At the end of the nineteenth century in Moscow it was impossible to find a person who did not know "Uncle Gilyai" - the famous everyday writer and publicist Vladimir Gilyarovsky. Huge, resembling a wrestler of a visiting circus, easily breaking silver rubles with his fingers and easily unbending horseshoes, Vladimir Alekseevich absolutely did not fit into the established image of an eternally hurrying journalist striving to find something sensational. On the contrary, the impression was formed that sensations were coming to this man themselves, it was not for nothing that he knew practically everything that was happening in Moscow - from a petty stabbing, which even the police did not know about, to an upcoming reception at some governor-general, the details of which he himself barely had time to discuss with those close to him. Gilyarovsky was not only famous, which is much more important, he was loved by the residents of the capital. They were glad to see him everywhere, whether it was an actor's party, a social reception or a revelry in a thieves' den. People knew that "Uncle Gilyay" would not remain in debt. For interesting information, he could introduce the right people, provide patronage, lend money or write a note, instantly making a person famous. Many believed that Vladimir Gilyarovsky was an indispensable attribute of Moscow, like the Kremlin itself or St. Basil's Cathedral. However, neither the position, nor the sincere gratitude of the Muscovites, did not appear on their own, all this was won by daily work, considerable talent and sincere love for the Mother See.
The phrase "colorful personality" can be fully applied to Vladimir Gilyarovsky. His character, appearance, manner of speaking and behaving, and indeed his entire biography, were very picturesque. According to the birth register of the church of the village of Syama, located in the former Vologda province, Vladimir Gilyarovsky was born on November 26 (old style), 1855. His father, Aleksey Ivanovich Gilyarovsky, worked as a clerk in the estate of Count Olsufiev and, having fallen in love with the daughter of the estate manager, managed to get her father, a hereditary Zaporozhian, to agree to a marriage. The boy's childhood years were spent in the Vologda forests. When Vladimir was eight years old, his mother Nadezhda Petrovna died. Soon, Aleksey Ivanovich and his son moved to Vologda, found a job there, and after a while got married again.
The stepmother accepted Volodya as her own child, the atmosphere in the house was benevolent, but the boy, accustomed to a free life, had difficulty adapting to the new conditions. In particular, he was not given good manners at the table and diligence in his studies. The guy grew up a desperate naughty, preferring to spend all his time on the street. Once he painted a yard dog with his father's gold paint, for which he was mercilessly flogged. On another occasion, a young tomboy poured a bucket of caught live frogs from the roof of the gazebo onto the heads of unsuspecting passers-by. The idol of Vladimir was a retired sailor who lived nearby, who taught him gymnastics, swimming, horseback riding and wrestling techniques.
In the fall of 1865, Vladimir entered the Vologda gymnasium and managed to stay in the first grade for the second year. A significant role in this was played by the impudent epigrams and poems written by him about teachers, who were very popular with the children. It is worth noting that Gilyarovsky easily mastered the French language, his translations were highly appreciated. During his studies, he also intensively studied circus crafts - acrobatics and horse riding. And when a circus stopped in their city, the boy even tried to get a job there, but he was refused, saying that he was still small.
At the age of sixteen, Gilyarovsky ran away from home, scribbling a note: "I went to the Volga, I will write how I get a job." Vladimir went to the unknown world without money and a passport, with only one firm self-confidence. Having traveled two hundred kilometers on foot from Vologda to Yaroslavl, he was hired in a burlak artel. At first, the barge haulers doubted whether to take the boy, but Vladimir, who possessed tremendous physical strength, pulled a penny out of his pocket and easily rolled it into a tube. So the issue was resolved. For twenty days, he pulled the common strap. Having reached Rybinsk, Gilyarovsky worked for some time as a hook and horse herder, then hired as a loader, but out of inexperience he broke his ankle, finding himself in a strange city without a penny in his bosom. I had to, defeating pride, write home. Alexey Ivanovich came to him and, scolding him, gave money, ordering the unlucky son to return back to Vologda and continue his studies.
