words, in a new flesh, colored with his individuality.

In the 1st edition, the "Malachite Box" contains 14 tales, in the last - about 40. There are cycles of tales about masters - true artists in their field, about work as an art (the best of them are "Stone Flower", "Mining Master" , “Crystal Branch”, etc.), tales about “secret power”, containing fantastic plots and images (“Mistress of the Copper Mountain”, “Malachite Box”, “Cat Ears”, “Sinyushkin Well”, etc.), tales about seekers, "satirical", carrying accusatory tendencies ("Prikazchikov's soles", "Sochnev's pebbles"), etc. Not all works that make up the "Malachite Box" are equal. Thus, history itself revealed the apologetic nature of tales about modernity, “Leninist” tales, and finally, there were simply creative failures (“Golden Blossom of the Mountain”). But the best of Bazhov's tales have for many years kept the secret of a unique poetic charm and impact on modernity.

Based on Bazhov's tales, the film "Stone Flower" (1946), K. Molchanov's opera "The Tale of the Stone Flower" (staged - 1950), S. Prokofiev's ballet "The Tale of the Stone Flower" (staged - 1954), symphonic poem by A. Muravyov "Azovgora" (1949) and many other works of music, sculpture, painting, graphics. Artists representing the most diverse manners and trends offer their own interpretation of the wonderful Bazhov images: cf. for example, illustrations by A. Yakobson (P. Bazhov. Malachite Box: Ural Tales. L., 1950) and V. Volovich (Sverdlovsk, 1963).

K.F. Bikbulatova

Used materials of the book: Russian literature of the XX century. Prose writers, poets, playwrights. Biobibliographic dictionary. Volume 1. p. 147-151.

Read further:

Russian writers and poets (biographical guide).

Compositions:

Works. T. 1-3. M., 1952.

Collected works: in 3 volumes. M., 1986;

Publicism. Letters. Diaries. Sverdlovsk, 1955;

Malachite Box. M., 1999.

Literature:

Skorino L. Pavel Petrovich Bazhov. M., 1947;

Gelhardt R. The style of Bazhov's tales. Perm, 1958;

Pertsov B. About Bazhov and folklore // Writer and new reality. M.; 1958;

Batin M. Pavel Bazhov. M., 1976;

Sverdlovsk, 1983;

Usachev V. Pavel Bazhov is a journalist. Alma-Ata, 1977;

Bazhova-Gaidar A.P. Daughter's eyes. M., 1978;

Master, sage, storyteller: memories of Bazhov. M., 1978;

Permyak E. Dolgovskiy master. About the life and work of Pavel Bazhov. M., 1978;

Ryabinin D. Book of memories. M., 1985. S.307-430;

Zherdev D.V. Poetics of the Swazes by P. Bazhov. Yekaterinburg, 1997;

Khorinskaya E.E. Our Bazhov: a story. Yekaterinburg, 1989;

Slobozhaninova L.M. "Malachite Box" by P.P.Bazhov in the literature of 30-40s. Yekaterinburg, 1998;

Slobozhaninova L.M. Tales - old testaments: Essay on the life and work of Pavel Petrovich Bazhov (1879-1950). Yekaterinburg, 2000;

Akimova T.M. On the folklorism of Russian writers. Yekaterinburg, 2001, pp. 170-177;

Unknown Bazhov. Little-known materials about the life of the writer / comp. N.V. Kuznetsova. Yekaterinburg, 2003.

Pavel was born on January 15 (27), 1879 near Yekaterinburg in a working class family. Childhood years in Bazhov's biography were spent in a small town - Polevskoy, Sverdlovsk Region. He studied at the factory school, where he was one of the best students class. After graduating from a theological school in Yekaterinburg, he entered the Perm Theological Seminary. After completing his studies in 1899, he began working as a teacher of the Russian language.

It is worth noting briefly that Pavel Bazhov's wife was his student Valentina Ivanitskaya. In marriage, they had four children.

The beginning of the creative path

The first writing activity of Pavel Petrovich Bazhov fell on the years of the Civil War. It was then that he began working as a journalist, later became interested in the history of the Urals. However, more biography of Pavel Bazhov is known as a folklorist.

The first book with Ural essays called "Ural were" was published in 1924. And the first tale of Pavel Petrovich Bazhov was published in 1936 (“The Girl of Azovka”). Basically, all the tales retold and recorded by the writer were folklore.

The main work of the writer

The release of Bazhov's book "The Malachite Box" (1939) largely determined the fate of the writer. This book brought the writer world fame. Bazhov's talent was perfectly manifested in the tales of this book, which he constantly replenished. The Malachite Box is a collection of folklore stories for children and adults about life and life in the Urals, about the beauty of the nature of the Ural land.

