The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin
Encyclopedia
The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin ("Жизнь и необычайные приключения солдата Ивана Чонкина", 1969-1975) and its sequels, Pretender to the Throne: The Further Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin ("Претендент на престол", 1979), and Displaced Person ("Перемещённое лицо", 2007), constitute the magnum opus
of a Soviet
dissident
writer Vladimir Voinovich
.
The first book is set in the Red Army
during World War II
, satirically
exposing the daily absurdities of the totalitarian Soviet regime. It was rejected by Novy Mir
, circulated by samizdat
, and first printed by an emigre magazine in West Germany
, allegedly without author's consent, after which Voinovich was banned from publishing his books in the Soviet Union
.
Ivan Chonkin, a combination of a Russian folk hero Ivan the Fool
and the "Good Soldier" Švejk
, is now a widely known figure in Russia
n popular culture.
Gladyshev, and in a retaliation the latter sends an anonymous note to NKVD
that Chonkin is a deserter.
When NKVDists come to arrest Chonkin, he, being a Good Soldier, refuses to leave the post, and arrests the NKVDists himself. Only after several days the fact of missing secret police is noticed, and the raion
Party leader is told via phone that they have been arrested by "Chonkin and his baba (woman)", which he mishears as "Chonkin and his banda (gang)".
A regiment is sent against "Chonkin's gang", but Chonkin successfully fends them off until they use artillery. When general Drynov incredulously learns that Chonkin single-handedly (with his baba) was holding off the whole regiment, he declares Chonkin a hero and awards him an order taken off his own chest. When the NKVD lieutenant shows the order for Chonkin's arrest, Drynov shrugs and tells them to carry out their duty... The book continues with the joke on Gladyshev, whose misunderstanding of evolution (that monkeys became man through labor and intelligence) has been thoroughly dissettled by Chonkin's question why horses do not become men.
by the famous Czech
director
Jiri Menzel
(filmed in Russian language
, subtitled in Great Britain, France, Italy and Serbia).
Other language titles of the film:
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
of a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
writer Vladimir Voinovich
Vladimir Voinovich
Vladimir Nikolayevich Voinovich is a Russian writer and a dissident...
.
The first book is set in the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, satirically
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
exposing the daily absurdities of the totalitarian Soviet regime. It was rejected by Novy Mir
Novy Mir
Novy Mir is a Russian language literary magazine that has been published in Moscow since January 1925. It was supposed to be modelled on the popular pre-Soviet literary magazine Mir Bozhy , which was published from 1892 to 1906, and its follow-up, Sovremenny Mir , which was published 1906-1917...
, circulated by samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
, and first printed by an emigre magazine in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, allegedly without author's consent, after which Voinovich was banned from publishing his books in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Ivan Chonkin, a combination of a Russian folk hero Ivan the Fool
Ivan the Fool
Ivan the Fool or Ivan the Ninny is a character used in Russian folklore, a very simple-minded, but nevertheless lucky young man. Ivan is described as a likeable fair-haired and blue-eyed youth....
and the "Good Soldier" Švejk
The Good Soldier Švejk
The Good Soldier Švejk , also spelled Schweik or Schwejk, is the abbreviated title of a unfinished satirical/dark comedy novel by Jaroslav Hašek. It was illustrated by Josef Lada and George Grosz after Hašek's death...
, is now a widely known figure in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n popular culture.
Book 1: Plot summary
On the eve of World War II, Ivan Chonkin, the most dispensable soldier, was sent to guard a disabled military plane that crash landed on a kolkhoz (collective farm). Forgotten by his command, he earns favors of a nearby kolkhoznik woman Nyura and moves in with her. Nyura's cow eats the patch of experimental tomatao-potato hybrids of the local mad genius agronomistAgronomist
An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. An agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, with the exception veterinary sciences.Agronomists deal with interactions between plants, soils, and...
Gladyshev, and in a retaliation the latter sends an anonymous note to NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
that Chonkin is a deserter.
When NKVDists come to arrest Chonkin, he, being a Good Soldier, refuses to leave the post, and arrests the NKVDists himself. Only after several days the fact of missing secret police is noticed, and the raion
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
Party leader is told via phone that they have been arrested by "Chonkin and his baba (woman)", which he mishears as "Chonkin and his banda (gang)".
A regiment is sent against "Chonkin's gang", but Chonkin successfully fends them off until they use artillery. When general Drynov incredulously learns that Chonkin single-handedly (with his baba) was holding off the whole regiment, he declares Chonkin a hero and awards him an order taken off his own chest. When the NKVD lieutenant shows the order for Chonkin's arrest, Drynov shrugs and tells them to carry out their duty... The book continues with the joke on Gladyshev, whose misunderstanding of evolution (that monkeys became man through labor and intelligence) has been thoroughly dissettled by Chonkin's question why horses do not become men.
Film
In 1994 the book was made into a filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
by the famous Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Jiri Menzel
Jirí Menzel
Jiří Menzel is a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography...
(filmed in Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, subtitled in Great Britain, France, Italy and Serbia).
Other language titles of the film:
- Život a neobyčejná dobrodružství vojáka Ivana Čonkina (Czech)
- Жизнь и необычайные приключения солдата Ивана Чонкина (Russian)
- Les Aventures d'Ivan Tchonkine (French)
- Soldato molto semplice Ivan Chonkin (Italian)
- Život i priključenija vojnika Ivana Čonkina (Serbian)
Cast
- Gennady Nazarov - Ivan Chonkin
- Zoya Buryak - Nyura
- Vladimir IlyinVladimir Adolfovich IlyinVladimir Adolfovich Ilyin is a Russian actor. He was awarded People's Artist of Russia in 1999.-Selected filmography:-External links:...
- Golubev - Aleksei Zharkov - Gladishev
- Valery Zolotukhin - Kilin
- Zinovy Gerdt - Moisei Stalin
- Sergei GarmashSergei GarmashSergei Leonidovich Garmash is a Soviet and Russian film and stage actor of Ukrainian origin. He is a People's Artist of Russia.-Filmography:* Stalingrad, 1989* 12, 2007* Katyń, 2007...
- Milyaga - Maria Vinogradova - Granny Dunia
- Yuri Dubrovin - Volkov
- Marián LabudaMarián LabudaMarián Labuda is a Slovak actor.In 1964 he graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava . He became member of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava. In 1967 he moved to the theatre Divadlo na Korze in the same city. Following its closure in 1971 he joined Nová scéna in Bratislava...
- Opalikov - Aleksandr Garin - Svintsov