Readings of works written for adults. Projects and books

On the issue of avant-garde in adult and children's literature

Report on the 1st scientific conference in memory of Yu.S. Stepanov "Scientific generations and linguistic paradigms of civilization of the XX-XXI centuries." at the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

At the conference dedicated to the scientific legacy of Yuri Sergeevich Stepanov, and more broadly, scientific generations, I would like to talk about two things: firstly, about the inheritance not only scientific, but also artistic (note that Yuri Sergeevich was no stranger to art and tried himself as a playwright), and secondly, about the generation that each person "carries inside himself" - about the ratio of "adult" and "childish" in the writer and reader. It is known that Yuri Sergeevich was interested in children's literature. Unfortunately, we hardly talked about it, but this report of mine is like a continuation of the conversation ... We will talk about two writers - Yuri Koval and Alexander Dorofeev, who are related to each other both by aesthetic and family ties.

I will rely on two publications: "Beware of the bald and mustachioed" by Yuri Koval and "God's knot" by Alexander Dorofeev 1 . Quite a lot has been written about Yuri Koval's prose and about himself, now the second edition of the Kovalina Book has been published, with about 50 authors, and one of the central ideas in this book is that Koval wrote in a way that was both interesting for adults and children. He himself left wonderful memories of Boris Shergin, Ivan Sokolov-Mikitov, Arseny Tarkovsky, with whom he was friends. There is an artistic inheritance here - Yuriy Koval's prose belonged to a certain tradition, which, on the one hand, is characterized by a fairytale beginning, a special love for the word, and, on the other hand, a love for nature. I wrote about this in a recent article about Yuri Koval in.

In turn, Koval's heirs in the artistic sense are the writers from the Black Hen club, to which I belong, and which intersected with Koval's seminar (he led a seminar at the Murzilka magazine for several years). Here we can note Marina Moskvina, Alexander Toroptsev, Boris Minaev and Alexander Dorofeev. In this report, I will dwell in more detail on the work of Dorofeev. In my opinion, the works of Koval and Dorofeev can be called the avant-garde in children's literature, this is a new quality of literature: now there is a so-called adult-children's bidirectional literature. Thanks to it, we begin to better understand what is children's and what is adult literature 2 .

Starting from about 9-10 years old, an adult is formed in a child - and teenage literature appeals to this emerging adult with his responsibility and "adult" issues.

Many questions in a child and an adult are common - and one of these questions is ignorance of the future. You can remain ignorant, you can question, or you can try with all your might to find out about the future.

Let's take the story "Without a roof" by Alexander Dorofeev. Musya, the protagonist's aunt, is not married - and in this position, her future is as open as possible and arouses great interest. She sees signs everywhere and predicts the future based on dreams. On this basis, she even in some way "went crazy" - and she does not act very delicately: she literally tortures the main character every morning, asking what he dreamed about.

The protagonist and his mother find themselves in captivity with Mushi. Here's how the story begins:

Aunt Musya knew a lot about dreams. Each turned into a kind of stump, or even a mound, on which she sat down, looked around, decided where to go next in life. And she chose the right paths - so it seemed to her. Therefore, with readiness, like a smart compass, I showed the way to those who wished, which, however, were few - my mother and I. And not that willing, but rather bonded.

Every morning, my aunt interrogated me - what and how I dreamed. Sometimes there was nothing to remember. So, pale shadows, gray fog. But my aunt insisted, and I had to strain, to return the dreams, like weathered, dilapidated poems.

- It seems that I am sitting on a stool, and snails are crawling around ...

“Hey, honey, sleep in your hand!” You shirk from study and work.

So, Aunt Musya uses her knowledge to educate a teenager ...

Musya learns that the zoologist (and this is happening in the village) sat on a porcupine - and begins to interpret this event as an incident from a dream. But this is a reality: a porcupine lives at the zoologist's house!

People live an absurd life that resembles a dream - and this absurdity, artistically expressed, turns out to be some kind of higher value, a joyful smile of being.

However, absurdity can also turn its evil side - when the aunt’s fiancé uses the image of “a house without a roof” in a conversation with her, she takes the metaphor for an image from a dream and says unpleasant words to the groom, the proposal hangs in the air, here are lost hopes.

At that time, the exiled General Yevgeny Bochkin often visited us, and, of course, a decisive act was already expected from him. Like marriage.

That evening, over tea, the general tapped his spoon on his glass and, rising, said:

“Imagine, Musyon, I dreamed of a house without a roof…

Auntie turned visibly pale and turned away, while Bochkin continued:

- Brick mansion. On three floors. With porch and balcony. But no roof. The meaning is obvious! Home is me. You, dear, are a roof that needs to be put back in place,” he finished, and it became very quiet.

