Zabolotsky and Africa

Abstract

The article considers the little-known piece of Zabolotsky’s early prose, his adaptation of letters by Iakov Ivanovich Chabrov (1883 — 1853). The book, entitled «Letters from Africa» and illustrated by the painter Nicolai Lapshin, was meant to be a ‘Reader for children’. It appeared in print in 1928. Its author was identified by the surname Beiul, and for this reason, it failed to be associated with Zabolotsky. As it became known recently, Beiul is the surname of Chabrov’s sister, Maria Ivanovna Beiul (1875—1942), who was the actual addressee of the letters. It is assumed that the work on the reader came to Zabolotsky thanks to his friendship with the Leningrad (now St. Peterburg) artists, N. Lapshin and A. Pakhomov.

Keywords: Zabolotsky, Africa, epistolary travelogue, Literary adaptation