How to draw a boy with a finger using a pencil step by step?

In order to draw the Boy-with-Finger with a pencil and he looked like not just a boy, but like a real little child that fits almost in the palm of your hand, you need to depict the character against the background of some object with which you can compare growth.

I propose here such a version of the Boy-with-Finger, whose image was borrowed from the Soviet cartoon of the same name.

We draw an oval face, long hair.

Kind eyes, small eyebrows, a smile.



We finish drawing the facial features.



We draw the neck, we begin to sketch out the shirt in which the baby will be dressed.



We decorate the hands, decorate the shirt with details.



Legs in small pants.



The main attribute is a spoon, against the background of which the growth of the character is clearly visible.

Well, so that the boy does not hang out in space, draw the line of the table.



Using a computer mouse is not very convenient to portray a character, but I think the idea is clear. And here is the cartoon from which the boy himself is borrowed. Draw!

I would advise you to take a book where the Boy-with-a-finger is drawn in order to have an idea of ​​what he looks like. By the way, there are many options for the image of this fairy-tale character.



And we will draw with the help of auxiliary lines to make it easier, like this:

Draw a circle and divide it with a vertical arc. This is Thumb-Boy's head.

Draw in the lower part of the circle on both sides of the vertical arc two letters О - these will be eyes.



Below we will draw an oval - this will be a little body. And under it there are two lines - the basis for the legs.

Now you can draw the details. We draw hair, details of the face - mouth, nose.



Draw hands, pants, shirt along the oval-body. Feet can be shod in boots, boots or bast shoes.



And then we will color our drawing with pencils or paints, and erase all auxiliary lines with an eraser.

1. Not all and not always outline the vertical and horizontal axes of the drawing elements. But we will make a conditional cross, around which a drawn image of a boy-with-finger will begin to be created. This is necessary in order to leave space on the sheet for a bundle with products and a caption to the figure. The knot, which is a knotted handkerchief, in turn, is needed in order to visually illustrate the miniature size of the boy.



2. At the second stage, we will make the face more cheerful.



3. Now let's draw the knot too.



4. And we will decorate it with the simplest strokes.



5. In conclusion, we will animate the picture with blades of grass, flowers and a signature.

"Tom Thumb". Russian folk tale... Drawings by P.G. Ponomarenko.

An old man and an old woman lived.

Once the old woman was chopping up a cabbage and accidentally chopping off her finger. She wrapped it in a rag and put it on the bench.

Suddenly I heard someone crying on the bench.
She unfolded a rag, and in it lay a boy the size of a finger.
The old woman was surprised, frightened:
- Who are you?

- I am your son, born from your little finger.
The old woman took him, looks - the boy is tiny, tiny, barely visible from the ground. And she called him Little Thumb.
He began to grow with them. The boy did not grow in height, but he turned out to be smarter than the big one.

So he says once:
- Where is my father?
- I went to arable land.
- I will go to him, I will help.
- Go, child.
Came to arable land:

- Hello, father!
The old man looked around:
- What a miracle! I hear a voice, but I don't see anyone. Who speaks to me like that?
- I am your son. I came to help you plow. Sit down, father, have a snack and rest a little!
The old man was delighted and sat down to dinner. And the Boy with a finger climbed into the horse's ear and began to plow, and punished his father:

- If anyone is going to trade me, sell boldly: I suppose I won't be lost, I'll come back home.
Here the master is driving past, looks and marvels: the horse is walking, the plow is yelling, but there is no man!

- This has not yet been seen by sight, never heard of a horse plowing by itself!
The old man says to the master:
- What are you, are you blind? Then my son plows.
- Sell it to me!
- No, I will not sell: we only have joy with the old woman, only joy, that a Boy with a thumb.

- Sell it, grandfather!
- Well, give me a thousand rubles.
- What's so expensive?
- You can see for yourself: the boy is small, but smart, quick on his feet, easy to send!
The master paid a thousand rubles, took the boy, put it in his pocket and drove home.

And the Boy with a finger gnawed a hole in his pocket and walked away from the master.
He walked, walked, and the dark night caught him.
He hid under a blade of grass near the road itself and fell asleep.

A hungry wolf came and swallowed it.
A boy sits with a finger in a wolf's belly alive, and he has little grief!
The gray wolf had a bad time: he will see the flock, the sheep graze, the shepherd is asleep, and as soon as he sneaks up on the sheep to carry away - a boy with a finger and scream at the top of his throat:

- Shepherd, shepherd, sheep spirit! Sleep, and the wolf drags the sheep!

