"Golden Calf" is the famous satirical novel by Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov, which is a continuation of the novel "Twelve Chairs". The book takes the reader to the early 30s of the XX century. The central character of the story is the cheerful little adventurer Ostap Bender, who is so fond of the readers of The Twelve Chairs.
The crew of the Antelope
The first part of Ilf and Petrov’s book “The Golden Calf” is called the “Antelope Crew”. Miraculously surviving after the sharp razor of Kisa Vorobyaninov, the great combinator Ostap Bender appears on the pages of the new novel. Having introduced himself as the son of Lieutenant Schmidt, he hopes to receive financial assistance from a representative of the Arbatov city government. He succeeds. The sudden appearance of yet another “son of Lieutenant Schmidt” aggravates the situation somewhat, but the sly ones get out of the situation by declaring themselves dairy brothers. The representative of the authorities no longer believes the third "son" who has appeared. The dodger is thrown out the door.
According to readers' reviews of the Golden Calf, the scene in the official’s office is one of the funniest in the book.
Ostap meets his second “son” - Shura Balaganov, whom he devotes to his dreams of money and Rio de Janeiro. Balaganov tells Bender about the Soviet underground millionaire living in Chernomorsk.
Ostap and Shura get acquainted with Adam Kozlevich, the only car owner in Arbatov. And Bender calls the car "Wildebeest." Newly made friends hit the road. On the way, they pick up a third "son" - Panikovsky, who stole a goose and escaped from angry pursuers.
From the summary of the Golden Calf, you can find out that the crew of the Antelope accidentally enters the rally route. In the city of Udoev they are met as winners of the race. The cunning people enjoy the benefits and privileges of the winners, but soon their deception is revealed.
Since the "Antelope-Wildebeest" is wanted, it is repainted.
Reviews of the book "The Golden Calf" indicate that the first part is the lightest and funniest, it does not disappoint future events.
"Two combinators"
The summary of the "Golden Calf" also tells about the underground millionaire Koreiko - an ordinary small office worker. He worries that someone knows about his secret wealth. Once during a walk with Zosia Sinitskaya, an underground millionaire was robbed by Balaganov and Panikovsky, having stolen from him a box with ten thousand rubles. The next day, Ostap Bender, dressed up as a policeman, brings Koreiko stolen, but he claims that it is not his money and he was not subjected to any attack.
In this part of the Golden Calf by Ilf and Petrov, Bender, having failed to hurt Koreiko, plays a difficult combination. He rents a room with his wife Vasisualiy Lokhankin, abandoned by his wife, in a communal apartment full of quarrelsome neighbors, and opens the Horns and Hoofs office. The fictitious leader of the latter is a certain Fuchs. Bender collects detailed incriminating evidence at Koreiko and gradually learns the details of life, and most importantly, the story of the appearance of ten million rubles in Koreiko. It turns out that the humble clerk was carrying out large financial frauds.
Balaganov and Panikovsky do not trust Ostap. They get into Koreiko’s apartment at night and steal weights, deciding that they are gold.
Adam Kozlevich contacts the priests, but Ostap Bender arrived in time to drive them away.
Having collected enough information, Ostap Bender is blackmailing an underground millionaire, as a result of which he agrees to buy dirt on himself for a million rubles. They drive to the train station, where Koreiko hides money. But the city is undergoing training anti-chemical anxiety. Wearing a gas mask, an underground millionaire mixes with the crowd. Ostap ends up in a gas shelter, where he suddenly meets Zosia Sinitskaya, whom Koreiko is hopelessly in love with.
When reviewing the summary of the Golden Calf, it becomes obvious that at this stage Ostap Bender fails: Koreiko disappeared, a check arrives at Horns and Hooves, Fuchs goes to prison, and Ostap’s rented room burns down. The great combinator spends the last money on a bouquet for Zosia. Zosia in a conversation accidentally talks about the letter Koreiko, which he sent from the construction of the Eastern Highway.
The crew of the "Antelope Wildebeest" again rushes for the wealth of Koreiko. But on the way the car breaks down, Panikovsky dies. Shura Balaganov and Adam Kozlevich no longer want to follow an active combinator. Comrades diverge.
"Private person"
Next, Ostap takes the train. He finds an underground millionaire, and he finally gives him a million. Compromising Koreiko burns.
When reviewing the summary of the Golden Calf, it becomes apparent that the much-coveted million does not bring happiness to the protagonist. Ostap Bender faces an unexpected problem: he cannot spend money, because in a socialist state it is simply impossible to do. He can't even get back. To get on the letter train, he again has to impersonate various outstanding personalities. Ostap talks about his wealth to fellow travelers, and those disappear with fear. The great combinator is alone. Having met at the station Balaganov, he gives him a large amount of money, but he still steals a miserable woman’s handbag and gets into the police.
Ostap recalls Zos, rushing to Chernomorsk, but she had already married. The horns and hooves founded by Bender became a large state enterprise. The main character feels superfluous in the Land of Soviets. Anyone who read The Golden Calf by Ilf and Petrov must have felt the pessimism and disappointment of the last chapters leading to a gloomy denouement.
