There is by no means always time for a leisurely reading of a book, no matter how interesting it may be. In this case, you can simply find out the summary. “12 Chairs” - the brainchild of Ilf and Petrov, who earned the title of one of the most fascinating satirical works of the last century. This article offers a summary of the book, as well as talks about its main characters.
Stargorodsky Lion
“12 Chairs” is a novel divided by the will of the creators into three parts. "Stargorodsky Lion" - the name that received the first part of the work. The story begins with the fact that the former district leader of the nobility Vorobyaninov learns about the treasure. Hippolyta's mother-in-law on her deathbed admits her son-in-law that she hid the family diamonds in one of the chairs of the living room set.
Ippolit Matveyevich, whom the revolution deprived of his position in society and turned into a modest employee of the registry office, is in dire need of money. Having buried his mother-in-law, he immediately leaves for Stargorod, hoping to find the headset that once belonged to his family and seize the diamonds. There he encounters the mysterious Ostap Bender, who convinces Vorobyaninov to make him his companion in such a complex business as treasure hunting.
There is another character of the book, which cannot be ignored when retelling its summary. “12 Chairs” is a novel, the third main character of which is Father Fedor. The priest, who professed the dying mother-in-law of Ippolit Matveyevich, also finds out about the treasure and goes in search of it, becoming a competitor for Bender and Vorobyaninov.
"In Moscow"
“In Moscow” - so decided to name the second part of Ilf and Petrov. “12 Chairs” is a work in which the action takes place in various cities of Russia. In the second part, companions conduct search activities mainly in the capital, while simultaneously trying to get rid of Fyodor’s father, who follows on their heels. In the process of searching, Ostap manages to carry out several fraudulent operations and even get married.
Bender and Vorobyaninov manage to establish that the family set, previously owned by the family of Ippolit Matveevich, will be sold at auction, which will be held at the Museum of Furniture. Friends have time to start bidding, they almost manage to get hold of the desired chairs. However, it turns out that on the eve of Kees (the nickname of the former leader of the nobility) he spent all the money in the restaurant that they intended to spend on buying a headset.
At the end of the second part of the novel The Twelve Chairs, new owners appear in the furniture. The chairs, which are part of the headset, were distributed among the Columbus Theater, the Stanok newspaper, wit Iznurenkov and engineer Schukin at the auction. Of course, this does not force the companions to give up, abandoning the hunt for treasure.
“Treasure of Madame Petukhova”
So, what happens in the third part of the work “12 Chairs”? Heroes are forced to go on a cruise along the Volga, as on board the ship are chairs belonging to the Columbus Theater. On the way, Ostap and Kisa face a variety of challenges. They are put off the ship, they have to hide from the chess players deceived by Bender from the town of Vasyuki and even ask for alms.
Priest Fedor also continues to hunt for treasure, choosing a different route. As a result, applicants for the treasure are found in the Darial Gorge, where the unfortunate Fedor goes crazy without ever seeing diamonds.
The central characters of the work “Twelve Chairs”, having checked almost all the items in the headset and not having discovered the treasure, are forced to return to the capital. It is there that the last chair, lost in the goods yard of the Oktyabrsky station, is located. Having made tremendous efforts, Bender finds out that the desired object was given to the Club of Railwaymen.
Sad ending
Unfortunately, they decided to present the sad ending to their famous novel Ilf and Petrov. “12 Chairs” is a work whose ending will disappoint readers hoping that Kisa and Ostap will still be able to take possession of the treasure. Vorobyaninov, deciding to get rid of his competitor and take the diamonds for himself, cuts the sleeping Bender with his razor.
The distraught Ippolit Matveyevich also does not manage to take possession of the treasure of Madame Petukhova (his mother-in-law). Having visited the Club of Railway Workers, an unfortunate employee of the registry office finds out that the treasure was found several months ago. The money received from the sale of mother-in-law diamonds was spent on the improvement of the Club.
Ostap Bender
Of course, a brief summary will hardly help to understand the motives of the actions of the central characters. “12 Chairs” is a work whose most striking hero is Ostap Bender. Few of those who read the novel know that initially the “descendant of the Janissaries”, as he calls himself, was prepared for only a fleeting appearance in one of the chapters. However, the writers liked the invented character so much that they assigned him one of the key roles.
The past of Ostap, which the authors describe as "a young man of about 28," remains a mystery. The content of the first chapter in which this hero appears makes readers understand that they are faced with a clever scammer. Bender has an attractive appearance, smart, knows how to find an approach to any person. He is also endowed with a great sense of humor and rich imagination, prone to sarcasm, cynical. Ostap is able to find a way out of the most hopeless situations, which makes him an indispensable assistant for Vorobyaninov.