The shepherd will wake up, rush to run at the wolf with a club, and besides, he will bait him with dogs, and the dogs will tear him apart - only shreds will fly! The gray wolf will barely leave!
The wolf was completely emaciated, had to disappear from hunger. He asks the Boy with a finger:
- Get out!
- Take me home to my father, to my mother, so I'll get out.
Nothing to do. The wolf ran to the village, jumped straight to the old man in the hut.
The boy with a finger immediately jumped out of the wolf's belly:

- Beat the wolf, beat the gray!
The old man grabbed the poker, the old woman grabbed it - and let's beat the wolf. Then they decided him, took off his skin and made a sheepskin coat for his son.

TALE END

Drawings by P.G. Ponomarenko.
Krasnodar Book Publishing House. 1988.

» Tom Thumb. Charles Perrault's fairy tale

Pages: 1

Once there lived a woodcutter with his wife, and they had seven children. All seven are boys: three pairs of twins and one more, the youngest. This baby was barely seven years old, and how small he was! He was born very tiny. Really, no more than a little finger. And he grew up badly. So they called him: A boy with a finger.

But how clever and reasonable he is!

They lived very poorly, it was difficult for a woodcutter to feed such a large family. And then there was a lean year, and a terrible famine began in the country. The poor people had a very hard time.

One evening, when the boys had gone to bed, the woodcutter sat down with his wife by the fire and said:

Well, how are we to be? You can see for yourself that I cannot feed my children. And what will it be like for us when our children begin to die of hunger one by one before our eyes? Let's better take them into the forest and leave them there. Let all perish together at once, and we will not see their death. Or maybe they will be lucky enough to be saved - there is still hope.

How! the woodcutter's wife exclaimed in horror. - Do we really have to leave our children to perish?

The woodcutter's heart sank with grief, but he began to persuade his wife. He said that all the same, all of them could not avoid starvation. Let the end come soon.

She had to agree, and she went to bed, bursting into tears.

And the Little Thumb Boy did not sleep during their conversation: he climbed under the bench on which his father was sitting, and heard everything. He never fell asleep that night, he kept thinking what to do now. And he came up with it.

A little light he went out of the house and ran to the bank of the stream. There he collected many white stones, stuffed them into his pockets and returned home.

In the morning, when the rest of the children got up, father and mother somehow fed them all and took them to the forest. The little boy was the last to go. Every now and then he took out white pebbles from his pocket and threw them behind him onto the road.

They walked for a long time and came to a deep forest thicket. The woodcutter began to chop wood, and the brothers gathered brushwood. The boys busied themselves with business. Then the woodcutter and his wife began to slowly move away from them and finally disappeared completely.

A little later, the boys noticed that they were alone, and began to scream and cry loudly with fear. Only the Boy with a Thumb was not scared.

Do not be afraid, brothers, - he said. - I know how to get back to us. Follow me. And he led them out of the forest by the way they went there: white pebbles showed him the way.

But the children were afraid to enter the house right away. They hid at the door to listen to what father and mother were talking about.

And it so happened that when the woodcutter and his wife returned from the forest, great luck awaited them.

A rich neighbor sent them his debt, ten gold coins - it was money for a very long job, the poor man no longer hoped to receive it.

The woodcutter immediately sent his wife to the butcher. She bought a lot of meat and cooked it.

Now the hungry people could finally eat their fill.

But even a lump did not go down their throats.

Are our poor kids somewhere? - Said, crying, the woodcutter's wife. - What's with them? Alone in a dense forest. Maybe the wolves have already eaten them. And how did we decide to leave our own children? And why did I listen to you!

The woodcutter himself was bitter in his soul, but he was silent.

Where are you, where are you, my poor children? his wife repeated, crying louder and louder.

The boys could not stand it and shouted all at once:

We are here! We are here!

The mother rushed to open the door, saw her children and began to hug and kiss them.

Oh, how glad I am to see you again, my dears! How tired and hungry you must be! I'll feed you now.

The children quickly sat down at the table and pounced on the food so that it was pleasant to watch. And after supper, all seven began to vying with each other to tell how scared they were in the forest and how Little Boy had brought them home.

Everyone was happy: both children and parents.

But their happiness did not last long.

Soon the money was spent and the famine began again.

The woodcutter and his wife were completely desperate and decided to take their children into the forest again.

