Many Internet users attribute to the writer the phrase: “This is nothing that fifty dollars give in Europe for the ruble, it will be worse if they begin to give in the face for our ruble.” We checked whether such an attribution is correct.
A joke about Europeans dislike of the Russian currency with the authorship of the satirist writer Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin can be found on the Internet on many sites with collections aphorisms And jokes. Love to remember her and Journalists, especially when the ruble exchange rate begins to fall noticeably. In some sources you can find and Details The appearance of the phrase: allegedly in 1881, Saltykov-Shchedrin answered the complaints of publicist Stasyulevich so much that in Paris he was given only 213 francs for 100 rubles, saying that "this is nothing, they will give you for 100 rubles soon in the face."
Most complete set of works The writer was published in the USSR in 1965-1977 in 20 volumes. The search for it shows that in the works and letters of Saltykov-Shchedrin a joke about the ruble in the form in which she gained fame, no. Two fragments are closest from the Essays Cycle “Abroad”, which was first printed in 1880-1881 in the journal “Domestic Notes” based on impressions of a trip to Europe in the summer and surveillance of 1880. In a comic miniature "Boy in pants and boy without pants"A boy without pants (Russian allegory in Europe) tells the boy in his pants symbolizing the European:“ And I have such a signaling (assistance. - Approx. Ed.) Freaty: The bearer is given out of the exchange box office ... Pluch! Here you understand me! " IN a different essay From the same cycle, Saltykov-Shchedrin recalls previous visits to Europe: “I remember when we first opened the doors abroad, I thought: in vain we, the Russians, began to let us abroad-we would probably become infected ... Ah, we fired at this fun! Funny jokes poured a river from the lips of the cultural sons of Russia. "La Russian (Russia.-Approx. Ed.) ... Xa-Xa!" "Le peuple russe (Russian people) ... Xa-Xa!" "Les boyars russes ... (Russian boyars) Xa-Xa!" "Do you know that our ruble is a fifty dollars ... ha ha!" But many years have passed since then, and much, during this time, has changed. <...> ... the jokes were disgusting, although the supply of materials for them was not exhausted at all. And most importantly, the involuntary replacement of rubles by fifty dollars turned out to be far from as ridiculous as it seemed in a burning. ”
Thus, both parts of the jokes - what a fifty dollars are given for the ruble and that instead of giving money in another currency they will beat - in the cycle “abroad” are present, but they are not connected with each other. At the same time, in the comments on the collection of essays literary critic Sergei Makashin claims: “After the Russo-Turkish war (1877-1878.-Approx. Ed.) The course of the Russian ruble abroad was very low. The words "boy without pants" are connected with the Palace of Saltykov, who said in response to the message that in Germany only fifty dollars give: "Wait a minute, soon they will only give him in the face for him". " The researcher refers to a certain "message of K. M. Saltykova Ivanov-Rebel."
Makashin, most likely, had in mind the comments of the literary critic Ivanov-Raznik to the six-year “works” of Saltykov-Shchedrin, published by the Soviet State Publishing House in 1926-1928, which really brought Kalamble Shchedrin in the same form (vol. 4, p. 646). However, the reliability of the message of Konstantin Mikhailovich Saltykov (1872–1932), the only son of the writer, does not look indisputable, because by the time “after the Russo-Turkish war” he was six to seven years old, therefore, he almost certainly heard a joke later and not necessarily from his father himself. Note that in a small own book "Intimate Shchedrin"(1923) Saltykov, Jr. Kalamber does not mention the ruble.
The earliest of the discovered “verified” source where there is a joke about the ruble in Europe is the book “Our comedians in 100 years: in caricatures, prose and poetry: review of Russian humorous literature and journalism”, published in 1904. In the publication (p. 112–113), the miniature "from the past" is printed. Here is its full text.
When a Russian person falls abroad, he often and completely unfairly finds that there is much better there than in our homeland. Especially Russian people, and is completely unfair, cannot reconcile with the decline of our cash course. So, one completely unjust Russian man was once very saddened by Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin. In the days of the emergency decline of our money, a completely unfair Russian man met with Saltykov in Paris and bitterly complained to him at a low course.
“I don’t find this,” Mikhail Evgrafovich patriotically remarked, “the course of our money is magnificent.”
- Have mercy! - the interlocutor exclaimed, - After all, only fifty dollars are given to us for the ruble.
-So after all, they still give a fifty dollars, this is excellent! That's when they will give in the face for our ruble, then the course will be bad.
The completely unjust Russian man was embarrassed, and an absurd thought occurred to him: well, how did he do it?