Finally, my aunt, with unexpected annoyance and anger, said:

What do you understand about dreams? This is not a "dead loop" for you, not a "corkscrew" and not a "barrel"! Also me - a mansion!

Decisive Yevgeny Bochkin froze for a moment, as in a wrecked plane before ejection, and pressed the red button:

- You understand a lot! General - have you heard? - to trouble! Have mercy, what a denseness! However, you have a dream. I have the honor ... I have! - he clicked his heels, as if he had shot himself, and went out forever.

Everything happened so fast. Air battle! Deadly fast!

- How to understand, Musya ?! Mom exclaimed.

Aunt wandered around the table with gloomy eyes, and the teapot gleamed in them, behind which a dark abyss of omniscience was guessed.

“I believed until the very end,” she whispered. - And to him, the fool, - a house without a roof ... So, soon he will be completely retired, and besides, he will go bald. Scoundrel! - She waved her hand, as if putting an end to the general.

Yes, you could understand my aunt. But what a pity for Bochkin! He does not know, poor fellow, the sad future, but here, at the tea table, everything is known, everything is arranged, like a service, in its place. Just scary!

And to this day, when I see a house without a roof, I am taken aback. A bald general in bloomers, with a hoe, is seen near a patch of teardrop onions.

The next day, as usual, my aunt asked about dreams.

"I'm lying on the couch," I recalled. And the stars float across the sky.

“Strange,” said the aunt, especially stern since yesterday’s tea party. - Didn't expect from you. starry sky- to the fulfillment of desires.

She seems to be envious. My aunt had no idea what a modest desire I had. I dreamed of one thing - that no one looked into my future, did not fool him, did not interpret me this way and that.

My future is dark. Or maybe light. In any case, I don't know. If only I didn’t dream about a house without a roof. Although this, if you look, is nothing bad.

The theme of the story is excessive curiosity, the desire to get into the soul of a person and a claim on his future ... Kindred care, which is worse than hard labor.

This topic is interesting for adults and children - how many aunts and uncles we have met who take it upon ourselves to judge us without asking permission ... With the current infantilism of adults, childhood turns out to be the world in which the writer can unobtrusively lead his trajectory without hurting evil adults.

A writer who writes for children has a child in him. It is this child (or rather, the image of this child) that helps an adult to find a common language with children.

Through it, the writer broadcasts his message to the child reader.

The story "Without a roof" is suitable for adults and children. What follows from this?

In the very general view we should consider the following scheme: the writer (on the right) gives the teenage reader a personal message on two levels at once: as a child-to-child (red arrow) as an adult - to a maturing person (blue).

The reader's childhood gives the text a new dimension - this is a different level: the child reader sees what is usually invisible to an adult. But the adult children's story sees what is inaccessible to a child - this is how a stereoscopic reader arises, an adult child who is generally deeper, higher and more voluminous than an ordinary adult reader. To satisfy his taste, you need to try very hard.

A story that is suitable for adults and children has a special dynamic. Reading it has for a child greater value than for an adult. After all, childhood is an action: and as information from the outside world arrives, the child grows, the teenager grows, and at the end of the story he is no longer the same as at the beginning. This happens with an adult reader, you say, but an adult changes less, he is formed, and a child is more, he is formed as a person.

So, considering adult-children's literature, we see two differences from adult literature: the presence of two levels of perception and dynamics.

In this sense, the story of an adult-children's writer is much more voluminous than just a story of an adult or a story of a children's writer who appeals to a child. In such a story there is that new quality that is associated with the avant-garde in literature.

Notes:

1 The book was published in 2013 by the publishing house, the story can be read.

2 Of course, there are stories for adults in which a child appears, stories about childhood... But this is a separate topic.

"TIM THALER, OR SOLD LAUGHTER" by JAMES KREWS

If in childhood the story of a boy who traded his laughter for the ability to win any bet seemed like an adventure fairy tale to you, now you will look at it in a completely different way. You will see the philosophical meaning: the most expensive things in life still cannot be bought.

"THE ADVENTURES OF EMIL OF LONNEBERG", ASTRID LINDGREN

Adventures of the tomboy Emil - the best recipe for everyone who lacks positive and fun. Minutes of contagious laughter are provided to you. And this is the most optimistic book by Astrid Lindgren, because her hero never loses heart and knows how to enjoy everything in the world.

"TALKING PACKAGE", GERALD DARELL

This is an unusual book for naturalist and zoologist Darrell because it is a fairy tale. And the world in it is not ours, familiar, but the most magical, where good and evil fight (with the indispensable victory of good). And this is for the best, because everyday life is enough for us, and miracles have not harmed anyone yet.

