A wonderful fairy tale story was written by Lazar Lagin. "Old Man Hottabych" tells how a powerful magician from Arab mythology gets into the Soviet state and gets acquainted with the realities of the 1930s. You can find out what came of this from this article.
Meet the Genie
The book begins with the fact that a simple Soviet schoolboy Vladimir Kostylkov, swimming in the lake, finds an ancient jug. Curiosity does not allow him to take the find to the nearest police station. He tries to look inside and ... gets into a fairy tale. Indeed, from this moment in his life unusual miracles begin to occur. It turns out that in this pitcher, for several millennia, an ancient genie named Gassan Abdurahman ibn Khottab has been languishing. After liberation, the wizard swears to his savior in eternal devotion and fidelity. So begins his work L. Lagin. The “Old Man Hottabych”, a brief summary of which is presented in this article, is a story about the adventures of two completely different, but kind and funny characters.
Geography exam
The temporary gulf between the pioneer Volka and the ancient oriental genie turned out to be so huge that the characters of the fairy tale fall into ridiculous situations all the time . Eager to help the boy, Hottabych goes with him for an exam and amazes Soviet teachers with the depth of knowledge in the field of the subject. Teachers are surprised to learn that in India, the main representatives of the fauna are ants the size of a dog. In addition, our planet is a flat disk, and the horizon is the edge where the dome of heaven is in contact with the earth. All this information Volka ibn Alyosha was forced to tell the teachers, because he was under the influence of the spell of Hottabych. The first miracle of the eastern sorcerer ended in the crushing failure of the boy in the exam. The upset pioneer did not dare to tell the genie about this. Such a test exposes his heroes to Lagin. The “Old Man Hottabych”, the brief content of which we present to you, captivates readers with an entertaining and unpredictable plot.
A walk to the movies
Further events turn into an even greater disaster for Volka. He is going to go to the movies, but misses a day session. To help his young lord get to the evening show, Hottabych awards him with a long and rich beard. A sixth grader in this form catches the eye of a friend - Wife Bograd. The adventurous genie sends an involuntary witness to the Volkoy disgrace to India so that the rumor about a bearded schoolboy does not spread throughout the city. Of course, Zhenya does not stay there for long, because a just and courageous Volka cannot leave his comrade in trouble. With great humor and imagination, Lagin wrote his tale. “Old Man Hottabych”, the brief content of which cannot convey the whole charm of the work, tells us that it is not good to violate the established rules. Indeed, for this everyone will inevitably payback.
Other adventures
Volka and Zhenya are trying their best to teach the genie to the realities of Soviet life. Accustomed to the ancient Eastern way of life, Hottabych constantly gets into trouble: either he makes a commotion near a street kiosk, then he performs miracles at the stadium, then he surprises everyone in the circus. However, on account of the sorcerer there are noble deeds. He sharply besieges a mercantile and inhuman foreigner, sends out lousy guys to police officers and even creates fair justice in Italy. At the very end of the story, readers observe the touching reunion of Hottabych with his brother Omar. This genie is the exact opposite of the formidable, but very fair and kind Gassan Abdurahman. For the greed and malice, the sorcerer Hottabych ultimately turns the "amiable" Omar into the moon's moon. Constantly surprises his readers Lagin. “Old Man Hottabych” (the summary of the story, of course, is not able to convey all the charm of the work) tells that even the ancient wizard can be re-educated and instilled in him socialist values.
Ideas of communism
Outright communist propaganda is filled with the tale "The Old Man Hottabych." Lagin Lazar Iosifovich struggled to convey to his young readers the idea of the correct and fair structure of the Soviet state. Surprisingly, the story has not lost a special atmosphere of magic, humor and kindness. The two main characters - the typical Soviet pioneer Vladimir Kostylkov and the ancient genie Gassan Abdurahman ibn Hottab - are incredibly difficult to understand each other. The sorcerer believes that a rich man must certainly be happy. But the principal Volka indignantly refuses the luxurious gifts of the genie: a gold watch, a magnificent palace and caravans laden with jewelry. This throws Hottabych into perplexity. But over time, he begins to be imbued with the ideas of communism.
Unfamiliar realities
It is very funny in the story that situations were played out in which the wizard confronts the incomprehensible realities of the twentieth century. For example, he takes the subway and the engine for the diabolical incarnations of the formidable king of the genies of Jirgis, and Khotabbych is very surprised at the usual telephone. The idea of universal equality in general seems to a resident of a slave-owning state to be utter savagery. But this does not prevent him from justice to punish the greedy foreigner - Mr. Vandendalles - and the cruel Italian inspector. Very kind, responsive and childishly curious made the ancient oriental genie Lagin. "Old Man Hottabych" is a book stating that true love of life and curiosity do not depend on age and can be peculiar even to very elderly people.
main characters
Charming Hottabych at the very beginning of the story may seem like an unpleasant old man, but during reading he involuntarily evokes sympathy. In a fairy tale, a funny genie seems to be a more real and lively character than the somewhat idealized and correct pioneer Volka. Yes, a wizard is often wrong, sometimes he behaves very strangely, but at the same time his eccentricities cause a smile, and not annoyance. This is what Lagin sought. “Old Man Hottabych”, whose protagonists are beloved by many readers, tells of good people who are able to imbue with universal human values, regardless of origin and upbringing. And those who cannot do this are immediately punished by the enterprising Hottabych.
Conclusion
After reading this book, only good feelings remain. An interesting and instructive story was invented by Lagin. "Old Man Hottabych", reviews of which are always positive, has a pleasant pastime in the company of a funny genie and a principled schoolboy from the Soviet era. Adults claim that this work is of particular value to them. For them, it is a kind of magical ticket to a carefree childhood, allowing you to again believe in miracles for a short while. Children "Old Hottabych" will also like it. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you study this book in its original form. Enjoy reading!