Is there a prototype for such a bright character like Ostap Bender? 12 Chairs is a novel first published in 1928. The almost hundred-year history of existence does not prevent the book from remaining the subject of heated debate among fans, and the personality of the “great combinator” is given the most attention. The most popular theory says that the prototype for this image was Osip Shor, an adventurer from Odessa who gained a reputation as a dandy.
Kisa Vorobyaninov
“12 Chairs” is a book, one of the main characters of which Ilf and Petrov initially planned to make Ippolit Matveevich. The hero appears in the first chapter of the work, presenting to readers as a member of the registry office. It is further revealed that in the past, Kitty was the county leader of the nobility, until a revolution rudely intervened in his life.
In the first chapters of the novel, the Vorobyaninov practically does not manifest himself in any way, acting as a puppet of Bender who easily subordinated him to himself. Ippolit Matveevich completely lacks such advantages as energy, clarity, and practicality. However, the image of the former leader of the nobility is gradually changing. Traits such as greed and cruelty appear in Vorobyaninov. The denouement becomes quite predictable.
It is known that the prototype for Kisa was the uncle of Yevgeny Petrov. Eugene Ganko was known as a public figure, zhuir and gourmet. During his life, he refused to part with a golden pince-nez and wore whiskers.
Father Fedor
“12 Chairs” is a book that also features such an interesting character as Priest Fedor. Father Fedor, like Kisa Vorobyaninov, appears in the very first chapter. Ippolit Matveevich collides with him, going to visit a dying mother-in-law. Learning about the treasure during a confession to Madame Petukhova, the priest shares the information with his wife, who convinces him to go in search of diamonds.
The fate of Fedor Vostrikov is comical and tragic at the same time. Chasing the treasures constantly floating away from his hands, the competitor of Ostap and Kisa gradually goes crazy. The writers Ilf and Petrov endowed this hero with qualities such as good nature and naivete, making readers sympathize with him.
Eloka the cannibal
Of course, not all the characters of the work “12 Chairs” worthy of attention are listed above. Elochka the cannibal appears on the pages of the novel only fleetingly, but her image makes a lasting impression on the readers. It is known that in the lexicon of the heroine there are only thirty words, limited to which, she manages to communicate successfully with others.
The writers did not hide the fact that the dictionary of Ellochka was developed by them for a very long time. For example, the expression “fat and beautiful,” beloved by the heroine, was borrowed from a friend of one of the authors, the poetess Adeline Adalis. The word "darkness" was adored by the artist Alexey Radakov, who expressed dissatisfaction with his help.
Madame Gritsatsueva
Madame Gritsatsueva is a spectacular woman who cannot be ignored by retelling a brief summary. “12 Chairs” is a work whose secondary characters are not inferior in terms of brightness to the central characters. Madame Gritsatsueva is an extremely plump lady, dreaming of marriage, easily succumbing to Ostap's charms. She is the owner of one of the chairs that the protagonists have chased throughout history. It is for the sake of acquiring this piece of furniture that Bender marries Gritsatsueva.
Thanks to the introduction of this interesting heroine into the story, the famous phrase appeared: "A sultry woman is the poet's dream."
Other characters
Archivist Korobeinikov is one of the secondary characters in the work “12 Chairs”. Appearing in just one chapter, this hero managed to have a significant impact on the course of events. It was he who sent Father Fyodor, who was looking for chairs from Madame Petukhova’s headset, on a false trail in order to take money from him for providing information.
Another minor hero is the foreman Alexander Yakovlevich. Alchen (as his wife calls him) is a shy thief. He is ashamed to rob the pensioners entrusted to his care, but he cannot resist the temptation. Therefore, the cheeks of the "blue thief" invariably adorns the bashful blush.
The novel "12 Chairs": quotes
The satirical work of Ilf and Petrov is interesting not only with vivid images of heroes and a fascinating plot. Almost the main advantage of the novel “12 Chairs” is the quotes given to them by the world. Of course, most of them were spoken by Ostap Bender. “How much opium is for the people?”, “Soon only cats will be born”, “The ice has broken, gentlemen of the jury” - many expressions uttered by a deft fraudster have received the status of people immediately after the publication of the satirical book.
Of course, other characters of the work of “12 Chairs” delight readers with well-aimed statements. Quotes by Kisa Vorobyaninov also gained fame. “Let's go in numbers!”, “Bargaining is inappropriate here”, “Same mange sis jour” - phrases that every resident of the Russian Federation has heard at least once.