Summary: "12 chairs" by Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov. The main characters of the novel, quotes

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

There is not always time for a leisurely reading of a book, no matter how interesting it may be. In this case, you can simply find out the summary. "12 Chairs" is the brainchild of Ilf and Petrov, which has earned the title of one of the most fascinating satirical works of the last century. This article offers a summary of the book and also talks about its main characters.

Stargorod Lion

"12 chairs" - a novel, divided by the will of the creators into three parts. "Stargorod Lion" - the name that the first part of the work received. The story begins with the fact that the former district leader of the nobility Vorobyaninov learns about the treasure. Mother-in-law Hippolyta, on her deathbed, confesses to her son-in-law that she hid the family diamonds in one of the chairs in the living room.

Ippolit Matveyevich, whom the revolution deprived of his position in society and turned into a modestan employee of the registry office, in dire need of money. After burying his mother-in-law, he immediately goes to Stargorod, hoping to find a set that once belonged to his family and take possession of the diamonds. There, he encounters the enigmatic Ostap Bender, who convinces Vorobyaninov to make him his partner in the difficult task of finding treasure.

There is one more character of the book, which cannot be ignored when retelling its summary. "12 Chairs" is a novel, the third main character of which is Father Fedor. The clergyman, who confessed the dying mother-in-law of Ippolit Matveevich, also learns about the treasure and goes in search of it, becoming a competitor for Bender and Vorobyaninov.

In Moscow

"In Moscow" - that's how Ilf and Petrov decided to name the second part. "12 Chairs" is a work in which the action takes place in various cities of Russia. In the second part, the companions conduct search activities mainly in the capital, at the same time trying to get rid of Father Fyodor, who is following them on their heels. In the process of searching, Ostap manages to pull off several fraudulent transactions and even get married.

Bender and Vorobyaninov manage to establish that the family suite, which previously belonged to the family of Ippolit Matveyevich, will be sold at an auction, which will be held at the Museum of Furniture. Friends have time for the beginning of the auction, they almost manage to take possession of the coveted chairs. However, it turns out that on the eve of Kisa (the nickname of the former marshal of the nobility) spent in the restaurant all the money that they intended to spend onheadset purchase.

At the end of the second part of the novel "The Twelve Chairs", the furniture has new owners. The chairs that are part of the set, according to the results of the auction, were distributed among the Columbus Theater, the Stanok newspaper, the witty Iznurenkov and the engineer Shchukin. Of course, this does not make the companions give up on the treasure hunt.

The Treasure of Madame Petukhova

So, what happens in the third part of the work "12 chairs"? The heroes are forced to go on a cruise along the Volga, as chairs belonging to the Columbus Theater are on board the ship. On the way, Ostap and Kisa face various problems. They are put off the ship, they have to hide from the chess players from the town of Vasyuki deceived by Bender and even beg.

Priest Fyodor also continues to hunt for the treasure, choosing a different route. As a result, the contenders for the treasure meet in the Darial Gorge, where the unfortunate Fyodor goes crazy without seeing the diamonds.

The central characters of the work "The Twelve Chairs", having checked almost all the items in the headset and found no treasure, are forced to return to the capital. It is there that the last chair is located, lost in the goods yard of the Oktyabrsky railway station. With incredible effort, Bender learns that the object he was looking for was given to the Railroad Club.

Sad ending

Unfortunately, Ilf and Petrov decided to give the sad ending to their famous novel. "12 Chairs" - a work whose ending will disappoint readers,hoping that Kisa and Ostap would still be able to take possession of the treasure. Vorobyaninov, deciding to get rid of the competitor and take the diamonds for himself, cuts the throat of the sleeping Bender with a razor.

The distraught Ippolit Matveyevich also fails to take possession of the treasure of Madame Petukhova (his mother-in-law). Having visited the Railwaymen's Club, the unfortunate employee of the registry office finds out that the treasure was found a few months ago. The proceeds from the sale of mother-in-law's diamonds were used to improve the Club.

Ostap Bender

Of course, a brief summary will hardly help to understand the motives of the actions of the central characters. "12 Chairs" is a work whose most striking hero is Ostap Bender. Few of those who have read the novel know that initially the "descendant of the Janissaries", as he calls himself, was destined for only a fleeting appearance in one of the chapters. However, the writers liked the fictional character so much that they gave him one of the key roles.

Ostap's past, described by the authors as "a young man of about 28", remains a mystery. The content of the very first chapter in which this hero appears makes readers understand that they are in front of a clever swindler. Bender has an attractive appearance, smart, knows how to find an approach to any person. He is also endowed with a great sense of humor and a rich imagination, prone to sarcasm, cynical. Ostap is able to find a way out of the most hopeless situations, which makes him an indispensable assistant for Vorobyaninov.

