Category Archive: Literature

Sculptural composition located in Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, Russia. Photo by Ramil Farrakhov. The Gigantic Turnip Repka fairy-tale monuments

The Gigantic Turnip Repka fairy-tale monuments
Undoubtedly, every child knows a classic Russian fairy tale, written by Alexey Tolstoy “Repka” (Turnip). An old man plants a turnip seed that grows into a turnip of enormous size. He can’t pull the vegetable from the ground, because it’s too big. So, his wife tries to help him. Next, their grandchildren come. To pull the turnip from the ground, even the farm animals – a dog, a cat, one by one, come to help. Finally, the most unexpected creature – a little mouse enables them to pull the turnip from the ground. The moral of the story is that a collective labor and a united family, where every member is important, can do anything.
Also, the Fairy tale points to the interrelations of generations. Besides, it points to the interaction of temporal structures, life forms and forms of existence. And Turnip unites the earthly, underground and aboveground – three forms of life, three structures.
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Naro-Fominsk of Moscow region. The sculpture of Yemelya in front of a bank. Fairy-tale character Yemelya monuments

Fairy-tale character Yemelya monuments
A simple and kind guy Emelya, sitting on the stove – the main character of the Russian folk tale “On the Pike’s Wish”. The ride on the stove, on which the lazy Emelya lies, not wanting to get up from it – one of the brightest episodes of a fairy tale. Meanwhile, village guy Emelya on the stove is the embodiment of many people’s dreams. So, doing nothing, getting everything from life, isn’t it a dream? And not surprising that the lazy Emelya, lying on the stove, became an inspiration for the film makers, artists and sculptors. As a result, monuments dedicated to Emelya on the stove appear one after another in different cities of Russia.
Tale of a guy who was lying on the stove, and then married the daughter of the king – the fruit of folk art. The author of the ancient Russian legend is for certain unknown. By the time of the first publication, there were 3 different versions of the story.
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Fairy-tale square in Krasnoyarsk with a sculptural composition depicting the main heroes of Russian folk tale. Ivan Tsarevich and Gray Wolf monuments

Ivan Tsarevich and Gray Wolf monuments
Russian folk tale “Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf” – loved by both children and adults. The main heroes of the fairy tale – Ivan Tsarevich – the youngest son of King Berendey, who went in search of the mysterious Firebird for King Berendey. And of course, the Gray Wolf – Ivan’s faithful friend and assistant in his quest to obtain the Firebird for the King. The most important thing is that the wolf protects him from all the dangers that meet him on his way.
Meanwhile, children get acquainted with this fairy tale by both – reading the book (in the version of AN Tolstoy), and watching cartoons. In addition, there are films based on this story. The heroes of this fairy tale, embodied in monuments and sculptural compositions, decorate the parks and streets of Russia and Ukraine.
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Located opposite the house-museum of the poetess monument. The house from which she left for emigration. Tsvetaeva is sitting and looking thoughtfully at the Moscow street (sculptor N. Matveeva, architect S. Buritsky and A. Dubovsky). Installed in 2007 to the 115th anniversary of the birth of the poetess. Story behind Marina Tsvetaeva monument

Story behind Marina Tsvetaeva monument
125 years ago, on October 8, 1892, the poetess Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva was born in Moscow. Russian poet, rightfully considered one of the most outstanding representatives of the Silver Age. Tsvetaeva wrote her first poems at the age of six, not only in Russian. Many of her creations put on music became popular romances. Meanwhile, her personal life influenced Marina Tsvetaeva’s poetry very much. Indeed, she wrote most of her best poems about love in moments of strong emotional experiences.
The first monument of M. Tsvetaeva (sculptor Yuri Soldatov) appeared in 1992 in Bashkortostan, near the town of Belibey, in the village of Usen-Ivanovo. In the summer of 1911, 18-year-old Marina spent two months here with Sergei Efron.
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Sochi. Poem character Tsokotukha the Fly monuments

Poem character Tsokotukha the Fly monuments

Mukha-Tsokotukha, Tsokotukha The Fly,
Gilded belly.
The fly walked in the field,
The fly found a coin,
Off she went to the market
And bought a samovar.
(poem by Korney Chukovsky)

Monuments to the main character of children’s poem “Mukha-Tsokotukha” written by Soviet Russian poet Korney Chukovsky are in several cities of Russia. One of them appeared in 2011 in the southern city of Russia – Sochi. The many figured monument consists of a pumpkin with seeds, and cut out of it piece turned into a cosy bench. As for the Fly, its figure decorates the bench. Besides, in the foot of the Fly is a coin, which, according to the poem, she found. Authors of installed in 2011 in Sochi monument are Vyacheslav Zvonov and Alexander Butaev. And the author of legendary Fly – Akop Khalafyan.
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Work by sculptor Igor Chernoglazov, inspired by “The Black Shawl” poem by Alexandr Pushkin – Ultra-romantic Black Shawl monument, 1999, marble, granite. Museon park, Moscow

Ultra-romantic Black Shawl monument
Pushkin wrote the poem “The Black Shawl” during his stay in Moldova. However, “The Black Shawl” appeared under the influence of the two texts of poet Zhukovsky. From his ballad “Revenge” (1816), Pushkin borrowed the motive of drowning the corpse in the river at night and a rhythmic-stanzaic structure. The second important work is “Alina and Alsim” (1814). It tells the story of two lovers separated by their parents. The girl was married. One day a young man secretly came to her in the guise of a trader, to say goodbye forever. Alsim pressed Alina’s hand to his heart. At this time, her husband entered. Blinded by jealousy, he stabbed both of them with a dagger. Before her death, the girl confessed to her husband that she was innocent. According to the finale of the ballad, afterwards the ghost of the bloodied Alina in a black shawl constantly pursued the murderer.
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French science fiction writer Jules Verne monument in Nizhny Novgorod. Sculptor Fanil Valiullin

French science fiction writer Jules Verne monument appeared in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia 27 September, 2015. Meanwhile, made of plastic painted in bronze color, the monument to the great French writer became the first installed in Russia. The sculptor depicted Jules Verne flying in a hot-air balloon, and in his hand he is holding a Spyglass. The figure of the writer in human growth stands in the basket of a balloon. Together with the balloon, the monument is a composition about 10 meters high. The sculpture was installed on the initiative of a construction company, which has a housing complex in the city, named after a French writer.
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