The little boy overheard his father's conversation with his mother again. He thought to do the same: run to the stream and pick up white stones there. But he did not succeed. The door to the house was locked tightly.

The little boy didn't know what to think of. When the mother gave each of his seven sons a piece of bread for breakfast, he did not eat his share. He hid the bread in his pocket so that he could throw bread crumbs instead of pebbles on the way.

The little boy was not very anxious. He thought he could easily find his way back over bread crumbs. But he did not find a single crumb: the birds ate everything.

Here the brothers were completely frightened and, crying loudly, wandered wherever they looked. Deeper and deeper they climbed into the thicket.

Night fell, a strong wind rose. The children became even more frightened. They could hardly stand on their feet from cold and fear. It seemed to them that wolves were howling from all sides, that now they would pounce on them and eat them. The poor children were afraid to utter a word, they were afraid to look back.

And then the rain poured down and soaked them to the bone.

Pages: 1

Once there lived a woodcutter with his wife, and they had seven children - all boys. The youngest was barely seven years old. He was very small when he was born - a little more than a finger, which is why they called him that: Boy with a finger. The brothers often offended him and constantly dumped all the dirty housework on him. And there was a Boy with a finger, the smartest and most reasonable of all seven and spoke a little, but listened a lot.

The woodcutter was very poor, it was difficult for him to feed such a large family, and the family constantly lived from hand to mouth

Once a lean year turned out, and famine came in the country.

One evening, when the boys had already gone to bed, the woodcutter was sitting with his wife by the fire. And although his heart sank with grief, he said:

“You can see for yourself that we cannot feed the children, and I don’t want them to die of hunger before my very eyes. I love my sons, but my heart breaks with pain when I see them starving to death. I decided to take them further into the forest tomorrow and leave them there.

- Not! It would be too cruel, ”his wife cried. She understood that there was nowhere to get food, but she loved her dear sons without memory.

“They have a chance to escape in the forest,” said the woodcutter. - And at home they will certainly die.

- How, - the woodcutter's wife exclaimed, - do you really want to ruin our children yourself ?! And she burst into tears.

But her husband began to tell her how poor they are, how hard it is for them to feed, and in the end she agreed with him.

And the Boy did not sleep with a thumb and heard everything that the parents said. He did not fall asleep until morning, pondering what to do now.

A little light The boy got up with a finger and went to the bank of the stream. There he filled his pockets full of small white stones and returned home. He said nothing to the brothers about what he had heard at night.

When the woodcutter took the children into the forest. The little boy walked behind everyone. Every now and then he took out of his pocket a small white pebble and threw it on the road.

Finally they came to a dense forest. The woodcutter began to cut down trees, and ordered the boys to collect and knit brushwood. When the children got down to work, the father and mother began to slowly move away from them further and further and, finally, completely fled along an imperceptible winding path. A little later, the boys saw that they were alone, and began to scream with all their might and cry.

- Do not be afraid, brothers, - said the Boy with a finger, - I will take you out of the woods and bring you home. Follow me!

The brothers followed him, and the Boy with a finger led them directly to the house by the very road along which they went to the forest. But the boys were afraid to go straight into the house and hid at the door to listen to what father and mother were talking about.

When the woodcutter and his wife returned from the forest, the owner had just sent them ten gold pieces. He owed this money to the woodcutter for so long that the poor man did not even hope to receive it.

The woodcutter immediately sent his wife to the butcher, and she bought three times more meat than was needed for two of the supper. They had been starving for a very long time.

So they ate, the woodcutter's wife, and says:

- Somewhere now, our poor children? .. All of you! You thought of leaving them in the woods. I said that we will regret it more than once.

What are they doing now? Maybe the wolves have already eaten them! - And she cried loudly. - Where are my children now, my poor children?

And the children from behind the door heard and shouted all at once:

- We are here! We are here!

Mother rushed to open the door for them and, embracing them, said:

- Oh, how glad I am to see you again, my dear children! You, na-

faithful, tired and hungry.

The boys sat down at the table and pounced on the food so that father and mother just looked and rejoiced. And after supper all seven began to vying with each other to talk about how scared they were in the forest.

The woodcutter and his wife were happy that the children were at home again. This happiness lasted as long as ten gold pieces were enough. But when the money was spent and the famine came again, the parents, out of despair, again decided to take their children into the forest. And so that this time the children would not find their way home, it was decided to take them away. The woodcutter and his wife conspired about this secretly, but Thumbnail Boy overheard them again.

