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

Not always there is time for a leisurely reading of the book, no matter how interesting it may be. In this case, you can simply learn the summary. "12 chairs" - the offspring of Ilf and Petrov, deserved the title of one of the most fascinating satirical works of the last century. This article offers a brief summary of the book, as well as its main actors.

«The Stargorod lion»

"12 chairs" - a novel divided by the will of the creators into three parts. "Stargorod lion" - the name that received the first part of the work. The story begins with the fact that the former uyezd leader of the nobility Vorobyaninov learns about the treasure. Ippolita's mother-in-law admits to her son-in-law that she hid the family diamonds in one of the chairs of the living room set.

Ippolit Matveyevich, whom the revolution deprived of the status in the society and turned into a modest civilian registrar, badly needs money. Burying his mother-in-law, he immediately goes to Stargorod, hoping to find a family that belonged to his family and grab diamonds. There he encounters the mysterious Ostap Bender, who convinces Vorobyaninov to make him his companion in such a difficult matter as treasure hunt.

There is also one more character of the book, which can not be ignored, retelling its brief content. "12 chairs" is a novel, the third main character of which is Father Fyodor. The priest, who confessed the dying mother-in-law of Ippolit Matveyevich, also learns about the treasure and goes in search of him, becoming a rival for Bender and Vorobyaninov.

"In Moscow"

"In Moscow" - so they decided to call the second part Ilf and Petrov. "12 chairs" - a work in which the action takes place in different cities of Russia. In the second part, the companions conduct investigative activities mainly in the capital, while trying to get rid of Father Fyodor, who is following them. In the process of searching Ostap manages to crank out several fraudulent transactions and even marry.

Bender and Vorobyaninov manage to establish that the family suite, previously owned by the family of Ippolit Matveyevich, will be sold at an auction, which will be held at the Museum of Furniture. Friends have time to start trading, they almost get to take hold of coveted chairs. However, it turns out that on the eve of Kisa (the nickname of the former marshal of the nobility), he lowered all the money in the restaurant that they intended to spend on buying a headset.

At the end of the second part of the novel "Twelve Chairs", new owners appear at the furniture. The chairs, which are part of the headset, were distributed among the theater of Columbus, the newspaper "Machine", the witty Iznurenkov and the engineer Shchukin. Of course, this does not force companions to surrender, refusing to hunt for treasure.

"The Treasure of Madame Petuhova"

So, what happens in the third part of the work "12 chairs"? Heroes are forced to go on a cruise along the Volga, as on board the steamer are the chairs belonging to the theater of Columbus. On the way, Ostap and Kisa are faced with a variety of problems. They are seated from the ship, they have to hide from the deceived chess players from the town of Vasyuki and even beg for alms.

Priest Fedor also continues to hunt for treasure, choosing a different route. As a result, applicants for the treasure are found in the Daryal Gorge, where the unhappy Fedor is going crazy, never seeing diamonds.

The central characters of the work "Twelve Chairs", having checked almost all the items of the headset and did not find the treasure, are forced to return to the capital. It is there that the last chair is lost in the commodity yard of the October Railway Station. Making an incredible effort, Bender learns that the desired object was given to the Railwaymen's Club.

Sad final

Unfortunately, Ilf and Petrov decided to present the sad finale to their famous novel. "12 chairs" is a work whose ending disappoints the readers, who hoped that Kisa and Ostap would still be able to get hold of the treasure. Vorobyaninov, deciding to get rid of a competitor and take the diamonds himself, cuts the throat of the sleeping Bender with a razor.

The distraught Ippolit Matveyevich also fails to seize the treasure of Madame Petuhova (his mother-in-law). Visiting the Railwaymen's Club, the unfortunate official of the Registry Office finds out that the treasure was found several months ago. The money received from the sale of teschiny diamonds, spent on the improvement of the Club.

Ostap Bender

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

The past Ostap, whom the authors describe as a "young man of 28 years," remains a mystery. The content of the first chapter, in which this hero appears, gives readers to understand that in front of them is a clever rascal. Bender has an attractive appearance, is smart, knows how to find an approach to any person. He is also endowed with a great sense of humor and 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.

Is there a prototype for such a vivid character as Ostap Bender? "12 chairs" - a novel, first published in 1928. Almost a hundred-year history of existence does not prevent the book from being the subject of heated debates of fans, with the greatest attention paid to the personality of the "great combinator." The most popular theory says that the prototype for this image was Osip Shor, an adventurer from Odessa, who won the reputation of a dandy.

Kisa Vorobyaninov

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

In the first chapters of the novel, Vorobyaninov practically does not manifest himself at all, acting as a puppet who easily subordinated himself to Bender. Ippolit Matveyevich completely lacks such virtues as vigor, lucidity, practicality. However, gradually the image of the former leader of the nobility is undergoing changes. In Vorobyaninov there are such traits as greed, cruelty. Decoupling becomes quite predictable.

It is known that the prototype for Kisa was his uncle Yevgeny Petrov. Eugene Ganko was known as a public figure, a jouyr and a gourmet. During his lifetime, he refused to part with a golden pince-nez and wore whiskers.

Father Fyodor

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

The fate of Fyodor Vostrikov is comical and tragic at the same time. Chasing the treasures that constantly swim out of his hands, the rival of Ostap and Kisa is gradually losing his mind. Writers Ilf and Petrov endowed this hero with qualities such as good nature and naivety, forcing readers to sympathize with him.

Ellochka the ogre

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

Writers did not hide that the Ellochka dictionary was developed by them for a very long time. For example, the expression "fat and beautiful," a favorite heroine, is borrowed from a friend of one of the authors - the poetess Adeline Adilas. The word "darkness" was adored by the artist Alexei Radakov, who expressed dissatisfaction with his help.

Madame Gritsatsueva

Madame Gritsatsueva is a spectacular woman, which can not be ignored, retelling the summary. "12 chairs" - a work whose secondary characters are not inferior in terms of brightness to the central characters. Madame Gritsatsueva - extremely plump lady, dreaming of marriage, easily succumbed to the charms of Ostap. She is the proprietress of one of the chairs, for which throughout the history the main characters are chasing. It is for the acquisition of this piece of furniture that Bender marries Gritsatsyeva.

Thanks to the introduction into the narrative of this interesting heroine, the famous phrase appeared: "A sultry woman is a poet's dream".

Other characters

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

Another secondary hero is Alexander Yakovlevich. Alchen (as his wife calls him) is a shy thief. He is ashamed to steal pensioners entrusted to his care, but he can not 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 for the bright images of the heroes and for the fascinating plot. Almost the main advantage of the novel "12 chairs" - quotes, presented to the world. Of course, most of them were uttered by Ostap Bender. "How much opium for the people?", "Soon only cats will be born," "The ice broke, gentlemen of the jury" - many expressions pronounced by a clever fraudster were awarded the status of the people immediately after the publication of the satirical book.

Of course, readers are pleased with the correct statements and other characters of the work "12 chairs". Quotes of Kisy Vorobyaninov also gained fame. "Let's go to the numbers!", "The bargaining here is out of place", "The same is not manzh na sis zhurn" - phrases that at least once heard every resident of the Russian Federation.