The "Malachite Box" contains many mythological characters, for example: the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, Veliky Poloz, Danila the Master, Grandmother Sinyushka, Fire Jumper and others.

In 1943, thanks to this book, he received Stalin Prize. And in 1944 he was awarded the Order of Lenin for fruitful work.

Pavel Bazhov created many works, on the basis of which ballets, operas, performances were staged, films and cartoons were made.

Death and legacy

The life of the writer ended on December 3, 1950. The writer was buried in Sverdlovsk at the Ivanovo cemetery.

In the writer's hometown, in the house where he lived, a museum has been opened. The name of the writer is folk festival in the Chelyabinsk region, an annual award presented in Yekaterinburg. Memorial monuments were erected to Pavel Bazhov in Sverdlovsk, Polevskoy and other cities. Streets in many cities of the former USSR are also named after the writer.

Pavel Petrovich Bazhov - Russian writer, journalist, wonderful Ural storyteller.

Origin

Pavel Petrovich Bazhov was born on January 15, 1879 in the Urals in a small working town, in the family of a hereditary miner. His father, Pyotr Vasilyevich Bazhov, worked as a welding master at the famous Turchaninov factories. Pyotr Vasilievich was famous for his sharp tongue and restless character, for which he even received the nickname "drill". Various bosses always tried to get rid of the obstinate rebel as soon as possible, they sent him for airing. In the Urals, there was such a term in the working environment - “send for airing”, that is, to transfer a person from factory to factory, deliberately preventing them from settling down for a long time. Wherever the Bazhov family had to visit, they traveled all over the Urals. However, the family did not live in poverty at all, Pyotr Vasilyevich was considered a noble master and earned good money. In Sysert, the Bazhovs had a solid house with many solid outbuildings. Subsequently, in 1979, the museum of Pavel Petrovich Bazhov was opened in the house.

Teaching is light

From early childhood, little Pasha showed remarkable abilities in the sciences. At the age of seven, the boy was sent to the Zemstvo three-year school, from which he graduated with honors. As a good student, Paul had the right to further education in the theological school. Pavel's father and mother decided to continue their son's education. So, with the blessing of his parents, after a short training, ten-year-old Pavel was put on a cart and sent on the road.

His path lay in a glorious city. Arriving at his destination, the boy began to live in the house of the zemstvo doctor Nikolai Smorodintsev, an old friend of the Bazhov family. Education in the theological school was given to Paul, because by nature he was very gifted. Bazhov was distinguished by great curiosity; at the theological school, Pavel was in charge of the library. It was in the house of Nikolai Smorodintsev that a significant meeting took place: Bazhov was introduced to a good friend of the doctor, the famous Siberian historian Afanasy Shchapov. Communication with this wonderful person aroused in Bazhov a remarkable interest in the history and folklore of the Ural region. In 1893, Pavel Bazhov graduated from the theological school with excellent results. Then he entered the Perm Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1899. In the seminary, Pavel was one of the best students, Bazhov was predicted to have a successful spiritual career. The young man faced a choice: as an excellent student, he had the right to free education at the Kyiv Theological Academy, however, this obligated to accept priesthood, which was not at all included in Bazhov's plans. The young man longed for a higher secular education. According to the law of the Russian Empire, he had the right to study at Dorpat, Warsaw and Tomsk universities, but at his own expense. Since Bazhov did not have money, he decided to take up teaching.

So the former seminarian found himself in a village located not far from the city. There, the young teacher successfully taught the Russian language, and part-time, the law of God. However, soon, through the efforts of Smorodintsev, Bazhov was transferred to Yekaterinburg to teach at a religious school. Bazhov teaches Russian and literature at the school, where he met his love. Valentina Ivanitskaya, a senior student, at the end of the course became the wife of Pavel Bazhov. After some time, she gave birth to two daughters of the same age. They had four children in total.

During these years, Pavel Petrovich began his first ethnographic search, every summer he traveled to the Ural villages and factory towns. During his expeditions, Bazhov wrote down everything that seemed wonderful to him: these were fairy tales, songs, ancient legends. He also took photographs. It was Bazhov who first began to single out working folklore as a separate part folk culture before him, no one had done it. Soon Pavel Bazhov was known at all the Ural factories, the workers trusted him, they knew that although he was educated, he was their boyfriend, a man of working bone, the son of a mining foreman. Many miners turned to him for help, in the judicial or written part. For example, they were asked to speak in court or competently draw up the necessary paper.

staunch bolshevik

Early 20th century It was a time of major social change. The year 1905 came, in all unrest, the workers of many large factories, organized by agents of various political parties, for the first time acted as a single cohesive force. The workers of the Urals supported the general strikes. Bazhov, as a person with an active civic position, also did not stand aside, he participated in workers' May Day meetings, for which he was arrested, but soon released. In 1914, Bazhov moved with his family to his wife's hometown. There he taught at a local school, and also engaged in journalistic activities, wrote articles for a local newspaper. In Kamyshlov, the Bazhovs had a son, Alexei, last child in family.