In the morning he got up early to go for the pebbles. But the door was tightly locked, and he could not leave the house. The little boy didn't know what to do! When his mother gave each of the brothers a hunk of bread for breakfast, he decided to replace the pebbles with bread and put his hunk in his pocket.

Father and mother took the boys into the thickest, darkest forest, left them there, and disappeared themselves.

The little boy was not very grieved. He thought it easy to find his way back by the crumbs of bread that he threw along the way. But it was not there! He could not find a single crumb: the birds ate everything.

Night has come. A torrential rain poured down and soaked the children to the bone.

Finally, Thumbnail Boy told them to stop, and he climbed up to the top of a tree to see if there was a road. Looking around, Jan saw a tiny light flickering like a candle somewhere far beyond the forest.

The little boy came down from the tree and led the brothers in the direction from which the light flashed.

Having got out to the edge of the forest, the children saw a house where a candle was burning in the window. They knocked. A woman opened the door and asked what they wanted.

The little boy told her that they were lost in the forest, and asked to let them spend the night. The woman cried and said:

- Ah, madam, 0 the Boy with a finger answered her, trembling with cold and fear, - what are we to do? If you don’t shelter us for this night, we will still be eaten by wolves in the forest.

The cannibal's wife thought that she might be able to hide the boys from her husband until morning. She let them in and made them sit by the fire, where a whole ram was roasted on a spit for a man-eater for supper.

As soon as they warmed up a little, they heard terrible blows on the door - it was the cannibal himself who had returned home. The cannibal's wife hid the boys under the bed while she went to open the door.

The ogre asked if supper was ready and if the wine was open, and immediately sat down at the table. Blood was still oozing from the ram, but this only made the roast taste more delicious to the cannibal.

Suddenly he began to smell the air and said that he could smell a person.

“That's right, the smell of the calf I just skinned,” said the cannibal’s wife.

“Aha,” he said, “so you wanted to deceive me! I should have eaten you myself long ago. And the game came by the way! Three friends are supposed to come to me the other day - that will be something to treat them to.

And he pulled the boys, one by one, out from under the bed. The poor children fell to their knees before him, begging for mercy.

But this was the most cruel of all the cannibals. He did not spare the boys in the least and looked at them eagerly.

- And the roast will be delicious! He said to his wife. “Especially if you make a good gravy.

The ogre took a large knife and began to sharpen it on a stone.

- You want to mess with them so late! Said the cannibal's wife as he grabbed one of the boys by the collar. - You won't be in time tomorrow, or what? How much meat you have! A whole calf, two rams and half a pig.

“But you’re right,” said the ogre. - Let the guys have a good supper so that they do not grow thin, and put them to bed.

The kind woman was very happy and quickly prepared dinner for the children. But they were frightened and could not swallow a bite.

And the cannibal, glad that there would be something good to treat his friends, again took up the wine. To celebrate, he drank an extra dozen glasses, got drunk and fell asleep.

The ogre had seven daughters. Little ogres, like their father, ate raw meat, and therefore their faces were red. The eyes of the cannibals were tiny, gray, quite round, their noses were hooked, and long teeth, sharp and rare, protruded from their huge mouths. The girls were put to bed early. They slept all seven on one huge bed, each wearing a golden crown.

There was another, equally large bed in the same room. It was on her that the cannibal's wife laid the seven boys.

Going to bed, the Boy with a finger noticed golden crowns on the heads of the cannibal's daughters. At night, he got up and removed the caps from the brothers' heads. He also took off his cap, then quietly put the caps on to the little ogres, and their golden crowns to himself and his brothers. He was afraid that the cannibal might change his mind and want to kill them at night.

Everything happened as the Boy with a Thumb had thought. At midnight, the ogre woke up and regretted putting off until tomorrow what he could do today. He jumped out of bed and grabbed his knife.

“I'll go check my roast,” said the ogre.

He groped his daughters' room and walked over to the bed where the boys were sleeping. Only one little boy did not sleep. He froze with fear. But the ogre groped for the golden crown and said:

And the cannibal, not waiting for his wife, went after her. He saw a terrible sight and was dumbfounded.

- Oh, what have I done! He exclaimed. - Well, okay! Wretched boys will pay me for this! .. Wife! Give me my running boots - I want to catch them as soon as possible.

And the cannibal set off in pursuit. For a long time he rushed from side to side, but at last he got on the road along which the poor children were running. They were already very close to their home when they saw the cannibal. He walked from mountain to mountain and jumped over rivers as if over small streams.