"DENISKIN'S STORIES", VICTOR DRAGUNSKY

It doesn't matter if you read these stories as a child or if they somehow magically managed to get past you - just open the book and start reading. Of course, much has already remained in the backyard of history, but something will be eternal: pure children's humor, absolutely incredible logic and absolute love of life.

"CHILDREN OF CAPTAIN GRANT", JULES VERNE

The case when the book becomes your ship, and you catch the wind of distant wanderings, hear the sails flutter overhead, feel the deck sway due to the storm. Ahead is a huge world, exciting adventures, meetings with amazing people. The simplest and safe way run away from boredom.

POLLIANNA, ELINOR PORTER

Is it easy to see in life only bright sides? Probably not yet: after all, we are all such adults, burdened with a bunch of problems and we know perfectly well that there is never too much good. But if we make joy a game, and then the principle of life, perhaps we will be able to take a different look at reality? This bright and naive story is a real antidepressant.

"COLD HEART", WILHELM GAUFF

"Frozen" is the most romantic work of the German storyteller. Why should adults read it? Because it is we, and not children, who are most often ready to acquire a cold heart with all its benefits and give up generosity, honesty, hard work. Still, it's a wonderfully uplifting story. Just read it.

"THE ROAD TO GO INTO THE DISTANCE", ALEXANDRA BRUSHTEIN

The autobiographical book, written at the beginning of the 20th century, has been read by more than one generation. Why? Because she is very honest and bright. Because the story of Sashenka is not invented, but passed through itself, seen through the eyes of the author. Because eternal values ​​will never become obsolete - that's why they are eternal.

"I CAN JUMP OVER PUDS" by ALAN MARSHALL

The hero of the story, Alan, is the son of a brave wild horse rider. From an early age, he dreams of becoming the same as his father, but after a serious illness, his legs cease to serve him. However, the book has the right message: if you yourself consider yourself complete, nothing will prevent you from being one.

"SCARLET SAILS", ALEXANDER GREEN

Yuri Nagibin wrote: “If love for A. Green is preserved in adulthood, it means that a person has saved his heart from aging.” There is nothing fabulous in this short story, and yet the feeling of a fairy tale does not leave the reader. And all because the story of Assol eloquently proves that miracles do happen, and you can not only wait for them, but also create them with your own hands.

"TWO CAPTAIN", VENIAMIN KAVERIN

One of the most beloved adventure novels of childhood, with hundreds of reprints, filmed both in Russia and abroad. Its secret is simple: the book speaks heartfeltly about love and loyalty, courage and determination, about amazing people and true friendship. After reading it, you feel better and cleaner. Isn't that what we're looking for in literature?

"THE GIRL THE CHILDREN WERE NOT ALLOWED TO GO WITH" IRMGARD COYNE

In order not to get into unpleasant stories, you need to behave well. But - alas! - no matter how hard the heroine of the story tries to do everything as best as possible, it turns out the opposite. This funny and a bit sad book can be safely recommended to all parents and teachers as an inoculation against educational narrow-mindedness.

"ALL ABOUT THE MOOMINS", TOVE JANSSON

Surprisingly, the stories about the charming Moomins seem to grow with us. Reread today, they will not seem stupid, naive or childish to you. You will find in them what you need right now and exactly for you - calm good wisdom, a feeling of love, security and endless warmth.

ANIMAL STORIES, ERNEST SETON-THOMPSON

“Now we do not put love for animals in people for a penny, and we even laugh at affection for cats. But having fallen out of love with animals first, isn’t it inevitable that we then fall out of love with people too? - wrote Alexander Solzhenitsyn. This book is another reason to fall in love with the world around you again.

"ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHHAUSEN", RUDOLF ERICH RASPE

All the stories of the famous liar, who flew on the core, saw with his own eyes an amazing deer with a cherry tree on his head and experienced many other adventures, do not need to be read at a time. One at a time is quite enough - so that dreams are definitely fabulous, incredible and magical.

Translator, essayist, literary critic

In my opinion, there is no hard limit. Take Carroll's Alice, a book for children that adults have been reading for a decade. Each of us has seen adults in the subway buried in one of huge volumes"Harry Potter". Even the most "baby" books should be a pleasure for adults who have to read them again and again to their children. Recently, it has become especially noticeable how willingly adults read teenage literature - fantasy, dystopia. Relatively recently, even a new genre has appeared - picture books for teenagers and adults, not to mention the graphic novel. And, of course, teenagers read (and have always read) adult books, even the school curriculum is full of adult books - Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky.

