In 1953, on the shelves of Soviet bookstores appeared a novel by Dmitry Nagishkin called "The Heart of Bonivur." The author presented it as a true story about the life and death of a hero - Komsomol member Vitaly Banevur. It described how a brave boy resisted the machinations of the White Guards without bending under the heavy burden of responsibility.
This novel became a legend in the Soviet Union, everyone perceived it as an example of the true valor of Soviet people. However, today, historians question the veracity of what is written in the book, and, as it turns out, there are good reasons. But let's talk about everything in order.
Did the Komsomol hero really exist?
Historians have been digging in dusty archives for a long time, until they find an answer to this question. It turns out that Vitaly Borisovich Banevur is a very real person. According to official figures, he was born at the beginning of 1902 in Warsaw. His father worked as a jeweler, which allowed the family to live in abundance.
The advent of World War I forced them to move to Moscow in 1915. Here they lived only two years, after which they moved to Vladivostok. That is, based on official documents, Vitaly Borisovich Banevur really lived at the time indicated in the book on the territory of Vladivostok.
What is Banevour famous for?
The Soviet version of the story says that in October 1920 our hero visits the capital, where he accidentally gets to the III Congress of the Komsomol. Here Banevour is inspired by the idea of equality and the common good, which kindles in him the fire of rebellion against the White Guards. Therefore, having returned home, he, along with Maria Fetisova, begins to restore the once-crushed underground.
The main objective of this organization was to promote the Soviet way of life. To do this, he, together with the guys, sticks up campaign leaflets, conducts explanatory talks with the local population, and simultaneously spies on the movement of enemies. As a result, the White Guards become aware that Vitaliy Borisovich Banevur is behind all this, and they are opening a hunt for him.
In order to avoid the enemy’s trap, the young man runs to the First River station. There is a military depot where armored trains are made to order in Japan. Of course, our hero cannot miss the opportunity to annoy the White Guards, and therefore arranges a series of diversion at this station.
Together with the partisans
Alas, the young man did not succeed in hiding for a long time from the eyes of the White Guards. Therefore, after his person was revealed, he goes deep into the taiga. Fortunately, there were partisan detachments in the forests, to which Vitaly Banevur joyfully joined. Finally, he found a force capable of giving a sound rebuff to a hated enemy.
Together with his new friends, Banevour hit one of the key points of the White Guards one by one. Naturally, the partisans could not inflict serious damage, but to deprive the enemy without communications or provisions for a week or two is easy.
And such sorties into the enemy camp continued until June 1922. During this period, Japanese troops left the land near Vladivostok, which provided an excellent opportunity for an attack by the Red Army. And after that, the White Guards began to lose their positions and cities day after day.
"The heart of Bonivur"
The death of a national hero is the most controversial issue. The book suggests that the participant in the civil war in the Far East, Vitaly Banevur, died at the hands of the White Guards. This happened at the moment when the enemies came to the village where the partisans were hiding, and by chance they caught him. In order to avenge all the sins that he had done to them, they took him to the center of the village and publicly cut out a beating heart. In particular, this is precisely why the book is called "The Heart of Bonivur."
However, modern historians do not agree with this interpretation of events. Their data suggests that Vitaly Borisovich Banevur died at the hands of visiting Cossacks, whom he had stumbled into in the forest. This is clearly stated in the memoirs that have survived to this day.
Is the story of Banevoura true or fiction?
Today, none of the experts doubts the existence of Vitaliy Banevur. Here are just a story written in a book that has nothing to do with reality. More precisely, her hero was not what they describe him. In real life, he was a mischievous and restless boy who was intoxicated with life in a partisan detachment. He died not as gloriously as in the novel: he was killed by the Cossacks, but not for revolutionary ideas, but because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Nevertheless, the novel “The Heart of Bonivur” reflects well other aspects of that time. Namely, those orders and atmosphere that prevailed in those parts. Therefore, it can rightfully be considered a good historical story with a small amount of fiction.