A boy with a finger found a small cave, hid the brothers there, and he hid himself and began to observe what the cannibal would do. The cannibal got tired of running around on the roads in vain and decided to take a break. He sat down on the very rock under which the boys took refuge, and soon fell asleep.

In his sleep, the ogre snored so terribly that the poor children were as frightened as they were yesterday when he sharpened his large knife. But Thumbnail Boy was not frightened. He told his brothers to run home quickly while the cannibal sleeps so soundly. The brothers obeyed and started running as fast as they could.

And the Boy with a thumb crept up to the cannibal, quietly pulled off the boots of the walkers and immediately put on his shoes himself. These huge, wide boots were magical: they could grow and shrink and always fit just right for the one who put them on. That is why they fell on the Boy's toe, as if they had been sewn for him.

Putting on his running boots, Thumbnail Boy went straight to the king's court. And the king at that time was at war with his neighbor. Just the day before a great battle was to take place, but how it ended, no one knew. The troops were so far away that even the fastest horse could not gallop from there faster than in three weeks.

A boy with a thumb and hired to the king as a runner. That same evening he brought good news, and the delighted king rewarded him generously. Then Thumbnail Boy returned home to his parents, and they never again knew the need.

Berlin-Pg., Publishing house Z.I. Grzhebina, 1923.14 p. with silt Color publishing lithographic cover (cardboard). 30x22.7 cm.

"Thumb Boy"- a popular fairy tale story about the adventures of a little boy the size of a little finger. First used in fairy-tale literature by Charles Perrault. It is also known in other folk versions. In the collection of the brothers Grimm has number 37, in the collection of A. N. Afanasyev it is number 300. The plot of the tale itself is very, very simple:

Poverty and hunger reign in the country. The lumberjack and his wife have nothing else to feed their seven sons. One evening, while the children are sleeping, the parents decide to take them to the forest and leave them there. One of the boys, nicknamed Thumb Boy for his small stature, eavesdrops on the conversation and prudently stocks up on white pebbles to throw on the road, and then use them to find the way back home. The next day, the father carries out his sinister plan. But Thumb-Boy and his brothers, thanks to the stones, return home. The parents were very happy about this, because during the absence of the children, the village head finally gave the lumberjacks the money that he owed them. But this happiness turned out to be short-lived. When the need comes again, the parents again decide to leave the children in the forest, but before that they lock Thumb-Boy so that he cannot collect stones, so the brothers cannot return. Wandering through the forest, they find a hut and try to find shelter in it. The woman who opened the door tries to convince them to leave, as her husband is a cannibal who eats children. But seven brothers, more afraid of the forest wolves, enter the house. In the evening, the cannibal comes, his wife hides the boys, but he finds them. The wife convinces her husband to postpone her terrible feast until tomorrow. Fearing that the ogre will attack them at night, Thumb-Boy, while his brothers sleep, exchanges their hats for the golden crowns of the ogre's seven daughters. The cannibal enters the bedroom, and, believing that the boys are sleeping in hats, kills his daughters. The kids, meanwhile, run away, and the enraged cannibal rushes in pursuit of them in his seven-league running boots. Tired, he rests on the stone behind which the children have disappeared. Thumb-boy convinces the brothers to return to their parental home, while he puts on his walking boots and runs to the cannibal's hut. He tells the cannibal's wife that the robbers took her husband prisoner, demanding a ransom, and that her husband instructed him to go for money, and in confirmation of the order and for a quick movement he gave his boots. As a result, Thumbnail Boy returns with great wealth to his parents, who accept their children with joy and relief.