Children's magazines (pre-revolutionary and, to an even greater extent, Soviet) played a large role as a tool for developing a common field of reading - many children read the same issue of the magazine. In addition, the magazines actively involved children in creativity and communication, and provided "feedback" with the reader. The magazines printed not only what was written for children, but also what the children themselves wrote. IN modern world this role has been largely assumed by the Internet, children and adolescents (as well as adults) can exchange views and discuss what interests them, in in social networks and other online platforms. Children's magazine can be reborn and is already being reborn in a new form in the virtual space. Sites such as Papmambook provide children with the opportunity to write and publish their own book reviews and share reading experiences.

Of course, the perception of the old texts has changed. Both pre-revolutionary and Soviet children's books were imbued with a certain ideology, in a number of texts it is so strong that it overshadows all literary virtues. But there are texts where the ideological load turned out to be, fortunately, “weaker” than artistic merit. And in Soviet time writers wrote not only on Soviet themes. However, new generations always need new books. In general, the rhythm of life, its inner melody, has changed, and books, accordingly, are written differently. Children's literature (even ideologically loaded) always carries some universal human values, and modern children's literature is no exception. The old theme - what is good and what is bad - does not go away from children's literature, it's just that now there is an opportunity for it to be not so didactic, not so “head-on”.

I read everything I could get my hands on. There were many books at home, and my father advised me what to read. My older sister was reading and I followed her. Among the most beloved are the plays by Eugene Schwartz (at first, dad read aloud), The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (I re-read countless times, the only book that was literally locked from me), Alexandra Brushtein’s trilogy The Road Goes Far… (before to this day, those people who grew up on this book recognize each other by quotes, as by a secret password). One of my favorites is "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, this book, perhaps, had the strongest influence on me. In general, I read more translated literature. Maybe that's why she ended up becoming a translator. Reading is still my favorite pastime, and a lot of what I know, I know from children's books.

Irina Arzamastseva

Doctor of Philology, Professor of the Department of Russian Literature, Moscow State Pedagogical University

1. Where is the boundary between "children's" and "adult" literature?

The boundary separating children's literature within the general literature is changeable, while it runs by itself, without an artificial barrier. Non-aesthetic institutions, primarily censorship, build this barrier, it is constantly violated, demolished - and erected according to a new plan. The border and the barrier do not completely match.

In general, the boundary lies where the aesthetic right of children recognized by a given society is consistent with the educational right of adults within the conditions of the era and the horizon of social expectations. Children's literature is an "umbrella" concept that combines works of general literature "appropriated" by children and works with special age-specific addressing. It exists on a social contract, partly even a written one - in the form of published recommendations for reading, their own criticism, etc. Moreover, children and adolescents insist on their demands and see both the border and the barrier in their own way. “I read Apuleius with pleasure, / But I didn’t read Cicero,” let’s reread the frivolous and wise Metamorphoses and the boring, grumblingly edifying treatise On Old Age, after the poet-lyceum student, to make sure that the young reader has the aesthetic right.

And “adult” literature is a field that is separated from general literature, in which the aesthetic right of adults operates, ignoring the right of children and the so-called public, waiting for teachings and entertainment. The authors mark such works with labels of closed addressing (addressing for children is open, adults can also read children's books). So, in his “Cart of Life”, Pushkin suddenly switched general addressing, suitable for schoolchildren, to addressing a purely adult, for a narrow circle of friends, with just one obscene line. In other words, I did not give this poem to either the public or the children.

Structurally, at the level of poetics, the boundary is set by "belonging" artistic world. In general literature, the author creates a special world and reigns in it, the reader is still a guest there, invited or accidental. The author does not promise the adult reader indispensable friendship. On the contrary, in the work it is true childish child feels confident, he is in his own home. In the end, it is the young reader who sets the limit of his literature. His choice is decisive, it is more important than the mysterious author's intention or the brand of the magazine that publishes the work for the first time; critics' assessments and teachers' recommendations are less significant.

2. In his book “Fairy tale and true story. History of Russian Children's Literature” Ben Hellman pays special attention to children's magazines, because it was through them that texts for children's reading were distributed and became popular. It is obvious that today in Russia children's magazines no longer have such influence as they did in the 19th and 20th centuries. What has come to replace them?

I think it's too early to write off magazines as a form of "children's" literary process. In any case, writers and artists, all other things being equal, prefer publication in a paper magazine to an Internet publication. At the same time, electronic children's magazines have completely taken root, forming a small yet separate segment of the Runet: paper Pampas became Electronic Pampas, Klepa also went online. I don't think it's time to celebrate the victory of numbers. And, as far as I know, we don't have any portals specifically for children yet; there are pedagogical portals with literary sections - this is not a real replacement for paper magazines, somehow striving for independence. In addition, technological media - paper and electronics - are intolerant in themselves with respect to literature, because its genre and style system has long been formed under paper technology. Online literature, including children's literature, will have to develop its own poetics, but for now it remains in its infancy (for example, children's opuses are placed indiscriminately).

