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Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky ( rus, Корне́й Ива́нович Чуко́вский, p=kɐrˈnʲej ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ tɕʊˈkofskʲɪj, a=Kornyey Ivanovich Chukovskiy.ru.vorb.oga; 31 March NS 1882 – 28 October 1969) was one of the most popular
children's poets A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''child ...
in the
Russian language Russian is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language belonging to the Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. It is one of the four extant East Slavic languages, and is ...
. His catchy rhythms, inventive rhymes and absurd characters have invited comparisons with the American children's author
Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel ( ;"Seuss"
'' Chukovsky's poems ''Tarakanische'' (" The Monster Cockroach"), ''Krokodil'' ("
Crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...
"), ''Telefon'' ("The Telephone"), '' Chukokkala'', and '' Moydodyr'' ("Wash-'em-Clean") have been favorites with many generations of
Russophone This article details the geographical distribution of Russian-speakers. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the status of the Russian language often became a matter of controversy. Some Post-Soviet states adopted policies of Derus ...
children. Lines from his poems, in particular ''Telefon'', have become universal catch-phrases in the Russian media and everyday conversation. He adapted the
Doctor Dolittle Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 '' The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. He is a physician who shuns human patients in favour of animals, with whom he can speak in th ...
stories into a book-length Russian poem as '' Doctor Aybolit'' ("Dr. Ow-It-Hurts"), and translated a substantial portion of the
Mother Goose Mother Goose is a character that originated in children's fiction, as the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. She also appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as ...
canon into Russian as ''Angliyskiye Narodnyye Pesenki'' ("English Folk Rhymes"). He also wrote very popular translations of
Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...
,
Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...
,
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
,
Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...
,
O. Henry William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include "The Gift of the Ma ...
, and other authors, and was an influential
literary critic A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature' ...
and
essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...
ist.


Early life

Originally named Nikolay Vasilyevich Korneychukov (), the writer reworked his original family name into his now familiar pen-name while working as a journalist at ''
Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...
News'' in 1901. He was born in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
as the illegitimate son of Yekaterina Osipovna Korneychukova and of Emmanuil Solomonovich Levenson, a man from a wealthy Russian
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family (his legitimate grandson was mathematician Vladimir Rokhlin). Levenson's family did not permit his marriage to Korneychukova, and the couple was eventually forced to separate. Korneychukova moved to Odessa with her two children, Nikolay and his sister Marussia. Levenson supported them financially for some time, until his marriage to another woman. Nikolay studied at the
Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...
gymnasium, where one of his classmates was Vladimir
Ze'ev Jabotinsky Ze'ev Jabotinsky (born Vladimir Yevgenyevich Zhabotinsky; 17 October 1880  – 3 August 1940) was a Russian-born author, poet, orator, soldier, and founder of the Revisionist Zionist movement and the Jewish Self-Defense Organization in O ...
. Later, the gymnasium expelled Nikolay for his "low origin" (a euphemism for illegitimacy). He had to obtain his secondary-school and
university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
diplomas by correspondence. He taught himself English and, in 1903–05, he served as the
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...
of an Odessa newspaper, although he spent most of his time at the British Library instead of in the parliamentary press gallery. Back in
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, Chukovsky started translating English works and published several analyses of contemporary European authors, which brought him in touch with leading personalities of
Russian literature Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia, its Russian diaspora, émigrés, and to Russian language, Russian-language literature. Major contributors to Russian literature, as well as English for instance, are authors of different e ...
and secured the friendship of
Alexander Blok Alexander Alexandrovich Blok ( rus, Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Бло́к, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɐlʲɪˈksandrəvʲɪtɕ ˈblok, a=Ru-Alyeksandr Alyeksandrovich Blok.oga; 7 August 1921) was a Russian lyrical poet, writer, publ ...
. Chukovsky's English was not idiomatic - he had taught himself to speak it by reading and he thus pronounced English words in a distinctly odd manner, and it was difficult for people to understand him in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. His influence on Russian literary society of the 1890s is immortalized by satirical verses of
Sasha Chorny Alexander Mikhailovich Glikberg ( rus, Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Гли́кберг, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ ˈɡlʲiɡbʲɪrk, a=Alyexandr Mikhaylovich Glickbyerg.ru.vorb.oga; – 5 July 1932), better known as ...
, including ''Korney Belinsky'' (an allusion to the famous critic
Vissarion Belinsky Vissarion Grigoryevich Belinsky (; Pre-reform spelling: Виссаріонъ Григорьевичъ Бѣлинскій. – ) was a Russian literary critic of Westernizing tendency. Belinsky played one of the key roles in the career of p ...
(1811–1848)). Korney Chukovsky published several notable literary titles, including ''From Chekhov to Our Days'' (1908), ''Critique stories'' (1911) and ''Faces and masks'' (1914). He also published a satirical magazine called ''Signal'' (1905–1906) and was arrested for "insulting the ruling house", but was acquitted after six months of investigative incarceration.