V. A. Gilyarovsky is a cadet. 1871 g
Vladimir never got to his home - he met the officer on the steamer and, following his persuasion, went to serve in the Nezhinsky regiment. The service there seemed to him not difficult - on the sports ground and the parade ground, the strong man Gilyarovsky excelled everyone. Two years later, in 1873, he was sent to Moscow to the cadet school. He fell in love with the city at first sight. However, there was no time left to study it, iron discipline reigned in the school, drills began in the early morning and lasted until the evening. Once, while on leave, he picked up an abandoned baby on the street. Hearing on his return to his address a number of offensive nicknames, Vladimir, without hesitation, got into a fight. For violation of discipline he was sent back to the regiment. However, Gilyarovsky did not want to leave Moscow, spitting on everything, he submitted a letter of resignation.
For a year he roamed around the capital, and then went to the Volga. The future writer worked first as a stoker, then a firefighter, then a watchman, even acted as a circus rider. After long wanderings, in 1875 he ended up in the Tambov Theater. I got there, by the way, in a very original way - interceding for the actors during a fight in a local restaurant. New friends recommended him to the director, and a day later he first appeared on stage in the play "The Inspector General" in the role of Derzhimorda's policeman. Together with the theater, he visited Voronezh, Penza, Ryazan, Morshansk. On tour in Saratov, Vladimir moved to the summer theater of the Frenchman Servier. The famous actor Vasily Dalmatov said about him: "Young, happy, cheerful and lively, with all the ardor of youth, devoting himself to the stage … Possessing extraordinary strength, he captivated those around him with the nobility of his soul and his athletic exercises."
The outbreak of war with Turkey interrupted Gilyarovsky's theatrical career. As soon as the registration of volunteers began, the writer, already in the rank of a volunteer, went to the Caucasian front. There he was sent to the 161st Alexandropol regiment in the twelfth company, but after a while he transferred to the hunting detachment. Thanks to his abilities, Vladimir Alekseevich very quickly found himself in the ranks of the military elite - intelligence.
For a whole year he went on dangerous missions, repeatedly caught and brought Turkish soldiers to his unit, was awarded the medal "For the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878" and the Badge of Distinction of the Military Order of St. George of the fourth degree. During this period, Gilyarovsky managed to write poetry and draw sketches, corresponded with his father, who carefully kept all correspondence. When the warring powers made peace, he returned as a hero to his native Vologda. His father gave him a family snuffbox, but reconciliation did not happen. In one of the disputes, Vladimir tied a poker in a knot in his hearts. Alexey Ivanovich flared up and said: "Do not spoil the property!" - untied her back. As a result, the visit was short-lived, Gilyarovsky went to the Penza Theater, where his friend Dalmatov performed.
Traveling on tour, he continued to write poetry, and soon began to master prose. He himself said that the famous actress Maria Ermolova blessed him to write. After listening to his stories about his wanderings in Russia, she said: "You can't see so much and not write!" In 1881, Gilyarovsky ended up in Moscow again, working at the Anna Brenko theater. Having met the editor of the magazine "Alarm clock", he read him his poems about Stenka Razin. They were published soon. “It was the most amazing moment in my adventurous life,” Gilyarovsky said. - When I, not so long ago a passportless vagabond, who had stood on the border of death more than once, looked at my printed lines …”.
S. V. Malyutin. Portrait of V. A. Gilyarovsky
In the fall of 1881, Vladimir Alekseevich finally parted with the theater. He also did not stay at the Budilnik, moving in 1882 to the Moscow Leaflet, founded by the grasping journalist Pastukhov, which publishes the most scandalous city news. Pastukhov was extremely scrupulous about the veracity of the material published in his newspaper. He demanded from his reporters that their information was extremely truthful. Quickly assessing the talents of Vladimir, Pastukhov appointed him chief assistant with a salary of five kopecks per line. It was Pastukhov who became the first teacher and mentor of Gilyarovsky, introducing him to the various inhabitants of Moscow, to the world of vagabonds, criminals and beggars, to police officials. Gilyarovsky wrote: "I ran with him all over Moscow, in all taverns, collecting all sorts of gossip."
In those years, the reporter was the only source of fresh news, acting as modern television. Gilyarovsky is rightfully considered the discoverer of hot reporting, both literally and figuratively. Despite his young age, Vladimir Alekseevich had a solid life experience behind him, which helped him a lot in his work. He repeatedly risked his life, for example, taking part in extinguishing Moscow fires, being next to him in his duties as a reporter. Despite the fact that he had a lot of acquaintances among innkeepers, watchmen, artisans, clerical scribes, firefighters, slum dwellers, hotel servants, he always preferred to be personally present at the scene. He even had a special permit, which allowed him to travel in carts with firefighters.