Paper printing dates back to manual productions from natural materials, the magazine is created manually, and literary texts and pictures are all self made, the genres themselves were formed and evolved in the conditions of paper printing, primarily magazine. Paper magazines are more suitable for personality formation, for fine tuning knowing consciousness. The habit of slow reading and deep thought is more likely to be formed through communication with paper media. At the same time, electronic children's mass media have a great advantage in quickly connecting with the reader (the Achilles' heel of the good old Murzilka and similar magazines). Yes, and in terms of the possibilities of news information, online publications are stronger, because they are farther away from the format of a magazine and approach the format of a newspaper, which means that fiction, "loving" paper, begins to occupy a marginal position in them.

I would like to remind you that children's magazines in Russia, starting with Novikov's "Children's Reading for the Heart and Mind", were civil projects, not commercial ones. Consequently, their fate cannot be decided according to the laws of business, they must develop in the “protected zone” of the economy - a science and practice of the humanities, aimed at people.

3. Children's literature before the revolution and in the Soviet Union was called upon to establish a certain system of values. What are the values ​​of modern children's literature? Has the perception of old texts changed by new generations?

I'll start from the end. Of course, the perception of the old texts has changed, and significantly. A huge array of Soviet children's literature, like Atlantis, sank into history. Already published the best works Soviet period with explanations (comments, photographs, etc.). And the problem is not only in reality, but in updating the language. In addition, the concept of childhood has changed. For example, neither children nor parents will understand the story of a boy who stood guard in a park at night (“Honest Word” by L. Panteleev). As for the value system, in my opinion, nothing has fundamentally changed: children's literature preaches love directed towards the same objects - family, friends, nature, homeland. How these objects are presented in ideology is another matter, but these are adult games.

4. What did you read as a child and how did it affect you?

There were many folk tales, moreover, Russian dad told at night (and The Little Humpbacked Horse almost by heart), and I reread Kalmyk, Tatar, Gypsy, African and many others many times in books (now it is much more difficult for a child to get an idea of ​​the richness of national cultures). As a result, the discovery that some peers have a keener perception of national issues came to me ridiculously late, after school. And there were much fewer literary fairy tales, short stories and novels prevailed, even novels (like a mouse in cheese made moves in War and Peace a year or two before studying the epic in class). There were many magazines, but not "thick" literary ones, but educational and children's ones. The deepest, most beneficial impression on me was made by the large book “Dostoevsky for Children” with drawings by Shmarinov, it was the same precious gift from my parents as “The Three Musketeers” with classic pictures. From books with special addressing, I recall the lyrical poems memorized in the collections "The Edge" by Valentin Berestov, "Horse's Meadow" by Vladislav Bahrevsky. L. Panteleev's four-volume book, Mark Twain's books were read to half-life (and first about Huck Finn, and then about Tom Sawyer, which seemed to me not so exciting). From the terrible - "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka." I loved Chekhov’s “fragments” very much, I reread all of them “The Joke”, probably then I learned the first knowledge about the paradox of love.

From teenage books - the adventure-historical novel "The State of the Sun" by Nikolai Smirnov, about a dream, struggle and getting rid of utopia (the book turned out to be very necessary for normal growing up).

Of course, all the children's classics were also available, but it's strange: I re-read Marshak - not his children's, but a beautifully published collection of Shakespeare's sonnets in his translation, understanding little at the same time. But the “saga” about Aibolit, the myth of Perseus and Medusa Gorgon (a thick volume of Chukovsky) experienced line by line.

In general, the clarity of the text is not the main thing in children's reading. More important is the discovery of beauty. One of the first books I read on my own "from cover to cover" was the ancient Egyptian fairy tale "The Miraculous Transformations of Bata" with amazing drawings by Nikolai Kochergin. I re-read it - the most complicated story, unfamiliar realities, but how it touched my heart - with lively beauty and also with the fact that slender ancient tillers, their wheat with lotuses and golden oxen, their deeds and feelings continued so naturally in the grandmother's village around me, they explained to me, a Muscovite, the hot Orenburg steppe, herds of cows, lari with flour and wheat, labor from dawn to dusk, such a general course of geography and human studies.