Year 1917. The February and October revolutions took place. Pavel Bazhov takes the side of the Bolshevik Party. In 1918 he became a member of the CPSU(b). The civil war began. Bazhov in the forefront, he immediately signed up for the Red Army. His service was in the Ural division, where Bazhov worked in the newspaper Trench Pravda. In heavy battles for Bazhov, he was captured, but he managed to escape. Power in the Urals passed to the Whites. As a zealous Bolshevik, Bazhov worked actively underground. At the beginning of the underground work, he introduced himself as a teacher Kiribaev, later Bazhov acted under the guise of an insurance agent Bakheev. As soon as the Soviets returned to Perm, Bazhov again entered the service in the Red Army. But, having served only a few months, he becomes seriously ill and after a while, according to the verdict of the doctors, he is demobilized outright.

Bazhov returned to Kamyshlov, but the religious school was closed. And he goes to work in the editorial office of the newspaper "Red Way". From that time until the end of his life, Bazhov's path was inextricably linked with journalism. In 1923, he moved to Yekaterinburg, where he constantly worked in the Ural Peasant Newspaper, and also collaborated with many other Yekaterinburg newspapers.

In 1924, Bazhov first made himself known as a writer by publishing a book of essays "The Urals were" and a series of essays "Five Stages of Collectivization". Bazhov sent the best of the essays to the Our Achievements magazine, which he edited himself. After some time, Bazhov received a letter from Gorky. famous writer highly appreciated Bazhov's literary talent. He advised him to leave journalism and take up writing in earnest. During this period, Bazhov wrote several documentaries about the civil war: "To the calculation", "Formation on the move", "Fighters of the first draft". Bazhov was a convinced Bolshevik and all his works, one way or another, were politically motivated.

Malachite Box

In the 1930s, he again turned to work topic. He writes essays about the life of miners. And in one of the essays, in the image of a wise storyteller, a famous character in the future appears, a grandfather nicknamed Slyshko. The character was written off from a real person, an old Ural worker - Vasily Khmelinin.

In 1936, Bazhov entered the Literary Institute in absentia. At the same time, he published a series of Ural tales in the Krasnaya Nov magazine. The tales were written by Bazhov on the basis of materials collected by him even before the revolution, during the summer ethnographic expeditions. All the best is well-forgotten old! Whirlwinds of three revolutions flew by, but the old wise tales remained. After the publication of the tales, the writer received a large number of rave reviews.

Inspired Bazhov actively worked. But the terrible year of 1937, the year of mass repressions and party purges, knocked on the door. Pavel Petrovich did not manage to escape the fate of many, although he was much more fortunate than others, who were tortured and shot. The fiery Bolshevik Bazhov was expelled from the party, skillful people were preparing to start persecuting the writer. However, the intercession of many influential people saved Bazhov. In total, Pavel Petrovich was expelled from the party twice - in 1933 and 1937. Pavel Petrovich spent a whole year in obscurity about his fate, in anticipation of the inevitable reprisal, but this cup passed him. Bazhov was able to continue to live and work.

Initially, his tales were included in the collection of Ural workers' folklore, the publication of which was personally supervised by Maxim Gorky. But already in 1939, a separate collection of Ural tales, The Malachite Box, was published, and after the book was published, Bazhov became famous. Readers especially liked the tales “The Mistress of the Copper Mountain” and “The Stone Flower”. Someone admired the author's organic folk style, someone most of all appreciated the amazing symbiosis of the heroes of old fairy tales with the realities of life of the Ural miners, but everyone undoubtedly liked the book. During the Great Patriotic War, Bazhov added to his malachite box by writing several new wonderful stories: "The Key-Stone" (1942), "Zhivinka in deed" (1943), "Tales about the Germans" (1943), "Tales about gunsmiths" ( 1944).

Since 1940, Pavel Petrovich Bazhov became the head of the Sverdlovsk Writers' Organization. In 1943 he became a laureate of the State Prize and was awarded the Order of Lenin. After the war, Pavel Petrovich Bazhov was repeatedly elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Heritage

Pavel Petrovich Bazhov became a late writer. The main book of his life was published when the author was 60 years old. His book has been translated into more than 100 languages ​​of the world.