Gilyarovsky's lifestyle was very tense: “I have breakfast at the Hermitage, at night in search of material I wander through the brothels of the Khitrov market. Today, on the instructions of the editorial board, at the Governor-General's reception, and tomorrow I'm going to look around the winter quarters behind the Don, herds swept by the snow … Rubinstein conducts the next performance of The Demon at the Bolshoi Theater, all of Moscow is present in diamonds and dresses - I will describe the atmosphere of the solemn performance … In a week I will go to the Caucasus, and in a month to St. Petersburg, to meet with Gleb Uspensky in his apartment on Vasilievsky Island. And then again on the express train, again rushing around Moscow to make up for the past weeks."
During the year, Vladimir Gilyarovsky made a dizzying career, becoming one of the best reporters in the capital. He not only studied the history of Moscow perfectly, he knew everything that the modern city lived with - geography, architecture, high society and the lower strata of society living in the Khitrovka area: “I had acquaintances everywhere, people informing me about everything that happened: slum dwellers, police scribes, train station keepers. The poor also knew and sympathized with the writer. It was very difficult to earn the trust of embittered tramps, beggars, criminals. He paid off with someone, influenced others with his charm, or simply took insolence. But above all, his success was ensured by complete fearlessness, honesty, kind-heartedness and tremendous endurance. He loved to portray ordinary townspeople as the heroes of his essays, wrote about their meager earnings, about the poor state of the capital's charitable institutions, about the fight against drunkenness, about the troubles and misfortunes of individual families and many other social problems. In addition, in his stories he managed to bring all the daring and sweeping of the Russian soul. In search of interesting stories, he walked great distances every day, visited the most dangerous city dens, patiently waited for an interview for hours.
In 1882, he spent fourteen days in a tent near a terrible train disaster near the village of Kukuevka. Here, as a result of soil erosion, seven carriages fell under the railroad bed and were heaped up with liquefied soil. The very next day, Gilyarovsky illegally, hiding in the toilet of a service train carriage, entered the area cordoned off by troops, and then joined the commission, whose members did not really know each other. Despite the officials' attempts to "shut up" the incident, he informed the readers of "Moskovsky leaf" about the progress of the rescue operation. According to the journalist's own admission, after two weeks at the scene of the accident, he suffered from a disorder of smell for six months and could not eat meat. After these reports, he got his most famous nickname - "King of Journalists". A heroic physique, in a picturesque Cossack hat, he became a living symbol of Moscow. Expressing their sincere gratitude and acknowledging their own, Muscovites began to call him "Uncle Gilyay".
N. I. Strunnikov. Portrait of V. A. Gilyarovsky
In less than thirty years (in 1884), Vladimir Alekseevich married the teacher Maria Ivanovna Murzina, living with her until the end of his life. Since 1886, the couple lived in an apartment located in Stoleshnikov Lane at number 9. In the summer they rented a dacha in Bykovo or Kraskovo. Vladimir himself rarely lived in dachas, mostly visiting, but during this time he managed to find interesting stories in the Moscow region. A year after the wedding, the couple had a son, Alyosha, who died in infancy, and another year later, their daughter Nadezhda, who became a popular theater critic. Quiet and taciturn Maria Ivanovna possessed her talents - she drew beautifully and was a wonderful storyteller, though lost against the background of her loud and restless husband. They rarely quarreled, but she had a lot to get used to. In particular, to the fact that his friends very often lived in their house, or that the spouse could suddenly disappear and only a few days later send a telegram from somewhere from Kharkov.