Later life and works

It was at that period that Chukovsky produced his first fantasies for children. The girl from his famous fairy tale poem "
Crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...
" was inspired by Lyalya, daughter of his long-time friend, publisher
Zinovii Grzhebin Zinovii Isaevich Grzhebin ( (French transliteration Grjebine)) was a Russian publisher and caricature illustrator. He represented more than 20% of the publishing market in Russia in the early 1910s and made a significant impact on development of t ...
. A bibliographical sketch for Chukovsky in ''The New
Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
: Micropædia'' and ''
Merriam-Webster Merriam-Webster, Incorporated is an list of companies of the United States by state, American company that publishes reference work, reference books and is mostly known for Webster's Dictionary, its dictionaries. It is the oldest dictionary pub ...
's Encyclopedia of Literature'' characterized "Crocodile", along with other Chukovsky's verse tales as follows, "clockwork rhythms and air of mischief and lightness in effect dispelled the plodding stodginess that had characterized pre-revolutionary children's poetry." Subsequently, they were adapted for theatre and
animated films Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
, with Chukovsky as one of the collaborators.
Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...
and other composers even adapted some of his poems for
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
and
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
. His works were popular with emigre children as well, as
Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov ( ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian and American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born in Imperial Russia in 1899, Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Rus ...
's complimentary letter to Chukovsky attests. During the Soviet period, Chukovsky edited the complete works of
Nikolay Nekrasov Nikolay Alexeyevich Nekrasov ( rus, Никола́й Алексе́евич Некра́сов, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj ɐlʲɪkˈsʲejɪvʲɪtɕ nʲɪˈkrasəf, a=Ru-Nikolay_Alexeyevich_Nekrasov.ogg, – ) was a Russian poet, writer, critic and publ ...
and published '' From Two to Five'' (1933), a popular guidebook to the language of children. As his diaries attest, Chukovsky used his popularity to help the authors persecuted by the regime including
Anna Akhmatova Anna Andreyevna Gorenko rus, А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко, p=ˈanːə ɐnˈdrʲe(j)ɪvnə ɡɐˈrʲɛnkə, a=Anna Andreyevna Gorenko.ru.oga, links=yes; , . ( – 5 March 1966), better known by the pen name Anna Akhmatova,. ...
,
Mikhail Zoshchenko Mikhail Mikhailovich Zoshchenko (; – 22 July 1958) was a Soviet and Russian writer and satirist. Biography Zoshchenko was born in 1894, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, according to his 1953 autobiography. Other sources suggest that he was born i ...
, Alexander Galich and
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Soviet and Russian author and Soviet dissidents, dissident who helped to raise global awareness of political repression in the Soviet Union, especially the Gulag pris ...
. He was the only Soviet writer who officially congratulated
Boris Pasternak Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (30 May 1960) was a Russian and Soviet poet, novelist, composer, and literary translator. Composed in 1917, Pasternak's first book of poems, ''My Sister, Life'', was published in Berlin in 1922 and soon became an imp ...
on winning the
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
. At one point his fantastic writings for children (''
Bibigon Bibigon (Russian: Бибигон) was a Russian television channel dedicated to children and adolescents. The channel, a subsidiary of Russia-1 and owned by VGTRK, was first launched on 1 September 2007. It was originally launched as a block in ...
'', '' Moydodyr'', Barmaley from '' Doctor Aybolit'', etc.) were under severe criticism.
Nadezhda Krupskaya Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya ( rus, links=no, Надежда Константиновна Крупская, p=nɐˈdʲeʐdə kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvnə ˈkrupskəjə; – 27 February 1939) was a Russian revolutionary, politician and politic ...
was an initiator of this campaign against "Chukovshshina", but criticism also came also from children's writer
Agniya Barto Agniya Lvovna Barto ( rus, А́гния Льво́вна Барто́, p=ˈaɡnʲɪjə ˈlʲvovnə bɐrˈto, a=Agniya L'vovna Barto.ru.vorb.oga; – 1 April 1981) was a Russian Soviet poet and children's writer of Belarusian Jewish origin. Ear ...
. Chukovsky extensively wrote about the translation process and critiqued other translators. In 1919, he co-wrote with
Nikolai Gumilev Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilev (also Gumilyov; , ; – August 26, 1921) was a Russian poet, literary critic, traveler, and military officer. He was a co-founder of the Acmeist movement. He was the husband of Anna Akhmatova and the father of Lev ...
a brochure called ''Printsipy khudozhestvennogo perevoda'' (English: ''Principles of Artistic Translation''). In 1920, Chukovsky revised it, and he substantially rewrote and expanded it numerous times throughout his life without Gumilev. Chukovsky's subsequent revisions were done in 1930 (re-titling it ''Iskusstvo perevoda'' nglish: ''The Art of Translation'', 1936, 1941 (re-titling it ''Vysokoe iskusstvo'' nglish: ''A High Art'', 1964, and his final revision was published in his ''Collected Works'' in 1965–1967. In 1984, Lauren G. Leighton published her English translation of Chukovsky's final revision, and titled it ''The Art of Translation: Kornei Chukovsky's A High Art''. Starting in the 1930s, Chukovsky lived in the writers' village of Peredelkino near
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, where he is now buried. For his works on the life of Nekrasov he was awarded a
Doktor nauk A Doctor of Sciences, abbreviated д-р наук or д. н.; ; ; ; is a higher doctoral degree in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and many Commonwealth of Independent States countries. One of the prerequisites of receiving a Doctor of Science ...
in philology. He also received the
Lenin Prize The Lenin Prize (, ) was one of the most prestigious awards of the Soviet Union for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was originally created on June 23, 1925, and awarded until 1934. During ...
in 1962 for his book, ''Mastery of Nekrasov'' and an
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
from
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
in 1962.