In the book of the miniature, it is printed among the materials taken from the Word weekly sheet, which from December 1899 to April 1900 was published by members of the St. Petersburg literary circle "Friday", Gathering in the apartment of the poet Konstantin Sluchevsky. “Slovts” is a bibliographic rarity, so “verified” was not directly familiar with the sheet, but other materials printed in the book “Our comedians over 100 years” were attributed there correctly, so in this case there are no special doubts. The editor of the “Slovka” was a translator and poet Vladimir Likhachev, but other regulars “Friday” took part in his creation, including Fedor Sologub, Konstantin Balmont, Dmitry Merezhkovsky, Zinaida Gippius and other famous writers. It is impossible to install the author of miniature “from the past”. It cannot be excluded that the actual severity of Saltykov-Shchedrin (he died in 1889, ten years before the publication “Slobe”), which went to the St. Petersburg literary environment in oral form. But it is just as likely that this is a literary joke, invented by someone on the basis of two different jokes from the cycle “abroad” of the same Shchedrin.
The next mention of the joke is found in written in July 1929 letter Historian Eugene Tarle to the writer Korney Chukovsky. Answering the writer’s question about the exchange rate of the ruble for Frank in the 19th century, Tarle gave the following example: “In 1881, Stasyulevich told Shchedrin:“ Disorders, only 213 francs were given to me in Paris for 100 rubles. ” And Shchedrin: "This is nothing yet, and soon they will give you for 100 rubles in the face." It is this version on the Internet that is sometimes given as a real quote for Shchedrin, but its reliability is very doubt, because in the same letter Tarla admits that he does not have books at hand and is forced to rely only on his memory. It seems likely that he could read a joke attributed to Shchedrin in published shortly before the comments of Ivanov-Range, and additional details were simply inventing, because even in his own books a historian Not always Strictly adhered to sources.
Almost simultaneously with the Academician, a joke about the ruble was recalled by the emigrant writer Mark Aldanov in the essay “In England”, which included in the book “Earth, people"(Published in Berlin in 1932). Talking about the economic program of the British politician of Lord Biverbrut, Aldanov recalled the Russian satirist: “Shchedrin said at the time of the fall of the ruble:“ This is nothing when they give a fifty dollars for the ruble. But what if they give in the face for the ruble! .. ”” (p. 210). Later Aldanov again Used This joke in the historical novel “Sources” (originally printed in the New York “New Journal” in 1943-1946, the full book publication took place in 1947): “Almost exceptionally rich people went abroad in 1879: after the Russo-Turkish war, the ruble rate fell. Saltykov’s word was repeated in society: “Nothing, if half price is given in Europe for the ruble. But what, when they give in Europe in Europe for the ruble?” For some reason, everyone repeated the word with pleasure. ” As you can see, Aldanov brought a joke with small changes and this time tied it to a specific time - 1879.
In the USSR, the “origins” were officially printed only in 1990, but they read the novel earlier. In particular, It is knownthat it was used by the writer Yuri Trifonov, working on the book “impatience” - a fiction story of Andrei Zhelyabov and his associates by “People’s will”, published in 1973 in the series “Flame Revolutionaries”. That's how Trifonov Describes There, in the last years of Alexander II, the reign of Alexander II: “The ruble exchange rate in Europe continued to fall. It began during the war and continued, despite all efforts, inevitably. Saltykov’s vicious words passed around Petersburg: “Nothing, if half price is given in Europe for the ruble. But what, when they give in Europe in Europe for the ruble?” As you can see, the wording literally coincides with the option of the "origins".
However, the most famous joke about the ruble in the USSR was most likely gained thanks to another writer-Valentin Pikul, extremely prolific and popular in the 1970-1980s. It is found in his work three times in different versions. In the novel about Grigory Rasputin “At the last line” (printed in 1979 in abbreviated censorship, the full author's version was published under the title “Blood Power” in 1989) Pikul He wrote: “The war has blooded the Russian ruble - it fell, battered by Japanese shimoza. Smart people recalled that Saltykov-Shchedrin prophesied: "This is still good if they would give a fifty dollars for the ruble. Worse, if they give us in the face for the ruble!" Later with small variations, Pikul inserted a joke into the novel "Cruiser"(1985) about the Russo-Japanese War and the story" To be the main thing at the fair "from the cycle"Historical miniatures"(1987) about the police official Baranov. It is most likely that Pikul borrowed a joke from Trifonov’s book, although he could read Aldanov.
Since the late 1980s, the joke has become widespread in the press and in public life, since it seemed very relevant against the backdrop of the economic crisis that struck the late USSR. For example, she was remembered by actor Rolan Bykov, speaking on June 9, 1989 at meetings of the Congress of People's Deputies.
So, we can confidently say: the joke that someday for the ruble in Europe will be given in the face is not found in the corps of the published works of Saltykov-Shchedrin, although there are two distant phrases in the cycle “abroad”. Definitely, this acuteness was attributed to Saltykov-Shchedrin in the Model “Slovts”, published in St. Petersburg in 1899-1900. If you believe the later testimony of the writer’s son, the author of the “word” recorded an anecdote that was based on the real Shchedrin puns that went orally. However, this certificate cannot be considered completely reliable: Konstantin Mikhailovich Saltykov could know the miniature from the “word” and pass it off as a true joke of his father. In any case, she gained fame in the twentieth century thanks to fiction: the novels of Mark Aldanov, Yuri Trifonov and Valentina Pikul.
Photo on the cover: Wikimedia Commons
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