Old woman Shapoklyak: the tragedy of a real person, hidden behind a grotesque image

Each of us from childhood is well familiar with the old woman Shapoklyak-a dirty old woman with a large rat Lariska on a leash. The whole essence of this character lies in one phrase from her song — "You can't be famous for good deeds". We know that this lady uses a slingshot and is very attached to her pet, which she sometimes carries in her reticule.

It turns out that the image of Shapoklyak is collective and she has several prototypes, each of which was inextricably linked with its creator — Eduard Uspensky.

It is known that the first prototype of the old woman Shapoklyak was the first wife of the writer Rimma Uspenskaya. With this woman, the author of Cheburashka lived for 18 years, after which they broke up. The woman died of cancer in 2014 at the age of 77. Her daughter Tatiana said that before her death, she was bedridden for several months, and when she died, her father paid for the funeral, but did not attend it himself.

Hanna Myakelya, a biographer of Eduard Uspensky, once wrote that the image of Shapoklyak was copied from the writer's mother, Natalia Alekseevna. A mechanical engineer by profession and the wife of a party worker by marital status, she dressed elegantly and at the same time had a difficult character.

But the writer himself did not agree with this statement, saying in an interview his point of view:

Yes, Ouspensky spoke extremely negatively about his first wife Rimma all his life. They met while studying at the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) and got married as students. The couple had a daughter, Tatiana, who, until his death, never forgave Eduard Nikolaevich for his treatment of close people and leaving the family.

Eduard Uspensky with his mother

"The lady is harmful in all respects" — this is how Ouspensky briefly characterized the woman with whom he lived together for 18 years. At the same time, the writer liked to mention that he himself is also far from a gift.

Tatiana Uspenskaya once told in an interview the love story of her parents. According to the woman, Ouspensky took care of her mother for a long time and beautifully. Rimma did not want to get married, but Eduard Nikolaevich persisted and achieved his goal.

The writer's daughter does not hide that this marriage was unsuccessful. Tatiana remembered her parents ' family life as a series of almost incessant scandals. Because of this, a woman from childhood does not tolerate shouting and swearing. According to her, her father was constantly drinking and having affairs on the side, which, of course, did not like the wife. Tatiana Uspenskaya also recalled the peculiarity of her father always and for any reason to pose as a victim, which was also very annoying.

Eduard Uspensky with his daughter Tatiana

In his will, Edward Ouspensky did not mention his own daughter, leaving everything he had acquired to his adopted daughters Irina and Svetlana, the children of the second wife.

When they talk about Shapoklyak, we immediately see an image from the cartoon. The doll in stylish and unusual clothes reflected the era of the 30s of the last century. Mariana Skuratovskaya, a well-known fashion historian in Russia, once said that Shapoklyak approved of the costume it would be Chanel herself.

Leonid Shvartsman — the second "father" Shapoklyak

The stylish old lady was invented by the artist Leonid Shvartsman, who never hid the source of his inspiration.

But it is worth noting that the very image of the nasty old woman is not so simple and it hides not only a mystery, but also a human tragedy. Given the years of creation of this character, in the 1930s, Shapoklyak must have been about 30 years old and she was a young and blooming woman, used to taking care of herself and, no doubt, educated.

The fashionista probably dreamed of leaving the Soviet Union and settling somewhere in Paris, where she would have a chance to become famous. But the Second World War began and the dreams were not destined to come true.

If you look closely at the old woman, then there are positive features in her. She is often merciful and very active. In the story, where the workers played dominoes, instead of repairing the school, it was Shapoklyak who moved the matter from the dead point and made everyone move.

This character is devoted to quite serious historical articles, such as" The Old Woman Shapoklyak as a bygone symbol of the Russian-Imperial intelligentsia " by Dmitry Doronin. The author recalls how he first encountered ladies who looked like the fictional heroine of Ouspensky.

That's all you need to know about the mischievous old woman from a children's fairy tale. We are sure that now you will look at her tricks differently and show leniency to her shortcomings, making allowances for the difficult female fate. It should also be mentioned that this character turned out to be so bright that for many decades it has inspired artists, photographers and even cosplayers.