The most prolific and significant master of the new generation of children's books, who was strongly influenced by the aesthetics of the World of Art, was V. Konashevich. Illustrating modern and classical works of children's literature became the main focus of his long creative life, relegating other ideas and hobbies to the background. Turning to graphics in the first post-revolutionary years, the young artist quickly attracted the attention of critics and publishers, and in 1921, at the invitation of A. Benois, he took part in an exhibition of the revived World of Art and soon became a member of this association. In 1922-1924. Konashevich designed a number of books for the publishing house of Z. Grzhebin. The works of this period are spectacular and highly professional, but not yet too independent, they bring to mind the Knebel “gift series” (this is quite understandable, since the artistic concept of the publishing house was developed by A. Benois). A colorful book without text "All sorts of things: Pictures for children" was addressed to the smallest readers who are just beginning to master the world of things and remember their names. Images of all kinds of objects placed on the pages without any logical connection with each other (a crocodile, a button, a bouquet, etc. coexist on the same sheet) are sustained in a relatively realistic manner. The style of Art Nouveau makes itself felt in the design of the cardboard, in this composition we see a volcano spewing out "all sorts of things": animals, fish, flowers, apples, shoes, toys. Illustrations for the fairy tales of Ch. Perrault "Little Red Riding Hood", "Boy-with-Thumb", "Puss in Boots" were made under the noticeable influence of M. Dobuzhinsky's work. This is especially noticeable in the drawings for "Puss in Boots", where the figures of the characters (Cat obligingly bowing; a huge Ogre that does not fit on the page) are modeled with thin, smoothly curved lines and translucent color spots. The book ends with a wedding procession winding in the shape of the letter "S", "cutting" the typesetting strip. The title page is constructed in an interesting way: the text fits into the opening of a dilapidated arch, the heroes turn into indistinguishable details of the bas-relief. The drawings do not give the impression of illustrations, but rather a decorative accompaniment to the text. “In terms of the splendor of their decoration, these publications corresponded to the lofty, but already a thing of the past, ideas about a children's book. It is no coincidence that they were warmly received, mainly by lovers of elegant editions, and in those years made up the name of Konashevich as a talented follower of the traditions of world art graphics ”. Subsequently, the artist, taking this tradition as a basis, consistently develops his own graphic style: he manifests himself not only as a virtuoso draftsman, witty and inventive interpreter of a literary text, but also as an attentive researcher of the psychology of the child. And it went ...

Grzhebin Publishing House - was created in the spring of 1919, conceived as a universal, with broad cultural and educational tasks in order to publish books in all branches of knowledge for readers of various levels of training. Since the publishing house was conceived primarily to work with the Gorky "project" World Literature - the general management of the publishing house was carried out by M. Gorky, A.I. Benois, S.F. Oldenburg, V.A. Desnitsky-Stroyev, A.P. Pinkevich, the most prominent scientists were attracted to cooperation in it. In 1918-19 Grzhebin bought the rights to publish Merezhkovsky, Gippius, Remizov, Gumilyov, Kuzmin, etc., started publishing. "Libraries of Russian classics" in 100 volumes, ed. A. Blok, M. Gorky, N. Gumilyov, K. Chukovsky. Zinaida Gippius then wrote in her diaries: “Grzhebin now treats writers like a patron. That is, he keeps himself a patron of the arts. He has his own (semi-legal, under the wing of Gorky) publishing house. He buys up all the writers with names - he buys up "for future use" - after all, now it is impossible to publish. In the event of a coup - all Russian literature in his hands, under contracts, for many years - and how profitably acquired! Literally, literally for a few slices of bread. Not a single publisher with me or with me bargained so shamelessly as Grzhebin. And it seems that we have beaten publishers in our lifetime. I am ashamed to say how much he bought me and Merezhkovsky for. We are not ashamed, of course. People with a noose around their necks are no longer ashamed of such things. " Publishing house Z.I. Grzhebina on January 10, 1920 signed an agreement with Gosizdat for the publication of a number of books abroad. In 1920 Grzhebin legalized his firm in Germany, achieved significant benefits and expanded his publishing activities in Berlin, then in Stockholm and Leipzig. More than 50 books were published at a high polygraphic level, including works of Russian classics and modern writers, scientific works, children's books, popular science literature. In an effort to expand the business, Grzhebin deviated from the agreement with Gosizdat, for which he was accused of deliberately overpricing books, of financial fraud, etc. On this issue, a special was created. Commission of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), headed by G.E. Zinoviev and 03/02/1921 Gosizdat liquidated its contract with Z.I. Grzhebina ". Nevertheless, on October 3, 1921, the Politburo of the Central Committee, according to a letter from V.R. Menzhinsky gave Grzhebin permission to go abroad with his family, where the publisher continued to work under the same brand until the end of 1923, publishing works on the latest problems of physics with the involvement of major foreign scientists in editing and authoring, as well as a series of books on Russian art and others. editions. From May 1922 to October 1923 Grzhebin published 225 titles. Along with the classics, the works of Pasternak, Gumilyov, Khodasevich, Marina Tsvetaeva, Zamyatin, Pilnyak, Remizov and other prominent representatives of the Silver Age were published. And also scientific publications, the series "ZhZL", was laid "Chronicle of the revolution", etc. In one of the letters Grzhebin outlined his publishing credo: "They wrote a lot of nonsense about my publishing house. But you need to judge by my deeds ... I am ready to print from Lenin to Shulgin and even more to the right, if it is talented and truthful (or rather, sincerely) ... I am completely independent and print what I find necessary. I cannot tear myself away from Russia, I want my books to end up in Russia ... "In the book" Italics mine "Nina Berberova recalled how they, finding themselves in exile with Khodasevich," went straight to Grzhebin. At this time, he still lived in hopes that his publications would be allowed into Russia, that the books of Gorky, Zaitsev, Andrei Bely and others would be bought from his warehouse, that he would be allowed to publish a magazine, republish the classics. He even continued to buy manuscripts from the authors, this seemingly experienced businessman could not admit the thought that nothing would be bought from him, that in three years he would be ruined to ashes, that for non-payment of taxes and debts he would be photographed in a French police station without collar, in front and in profile, like a criminal, noting his "special signs", after which he will die of a heart attack, and sleek white-handed - three daughters adored by him, a wife, sister-in-law - the whole huge family with two sons who have not yet grown up will be years fight in dire need, in the fight against poverty. " Constant stress eventually knocked Grzhebin down - Zinovy ​​Isaevich died on his own birthday on February 4, 1929 from a heart attack in Vanves near Paris. He turned 52 on this day.

