'There is nothing better than life, and humor is life': satirist Mikhail Zhvanetsky died

At the 87th year of his life, satirist Mikhail Zhvanetsky died, according to the TV channel "Rain"... Quotes from his numerous monologues, miniatures, plays and books have become so firmly established in our lives that it seems as if they have always been there.

Photo: video frame YouTube / TV Channel Rain

Zhvanetsky’s representative Oleg Stashkevich confirmed this information to Open Media, but did not answer further questions. About his death to the TV channel "Rain" relatives of the writer also reported.

"That's all. You left us forever. An irreparable loss. My friend, you are unforgettable. You are always in my heart,” Alla Pugacheva wrote on Instagram in a post with a photo of Zhvanetsky.

If in the 1950s the rulers of thoughts in Russia were poets, then the 1980s became the heyday of colloquial humor and satire. Gennady Khazanov, Grigory Gorin, Arkady Arkanov, Mikhail Zadornov, Evgeny Petrosyan, Lion Izmailov, Mikhail Evdokimov, and the duet Shirvindt - Derzhavin shone on stage and on television. But in this firmament of talents, Zhvanetsky’s star shone brightest of all.

He was distinguished by an excellent sense of language. He knew how to play with words, put them in unexpected combinations and turn them inside out: “It is better to make love with love than to make love with difficulty.” Or say a completely ordinary phrase, and after a second pause add something that makes the audience burst into laughter: “The cruiser under my command will not enter neutral waters. It won’t work out on our own,” recalls Air force.

Childhood and youth

His parents were doctors: surgeon Mane Moiseevich Zhvanetsky and dentist Raisa Yakovlevna. Their son Misha was born on March 6, 1934 in Odessa. The Great Patriotic War separated Mikhail from his beloved city for life. Father was called to the front, where he served as a surgeon in the hospital, for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. And mother and son went to Central Asia, in evacuation, says Tut.by.

After the war, the family was reunited in Odessa so that they would never part for a long time. Misha enters the 118th high school for boys. His youthful years are spent in the Jewish courtyard, the dialogues of the inhabitants of which will soon be included in the golden fund of world satire.

In 1951, Mikhail entered the Odessa Institute of Marine Engineers, but much more he is occupied not by studies, but by amateur performances. He even organized his own theater of miniatures "Parnas-2", performances in which were held with a constant full house and each time became a real event in the life of the city.

Its appearance was one of the most significant events for the city. The performances and concerts were sold out and with great success. Indeed, he wrote all the texts for the performances with his own hand, and his stage partners were young Roman Kartsev and Viktor Ilchenko. By the way, together with Ilchenko they worked in the Odessa port after graduation: Mikhail was a crane mechanic, and Viktor was a forklift mechanic.

“Eight years of loading and unloading,” recalled Mikhail Manyevich, “traveling on a forklift, sitting in a steamer, in a hold, in a corner, when only eyes and teeth are visible. There I grew up ... "

On the subject: 'Chaplin from Odessa': famous artist and satirist Roman Kartsev died

Arkady Raikin Theater

Once, during a tour of the Leningrad Theater of Miniatures in Odessa, Mikhail meets a real star of those years - Arkady Raikin. Raikin immediately realized what kind of diamond he met on his way, and immediately included Zhvanetsky's works in the repertoire of his troupe. And exactly a year after they met, in 1964, he invited Mikhail to move to Leningrad and take the position of head of the literary department, which he “regretted” more than once in the future:

“It's a matter of the past, but I must say that Zhvanetsky was no good as a boss. He lacked diplomacy, tolerance, elementary perseverance. But Zhvanetsky's literary gift, the acuteness and paradox of his life sense, his ability to convey in the text the diversity of modern colloquial speech, his ability to capture the fantastic nature of reality - all this conquered me. So conquered that for some time Zhvanetsky became in our repertoire, so to speak, the author-prime minister, ”wrote Arkady Raikin in his memoirs.

In 1969, Raikin staged the Traffic Light program at the theater, which entirely consisted of the works of Mikhail Zhvanetsky. It was then that for the first time the miniatures "Avas", "Scarcity", "The Age of Technology" will sound from the stage.

During his time at the Raikin Theater, Zhvanetsky wrote more than three hundred miniatures and monologues (including for Viktor Ilchenko and Roman Kartsev). But at some point, “this situation seemed offensive to Zhvanetsky. Entering the trolleybus and hearing some remarks of his own composition, he sometimes wanted to draw the attention of passengers to the fact that the author is here he is ... "- recalled Arkady Raikin.

The earnings of the young literary genius were also offensive, Mikhail Manievich himself does not forget: “I did not have a tram! I walked across the bridge, several kilometers, to find a cheaper dining room of some kind. Raikin did not pay a dime! I went up to Raikin's wife and said: “Ruth Markovna, I'm leaving. I can not take it anymore. I have no money, nothing. Arkady Isaakovich says that he spent all the money from the Ministry of Culture! In short, she talked to him, and I received 500 rubles. Five hundred! It was a huge amount of money. I immediately moved to the Astoria Hotel! "

Author's career

All things considered, it came as no surprise that in 1970 Zhvanetsky left the theater to finally become an independent satirist and performer of his own works. Together with Kartsev and Ilchenko, he returns to Odessa, where the talented trio creates their own miniature theater, which, a couple of months after opening, was invited on tour. Before leaving, Kartsev and Ilchenko recorded on television a miniature of Zhvanetsky "Avas".