Erica Haber

Professor of Slavic Studies at Syracuse University (USA)

1. Where is the boundary between "children's" and "adult" literature?

Judging by the wide international popularity among children and adults of the Harry Potter series, it is difficult to say that there is still a border between "children's" and "adult" literature. Now they even write Russian detective stories for children. Unfortunately, popular books are not always of high quality, although quality is especially useful for children's reading, as reading helps students develop emotional intelligence and Creative skills and plays a key role in the development of cognitive skills. On the other hand, access to all kinds of literature is also extremely important for children's success. Moreover, and no less important, leading role in the development of love and passion for reading in children, parents and teachers should play, regardless of what kind of literature children are interested in.

2. In his book “Fairy tale and true story. History of Russian Children's Literature” Ben Hellman pays special attention to children's magazines, because it was through them that texts for children's reading were distributed and became popular. It is obvious that today in Russia children's magazines no longer have such influence as they did in the 19th and 20th centuries. What has come to replace them?

Book market and social media. Now, parents and children are much more likely to buy books in stores or online than they are to read children's magazines to find out what's new or interesting. They often learn about new books from blogs, web pages, VKontakte or Facebook. Sure, popular books sell well, which helps bookstores make a profit, but it's much harder to attract an audience for unknown authors. Such a system has always existed in the West, but now that Russia has begun to have an open market system, she also began to have difficulty publishing beginners or less famous authors. But, despite this, both in the West and in Russia, people simply need to look for and find new and innovative authors, as well as read children's classics.

3. Children's literature before the revolution and in the Soviet Union was called upon to establish a certain system of values. What are the values ​​of modern children's literature? Has the perception of old texts changed by new generations?

The teaching of special values ​​has become less important in today's children's reading. Contemporary children's literature plays an important role as it gives children the ability to appreciate the cultural heritage of their ancestors. It stimulates the growth and development of the child's personality and social skills. In addition, it transmits key themes and works of various writers from one generation to another. From my point of view, the perception of old manuscripts by new generations has not changed, as children are interested in a good plot, interesting characters and a memorable story. It is for these reasons that children still love and read the poems of K. Chukovsky, S. Marshak, B. V. Zakhoder, A. L. Barto, as well as the fairy tales of A. N. Tolstoy and A. M. Volkov.

4. What did you read as a child and how did it affect you?

When I was little, my favorite books were about animals, such as Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and The Wind in the Willows. These books gave me the opportunity to "feel" worthy literature and, moreover, helped me develop my imagination with early years. But, more important than anything else, they taught me to appreciate the world, develop love for nature. As a result, I still prefer to spend time outdoors, in nature or among animals than with people. Moreover, this is most likely the reason for my frequent pastime in the garden, where I can observe birds, animals and insects, which are my special favorites. Without a doubt, children's reading definitely has a serious impact on a person.

As children, when we read a book, we don't think about what it is about, we just read. Ask a young child, "What is the book about?" He will tell that it is about the prince and princess, retell the plot. But in fact, many children's books are actually hidden deep thoughts that only adults can appreciate.

The editors of the site have prepared for you a selection of books that you should reread with your children and discover something new. Let's get started!

Publisher: Eksmo

Some fans have grown with the book: Harry has grown, so have they. And today's children read all seven volumes in one gulp. If you first met the "boy-who-survived" in childhood, now when you read it, you will already have completely different feelings and thoughts (especially this time, you know everything about Snape from the very beginning!).

Publisher: Eksmo

Classics of children's and adult literature. You can and should read at any age, each time you will find something new to think about. - it's also about the relationship between children and adults, about different views of the world. Therefore, it's time to reread it, since you also have a little prince or princess in your family.

Publisher: Azbuka

Publisher: Pink Giraffe

Dystopia for children is already quite interesting. A story about the rigid limits of an ideal world and about the memory that must be kept. Will teach a lot to both children and you. If you are a fan of Zamyatin and Orwell, but missed this work - take the book away from the children!

Publisher: Genres, Astrel

If you do not remember a single philosophical quote from this book, immediately go read aloud to your child, remember how deep this work is. Ours, of course, is beautiful, but about something completely different. And this is a touching story about a dad, his son and a fairy tale about the Magic Forest at night. Sometimes the bear cub and his friends say things that make you look at the line for a long time and think: “But how right he is !!!”.

Publisher: Rosmen-Press

An ideal lady with clear rules of life. It would be good for adults to observe them, otherwise they have already forgotten what it means to be “perfection itself”. Moreover, Mary will soon return to the screens, and we can remind ourselves of what miracles she worked. And whether it was miracles or just education ...

Publisher: Eksmo

Leaving Narnia is difficult. Her world consists of thousands of small details, in which one is drawn to plunge again and again. And this world was created as a gift for four children who were waiting for the bombing in the author's house. Later, the images of the main characters were written off from them. At least it will make you look at a long-familiar work in a new way.

