In Russia and in the world as a whole, there are not many writers who created their works exclusively for children. The most popular of them are Korney Chukovsky (everyone knows his tales “Fly-clatter”, “Phone”, “Moidodyr”, on which more than one generation of children grew up), Samuel Marshak (“Cat's House”, “Mustachio-striped”), Alan Milne (the writer who created one of the most famous characters in children's literature - Winnie the Pooh), Tove Jansson (whose stories about the Moomins and their friends were read all over the world) and others.
One of the writers whose work is entirely devoted to children is Konstantin Sergienko.
Biography
Konstantin Konstantinovich Sergienko was born on September 17, 1940 in the small city of Stalinogorsk (the current name is Novomoskovsk), which is located in Russia in the Tula region.
The father of the future writer Konstantin Emelyanovich, an electrical engineer by training, served as secretary of the Stalinogorsky CPSU Civil Code. Mother Antonina Savelievna was also a secretary - she worked in the department of the local railway.
In addition to Konstantin, his sister Nadezhda also grew up in the family.
After leaving school, Konstantin Sergienko moved to the capital of the USSR and entered the Moscow State University in the publishing department of the journalism faculty, which he graduated in 1967. After graduating, he worked for a long time with publishers that published books for children: Children's Literature and Young Guard.
The first book of the writer Konstantin Sergienko entitled “Kees Admiral Tulipov” was published in one of these publishers in 1975. Two years later, in 1977, the second novel “The Borodino Awakening” was published. After that, new books by Konstantin Sergienko began to be published every few years. The writer was best known for his work “Goodbye, Gully,” published in 1979. The puppet cartoon of the same name was even shot on it, and the play “Dogs” was also staged.
In addition to creating his own works, in the last years of his life, Konstantin Sergienko tried to engage in translation.
The writer died on March 6, 1996 in Moscow at the age of 55 and was buried in the Troekurovsky cemetery.
Creativity: “Kees Admiral Tulipov”
Almost all the works of Konstantin Sergienko are devoted to historical subjects. His first book is no exception - the action takes place in the 15th century, during the time of Thiel Ulenspiegel (a hero of medieval Dutch and German legends).
In the center of events is a 12-year-old boy named Kees, who lives in the Netherlands in the Spanish-besieged city of Leiden. In the story, Kees receives a dangerous mission, for which he needs to get to Rotterdam from his hometown. On the journey of Kees, friends accompany: the girl Ele, the circus artist Karakol and the boy, whom everyone calls the Red Fox.
In addition to these heroes, there are others in the story. This is Prince William of Orange (created on the prototype of a real historical character), the robber Iron Tooth, Mudrila and others.
This fascinating book was a huge success among readers and has been included in school lists of extracurricular reading. In preparation for writing, the author read over 500 historical works and carefully studied Dutch folklore, on the basis of which this story was created.
“We have arrived in Moscow”
In 1977, Konstantin Sergienko wrote a book for young readers. It tells in a popular and easy way about the most interesting sights of the capital of Russia. The photo book will appeal not only to those who are going to visit Moscow, but also to those who have been living there for a long time and want to learn more about their city.
Cardboard Heart
The fairy tale "Cardboard Heart" Konstantin Sergienko wrote in 1981. This is a lyrical story about how a cardboard man who spent his whole life in a box of plywood, ended up in an unfamiliar city, where he met a sick girl.
This is a short but meaningful tale. Many compare Cardboard Man with the main character of the work of Antoine de Saint-Exupery “The Little Prince”.
This story teaches to empathize and empathize, to believe in goodness and miracles.
"Goodbye, ravine"
The most popular book of Konstantin Sergienko - “Goodbye, ravine”, sadly, touching and truthfully tells the story of the life of stray dogs.
Stray dogs live in a large deserted ravine on the outskirts of the city. This ravine is all that they have, besides pride. Despite the constant hunger and the lack of a roof over their heads, the dogs do not consider themselves miserable and do not want to leave their ravine in search of a new home.
The protagonist on behalf of whom the story is being narrated is a dog named Proud. Like the other members of his pack, deep down he wants to find a master, become dependent on a person and finally feel his need.
Three cartoons were shot from this book, a puppet show and musical, a rock opera, as well as numerous radio shows were staged.
"Late Autumn Days"
The story of Konstantin Sergienko “Days of Late Autumn” (1983) tells about the pure first love of schoolgirl Masha Molchanova.
Summer after the 9th grade Masha and her sister Anya spend in the country. Next to their house is a strange neglected house, which the sisters call the "black summer house" and from which one day a no less strange boy named Dima Kostychev appears.
The love between Masha and the mysterious hero develops quickly and rapidly. Initially, this story may seem like a classic romance novel, but it also contains elements of fiction. After reading, the reader has many questions, such as: "Was this a time travel, or was it just about the imagination of the ninth grader?" The author suggests readers to think over answers to this and other questions independently.