Family

On May 26, 1903, Chukovsky married Maria (Maria Borisovna Chukovskaya) née Goldfeld, daughter of Aron-Ber and Tauba. His daughter,
Lydia Chukovskaya Lydia Korneyevna Chukovskaya ( rus, Ли́дия Корне́евна Чуко́вская, p=ˈlʲidʲɪjə kɐrˈnʲejɪvnə tɕʊˈkofskəjə, a=Lidiya Kornyeyevna Chukovskaya.ru.vorb.oga; – February 7, 1996) was a Soviet and Russian writ ...
(1907–1996), is remembered as a noted writer, memoirist, philologist and lifelong assistant and secretary of the poet
Anna Akhmatova Anna Andreyevna Gorenko rus, А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко, p=ˈanːə ɐnˈdrʲe(j)ɪvnə ɡɐˈrʲɛnkə, a=Anna Andreyevna Gorenko.ru.oga, links=yes; , . ( – 5 March 1966), better known by the pen name Anna Akhmatova,. ...
. His son, (1904–1965) was a writer and translator. His son Boris (1910—1941 went
missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty (person), casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoner of war, prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been ...
during World War II. His daughter (1920–1931), affectionately called "Mura", a character in some of his children's poems and stories, died in her childhood from
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
. Mathematician
Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin (Russian: Влади́мир Абра́мович Ро́хлин) (23 August 1919 – 3 December 1984) was a Soviet mathematician, who made numerous contributions in algebraic topology, geometry, measure theory, p ...
was his nephew.


See also

* :Works by Korney Chukovsky


References


Sources

*


External links


Works by Chukovsky


Popular works by Chukovsky
at Ryfma.com (in Russian)
''Живой как жизнь''
('Alive as life itself'), a humorous and anti-prescriptivist discussion of the Russian language

at the Stikhiia poetry archive


Works about Chukovsky


Chukfamily.ru
Materials about three generations of the Chukovsky family: Korney, Lidiya and Elena
Biography of Chukovsksy


by essayist Dmitrii Bykov {{DEFAULTSORT:Chukovsky, Korney 1882 births 1969 deaths Writers from Saint Petersburg People from Sankt-Peterburgsky Uyezd Russian people of Jewish descent Writers from the Russian Empire Recipients of the Lenin Prize Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Russian children's poets Literary translators English–Russian translators Translators from English Translators of Oscar Wilde Translators of William Shakespeare Soviet children's writers Soviet essayists Soviet literary historians Soviet male poets Soviet male writers Deaths from hepatitis