Publisher: Azbuka-Atticus, Machaon

Surprisingly adult work, with detailed description rocket science, dystopia (even two) inside and a very famously twisted plot. We still do not forget about the topic of censorship and slave labor - yes, yes, all this is written in, if you forgot - re-read!

Publisher: KompasGid

This is a story about a boy who traded his laughter for material well-being. Doesn't it remind you of anything? What are you saying? Faust? I think, yes. A surprisingly deep thought that makes you think about the consequences of such a choice for both children and parents.

Publisher: Azbuka, Azbuka-Atticus

Like a fairy tale about rabbits, well, what could be nicer and simpler. But it's not. Here rabbits are a separate people with their own history, language and philosophy. And the problems facing the fluffy ones are not at all childish - dictatorship, migration, moral choice. It is worth asking your child not to take the book to the library immediately after reading.

Publisher: Azbuka-Atticus, Machaon

The young heroine of the fairy tale is impressive both in childhood and now. With strong character and good heart it turns out almost impossible - to reconcile sworn enemies, and even make friends with a former rival. And no magic, only human relations and effort on oneself. Amazing girl this Roni!

Publisher: AST, Malysh

There's no need to tell you anything, who doesn't remember Tom Sawyer? Excellent humor, twisted adventures, first love, strong friendship, believe me - it is also interesting to read in adulthood. Yes, and you will no longer associate yourself with eccentric Tom, you will rather think, oh, poor aunt! How does she deal with him?

Publisher: Ripol Classic

A children's fairy tale that sometimes resembles a horror story. Surely you read it as a child, it was part of the school curriculum for summer reading. But this tale is also not so simple, in order to remember why you can’t rely on luck and always try to become better, you will have to re-read it.

Publisher: Eksmo

The boy who never grows up. Just think about how many years he lives as an eternal child and continues to kidnap children in Neverland? Even scares a little. In addition, there are many adult and interesting thoughts in the book that you will notice only now. A must read!

Happy reading and rethinking!

When preparing publications for children, not only children's, but also "adult" literature is used. Therefore, in publishing and editing, several concepts are used that characterize the field of publishing literature for children and youth.

There are such concepts as "children's literature", "literature for children", "children's reading circle". Already from the names themselves it is clear that they intersect with each other and at the same time have an independent content.

Understanding the meaning that is invested in each of these terms is important, first of all, from the point of view of a general approach to book publishing, since they determine the organization and method of forming the repertoire of publications, the sources of selection of works, and the features of the work of an editor with authors.

Consider the concept of "children's literature"; it is precisely this that is the starting point for characterizing the entire field of publications for children.

Children's literature is created specifically for the children's readership. The writer takes into account the specifics of children's perception, trying to ensure that his work is well understood and assimilated by readers of a certain age.

Of particular importance is the author's ability to recognize child psychology, focus on the interests, predilections of children, their ability to perceive certain facts. They say that in order to create a work of children's literature, it is necessary to preserve the "children's vision of the world", which allows one to clearly imagine the properties and qualities of children's perception. A children's writer must understand and know the child and, of course, have a special talent that determines the author's skill - the talent to create vivid, unforgettable pictures of the world around him, recognizable by the child and instructing him.

When creating a work of children's literature itself, the specifics of a certain age are taken into account.

Obviously, a writer who addresses children's literature must be different. special treatment to life, to imagine how the surrounding reality is perceived by the child, to note the unusual, bright - what is interesting to his future readers.

Certain methods have been developed for writing a work of literature especially for children. Here is just one fairly common technique associated with the special position of the author of the work - he looks at the world around him as if from childhood, which he describes. The writer does not observe his characters from the side, but considers events through their eyes. This is how the narrative develops in the stories "Childhood" by L. Tolstoy and "Childhood" by M. Gorky, "The Blue Cup" by A. Gaidar. The writer reincarnates in his characters, not allowing himself to step back for a minute and look at them through the eyes of an adult. Apparently, it is the view of the world from childhood that imparts to the content of these stories one of the most essential qualities for works of children's literature - the quality of the reliability of what is described, the comprehensibility for the reader.

Thus, children's literature is specially created for a certain age category of readers, taking into account the specifics of children's perception.

One of the important tasks of the editor is to create an asset of children's writers. Meanwhile, it can be difficult to find these writers, because children's writers are writers with a special gift - to remember and understand childhood. V.G. Belinsky wrote: “One should be born and not become a children's writer. It's kind of a calling. It requires not only talent, but a kind of genius ... many conditions are needed for the education of a children's writer ... Love for children, deep knowledge needs, characteristics and shades of childhood is one of the important conditions.