With the appearance of Maria Ivanovna, the circle of Gilyarovsky's acquaintances began to change. The old reporter and theatrical shantrap began to be replaced by decent people. The first were Fyodor Chaliapin and Anton Chekhov, who also began their careers as a journalist. Anton Pavlovich wrote about Uncle Gilyay: “He is a very restless and noisy person, but at the same time simple-minded, pure in heart …”. After his trip to Melikhovo, Chekhov complained in a letter: “Gilyarovsky stayed with me. My God, what was he doing! I climbed trees, drove all the horses, broke logs, showing strength …”. Uncle Gilyai's friends were also Bunin, Kuprin, Bryusov, Blok, Yesenin, Stanislavsky, Kachalov, Savrasov, Repin and many, many other equally famous contemporaries. The writer was a member of the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature, was the founder of the first national gymnastic society, as well as an honorary firefighter in Moscow. A lot of memories have been preserved about the life of Vladimir Alekseevich. Some of them perfectly demonstrate what an extraordinary person he was. Once, for example, he sent a letter to a fictitious address in Australia only to later trace how long and convoluted it traveled around the world before returning back to the sender.
In 1884, Gilyarovsky moved to Russkiye Vedomosti, where the best Russian writers worked - Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak, Gleb Uspensky, Lev Tolstoy. Under their influence, the previously apolitical "Uncle Gilyai" began to criticize the tsarist regime, and his book "Slum People", written in 1887, turned out to be so accusatory that the entire edition was burned in the courtyard of the Sushchevskaya police unit. In response, Vladimir Alekseevich organized the "Sport Journal", which is notable for the fact that it never printed portraits of members of the royal family. When asked about this, Gilyarovsky replied: "Excuse me, but they are not prize stallions!"
And then Khodynka burst out - a mass crush at the coronation of Nicholas II in the spring of 1896. “Uncle Gilyay” was also in the crowd behind the penny gifts. He was saved only by a miracle - deciding that he had dropped his father's snuff-box, he made his way to the edge of the crowd, just before people began to choke and turn blue. He found the snuffbox in his back pocket, she was truly happy. The report he published the next day about the incident was read by the whole of Russia. This was the only article in the Russian (and world) press, which truthfully told about the tragedy that had taken place.
It is worth noting that the work of "Uncle Gilyai" was never an ordinary pursuit of a sensation. As a result of his investigations, the authorities often turned their attention to the existing problems. In 1887, a voluminous article by Gilyarovsky entitled "Catching Dogs in Moscow" was published, shedding light on the conditions in which captured stray and feral dogs are kept, as well as on the thriving bargaining that encourages the abduction of purebred dogs. This was the first newspaper article to raise the topic of homeless animals in the capital.
He gradually moved away from journalistic work, more and more engaged in writing. He read a lot: for work - statistical reports, magazines and guidebooks, for the soul - classics. He especially loved Gogol, and from his contemporaries Maxim Gorky, with whom he was personally acquainted. At Gilyarovsky's house there was a whole library, which occupied a separate room. Over the years, he turned into a true landmark of Moscow, he was introduced to visitors, and Vladimir Alekseevich himself spoke from home a couple of hours before the appointed time in order to have time to say hello and chat with his countless acquaintances. He supported many of them - both in search of the truth and simply with things and money. In 1905, when students were on strike, Gilyarovsky sent baskets of rolls to the rebels. He could jump out of the tram on the move to give money to a poor man he knew.
The errand boy Nikolai Morozov who later became his biographer and secretary recalled: “In the morning an unknown peasant woman could come into his apartment with a basket of eggs in her hands. “Yelerovsky,” she asked. It turned out that the writer had helped her buy a cow the day before. From what village she was and how Gilyarovsky got there - nobody was interested in this at home, it was a common occurrence."
Remembering the most famous reports of Gilyarovsky, one cannot fail to note his story about a terrible hurricane that swept through the capital in 1904. On June 16, the whirlwind flew in the direction of the Yaroslavskoe highway from Karacharovo to Sokolniki, leaving behind huge destruction and loss of life. Vladimir Alekseevich noted that "fortunately" he found himself in the very center of the tornado. The circulation of the newspaper with the report broke all records - almost one hundred thousand copies were sold. Many stories from Gilyarovsky were connected with the railway. His essay "In the Whirlwind" was widely known when, in December 1905, Vladimir Alekseevich found himself on the train on which the Social Revolutionary Engineer Aleksey Ukhtomsky was taking out the vigilantes from the capital under fire from government troops. The same events are dedicated to his story on behalf of the railway worker Golubev about the punitive expedition of officers Riemann and Ming on the Moscow-Kazan railway. The story was published only in 1925, this publication is a model of unbiased and honest journalistic coverage of events.