They came on tour as stars, their performances were very successful. And immediately after their return, all three consolidate their success - they win first and second places in the competition of pop artists.

Zhvanetsky is increasingly invited to perform solo. He is listed as an artist of the spoken genre at the Odessa Philharmonic, and later at the Moscow Hermitage Theater. By 1972, the whole Soviet Union was laughing at his jokes, and Zhvanetsky was invited to work as an assistant to the chief director at the Moscow Theater of Miniatures (Hermitage).

Then there will be the positions of director-producer of Rosconcert and an employee of the publishing house Molodaya Gvardiya. A very long journey finally brings him to the place of work, where he worked until his last days - the Theater of Miniatures in Moscow. Mikhail Manievich created it himself and was a leading artist there, as well as an artistic director.

“If we talk about success with the audience, then I always judge by how the audience meets me. If two times are equally good (that is, they get up at the beginning of the concert and at the end), then I think that the concert is successful, "said Mikhail Manyevich.

Zhvanetsky has dozens of books (including a collection of his works in five volumes - "XXI century"), performances and hundreds of miniatures for theater and TV.

"I write in free verse," he said, "in free verses, with a special poetic syllable and melodic word."

Despite his advanced age, Mikhail Zhvanetsky led an active creative and social life. Since 2002, he has been the permanent “Duty of the Country” in the television program of the same name, which won the TEFFI Award, hosted the “Grand Opera” program on the “Culture” channel, toured the country a lot and took an active life position: he was among those cultural figures who who in 1996 called on the Russian authorities to stop the war in Chechnya and move on to negotiations, defended Yukos oil company lawyer Svetlana Bakhmina and the punk band Pussy Riot, and spoke out against aggression, occupation and annexation of Crimea.

In his free time, Mikhail Manievich loved to reread Chekhov and Salinger, listened to the music of Hollywood in the XNUMXs and the ABBA group.

“Things are going well — that's what is bad. Because when things are going well, a person with a gift like mine relaxes. I have to go ... so-so. This way I can mobilize, and I do better. Although, when things are going well, it is also good in reality. In general, in principle, I benefit from both conditions. "

The writer did not like to talk about his personal life. It is known that his first marriage did not last long, and later, according to some sources, four were born to him, and according to others - five children from women with whom he was not in official relations.

Mikhail Zhvanetsky was a People's Artist of Russia and Ukraine, a holder of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV and III degrees, an honorary citizen of Odessa and president of the World Club of Odessa residents. In 2009, the city authorities renamed the former Komsomolsky Boulevard to Zhvanetsky Boulevard.

Last years

The maestro's weakened health made itself felt long before his death, writes 5tv... In 2019, Mikhail Zhvanetsky broke his arm; later, rumors about the writer's serious illness appeared on the network. Recently, fans of the humorist's creativity instantly believed, because the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic raged in the country, posing a particular danger to the elderly.

The writer's farewell party was a big performance in honor of his 85th birthday at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Concert Hall.

In October 2020, he announced that he would no longer appear in public.

“You need to grow old at home,” Zhvanetsky’s representative told reporters on his behalf.

30 wise quotes by Mikhail Zhvanetsky

Zhvanetsky is one of those authors who manage to give thoughts a laconic, sarcastic and absolutely complete form. And most importantly, in his sketches, everyone recognizes themselves - although, perhaps, we would not really like this, notes Adme.ru.

• Never exaggerate the stupidity of enemies and loyalty of friends.
• If you are told that you are a multi-faceted person, do not flatter yourself. Maybe it means that you are a bastard, a bastard and a parasite at the same time.
• If you argue with an idiot, then he probably does the same.
• Luck smiles brave ... And then long laughs at them!
• Alcohol in small doses is harmless in any quantity.
• Thinking so hard, so most people judge.
• The optimist believes that we live in the best of worlds. A pessimist is afraid that it is.
• Nothing hurts a person like fragments of one's own happiness.
• It's okay if they laugh at you. Much worse when they cry over you.
• Wisdom does not always come with age. It happens that age comes alone.
• Our freedom is like a traffic light, which has three lights at once.
• If relatives or friends do not call you for a long time, it means that they are fine.
• Positive emotions are emotions that arise if you put everything on.
• If someone appeared who is ready to move mountains, others will surely follow him, ready to move his neck.
• Real loneliness - when you talk to yourself all night and you do not understand.
• Physical education prolongs life for five years, but these five years need to be spent in the gym.
• A decent person can be easily recognized by how awkwardly he does meanness.
• That our life: you will not get used - you will die, you will not die - you will get used.
• It is better to make love with love than to make love with difficulty.
• Great happiness is to see a real bloody heroic life and not to participate in it.
• It's hard to be the last bitch - forever someone is attached behind!
• As soon as you go on a diet, next to it, someone sits down to eat.
• It is better to remain silent and sound like a fool, rather than talk and not leave no doubt about it.
• Any car will be enough for the rest of your life if you drive quite well.
• It is not enough to know your own worth - you still need to be in demand.
• Life is like a piano: the key is white, the key is black ... the lid.
• The highest degree of embarrassment is the two looks encountered in the keyhole.
• I said: either I will live well, or my works will become immortal. And life again turned towards the works.
• Are you happy? At different times, this question was answered differently, but always - negatively.
• There is nothing better than life. And humor is life. This is the state. This is not a joke. These are sparks in the eyes. This is falling in love with the interlocutor and the willingness to laugh to tears.

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