Ostap Bender decides to cross the Romanian border. The combinator has two fur coats and a lot of jewelry and currency. But the Romanian border guards rob Bender. Ostap has only the Order of the Golden Fleece, which he calls the Golden Calf. The most striking quote from the Golden Calf is the closing words of Ostap Bender, who has lost all his long-awaited wealth: “No ovations! Count Monte Cristo did not work out of me. We’ll have to retrain into management houses. ” The thirst for life and indefatigable energy do not allow the great combiner to lose optimism and self-confidence.
Publication
In 1931, the Golden Calf was published in the United States, as well as in Germany, Austria and England. In these countries, they were happy to publish a continuation of their favorite Twelve Chairs. But in the USSR the book was not in a hurry to print. Critics, writers, ideologists and publishers were embarrassed by the fact that the protagonist Ostap Bender is very attractive to the reader, his vivid image leaves no one indifferent, empathize with him, he is quoted. But he is a crook and a rogue. Bender was radically different from the ideologically correct literary heroes of the time, who could set a high example for readers. And what could Ostap Bender teach?
The authors' appeal to the influential Alexander Fadeev did not produce results. Fadeev considered the publication of the novel "The Golden Calf" an ideologically wrong decision. As a result, the Golden Calf, the essence of which is that in the USSR there is no place for millionaires and private capital, was finally printed. This happened thanks to the intervention of Maxim Gorky, who returned to the Land of Soviets.
The protagonists of the Golden Calf: Ostap Bender
In The Golden Calf, Ostap Bender is no longer the cheerful young man from the novel The Twelve Chairs, who brilliantly emerges from various life conflicts due to his optimism, sense of humor, and self-confidence. But he is still the same charming, ironic, witty, virtuoso inventor, passionate adventurer, incorrigible dreamer and romantic. But do not regard the image of Ostap Bender in The Twelve Chairs as an image of a cheerful adventurer. He is very smart and capable of deep thoughts and feelings. In the "Golden Calf" Ostap Bender becomes deeper, wiser. Toward the end of the work, he even somewhat resembles Pechorin from the novel “Hero of Our Time” by Lermontov. The two literary heroes are brought together by disappointment in people, boredom, and most importantly - they both feel superfluous in the world. The tragedy of Ostap is the tragedy of an “extra” person.
Wanting wealth, an enterprising and brilliant Bender could become a prosperous person at another time, in another country. Unrestrained temperament would surely push him to incredible heights, for example, in the United States of America. It is difficult to find a country more inappropriate for Ostap than the young Land of Soviets.
In the conflict between the hero and his time, Ostap Bender hoped to come out victorious, but he was defeated. Although his final phrase suggests that he is not broken and ready to move on, despite the fact that he lost everything. This indicates the great inner strength of the hero. The reader can hope that the story will continue. Indeed, Ilf and Petrov planned to continue the adventures of Ostap Bender. But the third novel was not written, since the authors at that time worked hard on another work, which took them a lot of time and energy. In addition, Ilya Ilf soon died. Without his co-author, Evgeny Petrov did not continue the novel.
Mikhail Panikovsky
Mikhail Samuelievich Panikovsky brings many features closer to his father Fedor and Kisa Vorobyaninov from “The Twelve Chairs”. Bender characterizes him succinctly and viciously: "A man without a passport." Panikovsky is a petty swindler, he is ridiculous and somewhat miserable. It is distinguished by Odessa-Jewish flavor.
Shura Balaganov
Shura Balaganov is an ordinary crook. He is a simple and narrow-minded guy. But Shura is still young and naive. Throughout the novel, Ostap Bender teaches him and tries to re-educate. But in vain. Even after receiving a large sum of money from Ostap, Balaganov commits a minor theft, for which he falls into the police.
Adam Kozlevich
Adam Kozlevich is a character described by Bender as "an angel without wings." Previously, he was an unlucky thief, but now he took up the cab, acquiring a car called the great combinator “Antelope-Wildebeest”. But Kozlevich is not too lucky.
Alexander Koreiko
Alexander Ivanovich Koreiko is a cunning and deft fraudster, hiding under the guise of imaginary integrity. His financial scams are massive and daring. He masterfully disguises himself as an ordinary inconspicuous Soviet citizen. Koreiko is stingy, he is afraid to spend an extra ruble. The clandestine millionaire patiently awaits the onset of capitalism. The authors of The Golden Calf characterize Koreiko as an avid, boring and gloomy person - the exact opposite of Ostap Bender. Even the description of the appearance arouses in readers an aversion to this hero.
Vasisualiy Lokhankin
The image of Vasisualia Lokhankin is a parody of the Russian intelligentsia. He is cowardly and melancholy. Vasisuali does not work anywhere. After his wife left, Lokhankin begins to express himself with five-footed iambic, which adds comic to his image.
The best film adaptation
The first film adaptation of The Golden Calf, a photo with frames from which are presented in this article, was released in 1968. It was a black and white film, consisting of two series. The role of Ostap Bender was played by Sergey Yursky, Shury Balaganov - Leonid Kuravlev, Panikovsky - Zinovy ​​Gerdt. This film adaptation is still considered classical and unsurpassed, thanks to the wonderful cast and successful directing.