Z. Grzhebin's publishing house in Berlin arose due to organizational difficulties (in Soviet Russia there was devastation, there was a lack of paper and supplies) headed by M. Gorky, the publishing house "World Literature", whose plans were to create a pantheon of world literature. Z. Grzhebin suggested organizing another enterprise that would be able to print the books of "World Literature" abroad. M. Gorky supported the initiative and headed the editorial board of the new publishing house. However, Z. Grzhebin's project caused a sharp reaction in the leading circles. The publisher received permission to print books abroad, but was forced to bear all the costs on his own, as Gosizdat violated the contract. And in more detail about this.

1) About the publishing house "World Literature": "To recognize the transfer of publications of Russian classics and contemporary writers to the publishing house" World Literature "as undesirable. the order it is desirable to publish them.

2) About the publishing house “3.I. Grzhebin ":" Reject government subsidies to the private publishing house "3.I. Grzhebin ". Offer the publishing house" 3.I. Grzhebin "to undertake the printing of books prepared by the publishing house" World Literature "in Finland on the terms of payment by the State Publishing House of all actual printing costs and providing 3.I. Grzhebin 5% of this amount for covering overhead costs To instruct VV Vorovsky, together with the technicians of the State Publishing House, to work out the conditions guaranteeing the actual receipt of books from Finland.