Does such a bright character as Ostap Bender have a prototype? The 12 Chairs is a novel first published in 1928. Almost a century of existence does not prevent the book from remaining the subject of heated debate among fans, with the personality of the “great strategist” receiving the most attention. The most popular theory says that the prototype for this image was Osip Shor, an adventurer from Odessa who gained a reputation as a dandy.

Kisa Vorobyaninov

"12 chairs" - a book, one of the main characters of which Ilf and Petrov originally planned to make Ippolit Matveevich. The hero appears in the very first chapter of the work, appearing before readers in the role of an employee of the registry office. It is further revealed that in the past, Kisa was a district leader of the nobility, until the revolution rudely interfered in his life.

In the first chapters of the novel, Vorobyaninov practically does not show himself in any way, acting as a puppet of Bender, who easily subjugated him. Ippolit Matveyevich completely lacks such virtues as energy, intelligibility, and practicality. However, gradually the image of the former leader of the nobility is undergoing changes. In Vorobyaninov, such features as greed and cruelty appear. The denouement becomes quite predictable.

It is known that Evgeny Petrov's uncle served as the prototype for Kitty. Yevgeny Ganko was known as a public figure, zhuir and gourmet. During his lifetime, he refused to part with a golden pince-nez and wore sideburns.

Father Fedor

"12 chairs" - book,which also features such an interesting character as the priest Fyodor. Father Fedor, like Kisa Vorobyaninov, appears in the very first chapter. Ippolit Matveyevich runs into him when he goes to visit his dying mother-in-law. Having learned about the treasure during the confession of Madame Petukhova, the priest shares the information received with his wife, who convinces him to go in search of diamonds.

Fyodor Vostrikov's fate turns out to be comical and tragic at the same time. Chasing treasures that are constantly slipping away from his hands, Ostap and Kisa's rival gradually goes crazy. Writers Ilf and Petrov endowed this hero with such qualities as good nature and naivety, forcing readers to sympathize with him.

Ellochka the cannibal

Of course, not all the noteworthy characters of the work "12 Chairs" are listed above. Ellochka the cannibal appears on the pages of the novel only fleetingly, but her image makes an indelible impression on readers. It is known that in the vocabulary of the heroine there are only thirty words, limited to which, she manages to successfully communicate with others.

The writers did not hide the fact that Ellochka's dictionary was developed by them for a very long time. For example, the expression “fat and beautiful”, beloved by the heroine, was borrowed from a friend of one of the authors, the poetess Adeline Adalis. The artist Alexei Radakov loved to pronounce the word "darkness", expressing dissatisfaction with it.

Madame Gritsatsuyeva

Madam Gritsatsuyeva is a spectacular woman who cannot be ignored, retelling a shortcontent. "12 Chairs" is a work whose secondary characters are not inferior in terms of brightness to the central characters. Madame Gritsatsueva is an extremely plump lady who dreams of marriage, easily succumbing to the charms of Ostap. She is the owner of one of the chairs that the main characters chase throughout the story. It is for the sake of acquiring this piece of furniture that Bender marries Gritsatsuyeva.

Thanks to the introduction of this interesting heroine into the story, the famous phrase appeared: “A sultry woman is a poet’s dream.”

Other characters

Archivarius Korobeinikov is one of the secondary characters in the work "12 Chairs". Appearing in just one chapter, this hero managed to have a significant impact on the course of events. It was he who sent Father Fyodor, who was looking for chairs from Madame Petukhova's set, on a false trail in order to take money from him for providing information.

Another minor hero is the supply manager Alexander Yakovlevich. Alchen (as his wife calls him) is a shy thief. He is ashamed to rob the pensioners entrusted to his care, but he cannot resist the temptation. Therefore, the cheeks of the "blue thief" are invariably adorned with a bashful blush.

The novel "12 chairs": quotes

The satirical work of Ilf and Petrov is interesting not only because of the vivid images of the characters and a fascinating plot. Almost the main advantage of the novel "12 Chairs" is the quotes presented to the world by him. Of course, most of them were spoken by Ostap Bender. “How much is opium for the people?”, “Soon only cats will be born”, “The ice has broken, gentlemenjurors" - many expressions uttered by a clever swindler were awarded the status of people immediately after the publication of the satirical book.

Of course, other characters of the work "12 chairs" delight readers with well-aimed statements. Kisa Vorobyaninov's quotes also gained fame. “Let's go to the numbers!”, “Hargaining is inappropriate here”, “Je ne manzh pa sis zhur” - phrases that every resident of the Russian Federation has heard at least once.