Consider a broader concept - "literature for children." This concept denotes both children's literature and adult literature, which is of interest to children and understandable to them.

It is known that many writers whose works are readily read by children did not write specifically for children. For example, the famous Russian writer I.A. Goncharov admitted: “How soon you sit down to write with the thought that this is for children, you can’t write and nothing more. It is necessary to forget this circumstance, but how can you forget it? You can write for them not on purpose, without thinking about it ... For example, Turgenev, without trying and without suspecting anything, wrote his "Bezhin Meadow" and some other things - for children. I also accidentally wrote a book for young people, "Pallada" (meaning "Frigate" Pallada. - S.A.) ... I believe that it is actually impossible to write for children, but you can put something ready-made in a children's magazine that written and lying in a briefcase, a journey, a story, a story - everything that is suitable for adults and that has nothing in itself that could harm the children's mind and imagination.

The writer N. Teleshov recalled: “Chekhov assured ... that there was no “children's” literature. “Everywhere they write only about Sharikov and Barbosov. What is this "baby"? This is some kind of "dog literature".

In a letter to Rossolimo on January 21, 1900, A.P. Chekhov notes: “I don’t know how to write for children, I write for them once every ten years and I don’t like and don’t recognize the so-called children’s literature. Andersen, "Pallada Frigate", Gogol are read willingly by children, adults as well. We must not write for children, but must choose from what is written for adults.

And A.P. Chekhov did not specifically create children's works, but his stories, such as "Kashtanka", "Boys", for example, are eagerly read by children.

Let us give the opinion of a modern writer. In response to a question about the specifics of children's literature, which was contained in a special questionnaire for the House of Children's Books of the Children's Literature publishing house, A. Markusha wrote: “Now there is a lot of debate about the specifics of children's literature. I don't believe in any specifics. There is literature (and there is little of it), and then there is “literature” (and there is a lot of it). Children should read adult books written by real masters, let them understand and not everyone, at least they will get used to real art, and not be brought up on surrogates ... Children need to know more about adults! (from the materials of the Children's Book House).

Thus, the reading of children covers not only specially written works, but is also replenished at the expense of adult literature. This is how the repertoire of publications for children is formed. It consists of children's literature and works written for adults, but of interest to children.

From children's literature and literature for children, the so-called circle of children's reading is compiled. The Encyclopedic Dictionary "Knigovedenie" defines the circle of reading as follows: "A set of printed works, reflecting the main interests and reading needs of a certain reader group. The circle of reading is socially and historically conditioned. Revealing the range of reading is one of the main tasks of specific sociological research in the field of reading.

With regard to children's reading, the circle of reading has its own characteristics. Let's dwell on them.

The Children's Reading Circle includes books that should be read in childhood and that define the reading of a child of a particular age. This is a dynamic phenomenon, since as the child grows, the scope of the literature that he reads expands. The reading circle shows the interests and passions of a person, individual publications “return” if the reader refers to them more than once. The composition of publications is constantly changing depending on the change in the interests of children and the repertoire of published publications, and the richer, more diverse the repertoire, the more opportunities to influence the child, since his reading circle will to some extent reflect this richness and diversity.

The formation of a circle of children's reading is associated with the solution of educational problems. That literature, which is specially written for children, determines in many respects the appearance, character, and behavior of children. In addition, it is a source of cultural traditions, conveys a certain experience to readers. It is no coincidence that V.G. Belinsky paid special attention to determining the circle of children's reading. Reflecting on its composition, the critic first of all pointed out the connection of the book with life, artistry, "profoundness" and humanity of the idea, chastity of content, simplicity and nationality. Among the works that should be included in the circle of children's reading, he named poems and fairy tales by A.S. Pushkin, a novel about the adventures of Robinson Crusoe by D. Defoe.

Children's literature forms and defines the reading circle of each child, changing and structuring its composition, and this literature is gradually being replaced by "adult" literature, leaving children's literature itself outside the reader's interests. Given that certain books can most effectively affect the reader for whom they are intended, it can be considered that literature included in the circle of children's reading should be read at the appropriate age; books that did not “catch” the reader in time cannot have the influence on him that the author sought, and, therefore, their social functions do not fully fulfill. Indeed, the impact on a preschooler, an older schoolchild, an adult of a fairy tale, for example, "Little Red Riding Hood", is different, since at each age "their own" aspects of the work are of interest. Consequently, the circle of reading determines the degree and nature of the influence on the reader of the content of the work and is associated with the characteristics of the properties of various categories of readers.

When organizing book publishing for children, especially in the process of forming a repertoire, the editor focuses on the circle of children's reading, selecting works for reprinting and including new literature in the publishing system.