Much has been written and is being written about the grandeur of the concept of "World Literature", but this is a publishing house only of fiction, while Grzhebin undertook to publish almost everything that was written by mankind. That is why Vorovsky was perplexed about this plan and invited Grzhebin to apply his energy, first of all, to the printing of the books of "World Literature". However, Grzhebin completely retired from the affairs of "World Literature" and began to conclude agreements with various government agencies and receive advances for non-existent publications. He managed to collect such advances for several million rubles. In the end, this attracted the attention of Soviet and party circles. Regarding some of Grzhebin's orders from the Supply Department of the Petrograd Kompros, a former member of the Kompros collegium ZG Grinberg had to give explanations to the chairman of the Petrograd Soviet. On August 25, 1919, Greenberg wrote to him: “I consider it necessary to inform that 3.I. Grzhebin really turned to me and presented a letter to Comrade. Lunacharsky that Grzhebin's publishing house plans to publish a number of publications in which prominent scientists and writers take part, that some of the publications have already been authorized by the Commissariat for Press, Propaganda and Agitation, that the State Publishing House does not put obstacles in publishing, and therefore invites the Supply Department of Kompros to find out what books of the Grzhebin publishing house and in what quantity are needed for schools, reading rooms and libraries. During a personal conversation with Grzhebin, the discussion was about N. Leskov's book "The Captured Angel" with a foreword by M. Gorky, to which Alexey Maksimovich drew my attention, and two books by Gorky "Memories of Tolstoy" and "Tales of Italy." of these books and made an inscription on a copy of Comrade Lunacharsky's letter: "I ask you to order according to the relationship and give an advance payment in the amount of 50% of availability." Of course, as Grinberg explained further, no specific negotiations on a subsidy to the publishing house from Kompros were conducted and he hears for the first time about the amount of one and a half million, allegedly promised to Grzhebin. Gosizdat also received some kind of request, possibly from the People's Commissariat of Workers 'and Peasants' Inspection, since the minutes of the meeting of the Editorial Board of the State Publishing House on August 27, 1919 retained a laconic record: “The State Publishing House did not enter into an agreement with Grzhebin's publishing house and did not sign anyone to conclude this agreement authorized ". At this time Grzhebin began to publish the first books. One of these books turned out to be Lunacharsky's book "The Great Coup", where for the first time a separate insert was printed on the publication plan of the "Life of the World" library. Soon after the publication of this book, on the first page of Pravda on November 9, 1919, there appeared an article entitled “A Strange Misunderstanding” signed “Communist-Worker”. The note began with the words: "Before me lies the catalog of the publishing house Z. I. Grzhebin - a publishing house that is clearly adventurous." The author of the note paid special attention to the last page of the catalog, where the program of the Chronicle of the Revolution series was printed, announcing the forthcoming publication of the memoirs of "outstanding leaders of the revolution" ... F. Dana, M. Lieber, L. Martov, A. Potresov and V. Chernov. The author asked Lunacharsky, whose book opened the series, "how did he get into this respectable warm company" of open enemies Soviet power and why his book should have come out from a private publisher, and not from the State Publishing House. It was immediately indicated that, having published this book, Grzhebin used the name of the most popular party writer for his own selfish purposes. Maxim Gorky defend Grzhebin. Gorky stated that “by calling the publishing house of Z. I. Grzhebin“ adventuristic, ”the author of the letter grossly insulted us, the undersigned.” The letter contained a demand to provide the name of the author of the note in order to bring him to trial for insult. on the one hand, both Gorky and Grzhebin, on the other, signed the first contract between Gosizdat and Grzhebin's publishing house, exactly the same as dozens of other contracts previously concluded by Gosizdat with other private and cooperative publishing houses. (selected works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Nekrasov, etc.), 34 books of a popular science character with illustrations and 4 books of pedagogical literature. in Russia. Grzhebin undertook to hand over the books ordered to him by December 31, 1920 and for this he received a 20% commission from the selling price of the entire circulation. In 1920 he went to Berlin as a foreign representative of the International Book. The literature sometimes indicates that Grzhebin has been in exile since 1921, since he left as a Soviet citizen. In Berlin, Grzhebin founded a branch of his publishing house and published some of the manuscripts acquired from authors in 1918-1920. In May 1922, as a result of a conflict with the authorities, Z. Grzhebin finally moved to Germany. In Berlin he continued to take orders for the printing of Russian literature and textbooks. During the year of its work, the publishing house of Z. Grzhebin has published 225 books. The topics are very diverse: fiction, scientific, popular science literature, books for children. The publishing house partially implemented the planned M, Gorky release of selected works of Russian classics (M. Lermontov, A. Chekhov, N. Leskov, etc.), published works of contemporary Soviet writers (M. Gorky, B. Pilnyak, A. Tolstoy, S. Yesenin , A. Bely, F. Sologub, etc.). Under the brand of Z. Grzhebin were published poetry collections of A. Blok, N. Gumilyov, V. Khodasevich, art publications, geographical atlases, textbooks. A number of children's books were published, including the tales of A. Pushkin and Kh.K. Andersen, F. Cooper's novels. Z. Grzhebin attracted M. Dobuzhinsky and V. Konashevich as illustrators of children's books. One of our writers wrote:

“Grzhebin now treats writers as patrons of the arts. That is, he keeps himself a patron of the arts. He has his own (semi-legal, under the wing of Gorky) publishing house. He buys up all the writers with names - he buys up "for future use" - after all, now it is impossible to publish. In the event of a coup - all Russian literature in his hands, under contracts, for many years - and how profitably acquired! Literally, literally for a few slices of bread. Not a single publisher with me or with me bargained so shamelessly as Grzhebin. And it seems that we have beaten publishers in our lifetime. I am ashamed to say how much he bought me and Merezhkovsky for. We are not ashamed, of course. People with a noose around their necks are no longer ashamed of such things. "

In 1923, a circular was issued in Soviet Russia prohibiting the import from abroad and distribution of Z. Grzhebin's books. The Berlin publishing house lost its sales market and ceased to exist. Grzhebin himself went bankrupt, “Publishing house ZI Grzhebina "has sunk into oblivion ...