Year after year passed, "Uncle Gilyay" was imperceptibly aging. In 1911, he became seriously ill for the first time in his life. It was pneumonia, however, frightened, the writer thought about collecting his legacy scattered in newspapers and magazines. He agreed with the famous publisher Ivan Sytin to publish collected works in six volumes, but this was never carried out - the war prevented.
At the beginning of the First World War, a book of poems by Vladimir Alekseevich was published, the fee from which Gilyarovsky donated to the fund to help victims of the war and wounded soldiers. Illustrations for the collection were created by Repin, Serov, the Vasnetsov brothers, Malyutin, Nesterov, Surikov. The fact that such a number of exceptionally eminent people rallied for the creation of the book speaks of the respect they had for “Uncle Gilyay”. The writer himself was often interested in painting, supported young artists by buying their paintings. In addition to financial assistance, Gilyarovsky was happy to write about the art exhibitions being held, showed the purchased paintings to friends and acquaintances, predicting fame for their authors. The artists responded to him with the same warm feelings. In addition, the picturesque image of the writer, and asked for canvases. Gilyarovsky was written by Shadr, Strunnikov and Malyutin. Vladimir Alekseevich posed for Repin while creating his famous painting "Zaporozhye Cossacks Writing a Letter to the Turkish Sultan." You can recognize him in a laughing Zaporozhets wearing a white hat. Portraits of Gilyarovsky and members of his family were also painted by Gerasimov, whose writer was a frequent guest at his dacha. From none other than Gilyarovsky, the sculptor Andreev created the image of Taras Bulba, who he needed for a bas-relief on the monument to Nikolai Gogol.
Gilyarovsky enthusiastically accepted the revolution that had taken place. He could be seen walking around Moscow in a "commissar" leather jacket with a red bow. The Bolsheviks did not touch "Uncle Gilyai", however, they were in no hurry to greet him. In addition, life changed - most of the friends left the capital, many public institutions were closed, the streets were given new names. Preferring to live in the past, the old man completely immersed himself in the study of the history of Moscow, bit by bit collecting various trifles of everyday life. Of course, his ebullient nature was not satisfied with one office job. He walked around the editorial offices, told young journalists how to write, raised questions of the professional ethics of reporters. Konstantin Paustovsky recalled his words: "From a newspaper sheet you must reek with such heat that it would be difficult to hold it in your hands!" Gilyarovsky's works were now published in new editions: the magazines Ogonyok, Khudozhestvenny Trud, Krasnaya Niva and the newspapers Vechernyaya Moskva, Izvestia, Na Vakhta. From 1922 to 1934 his books were published: "Stenka Razin", "Notes of a Muscovite", "Friends and Meetings", "My Wanderings" and some others. The popularity of Gilyarovsky did not wane, the works written by him did not lie on the shelves for a long time. The most famous work of Gilyarovsky is considered the book "Moscow and Muscovites" published in 1926. It truthfully and in detail shows the life of the capital during the 1880-1890s, tells about everything interesting and curious that was available in Moscow at that time. The pages of the book describe slums, taverns, markets, streets, boulevards, as well as individuals: arts, officials, merchants and many others.
Tomb of Gilyarovsky
In 1934, Gilyarovsky's eye became inflamed and was removed. The courageous writer turned this into another joke - right in the middle of a conversation with an ignorant interlocutor, he took out a glass prosthesis from the eye socket with the words: "Few people can look at themselves from the outside." In 1935, Vladimir Alekseevich turned eighty years old. He was almost blind, deaf, but he still wrote on his own, folding the sheets like an accordion so that the lines would not cling to each other: “And my work makes me young and happy - me, outlived and living …”. The writer admired the transformation of Russia and especially the reconstruction of Moscow, the opening of the metro. He dreamed of riding it, but the doctors did not allow him. On the night of October 1, Gilyarovsky died, he was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery. Years later, the sculptor Sergei Merkulov fulfilled the promise given to “Uncle Gilyai” even before the revolution by erecting a monument on his grave in the form of a meteorite that fell from the sky - a symbol of the irrepressible nature of the Moscow Zaporozhets.
