Robinson Crusoe Life Story. The stories of the real Robinsons. In harmony with nature. Masafuni Nagasaki

The world famous novel about the extraordinary adventures of Robinson Crusoe has long been ranked among the classics. As it has long been known that the basis of the plot of his book, Daniel Defoe put real story that happened to Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor. But not everyone knows that a century and a half ago a very similar story happened in Russia, only our "Robinson" ended up not on a tropical island, but on the shores of the harsh Sea of Okhotsk. (site)

The stormy youth of the "Russian Robinson"

In 1882, the magazine "Russian Starina" published a note by the researcher of Siberia and entrepreneur Alexander Sibiryakov, which told about the "Russian Robinson". The name of this man was Sergei Petrovich Lisitsyn. A hereditary nobleman, Lisitsyn graduated from the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of the prestigious St. Petersburg Imperial University and received a PhD in Mathematics.

Sergei's father was an officer in the Russian army and died in the battle of Silistria. The boy was raised by his aunt; his childhood was spent in the Kursk province, in the Sosnovka estate. Having received an excellent education, the young nobleman did not want to engage in scientific and teaching activities, however, and became the cornet of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment.

However, Lisitsyn did not enjoy the bright life of the capital's guardsman for long. The end was put by a duel between him and the regimental adjutant, which, fortunately, ended without casualties. Now, instead of the magnificent hussar mentic, Lisitsyn was expected by a dull bureaucratic coat. It was unbearable for the retired cornet to become another "Akaki Akakievich". Therefore, he enthusiastically accepts the invitation of his relative, who was serving in Alaska at the time, to come to the edge of the New World. Lisitsyn was 24 years old when, full of hopes and daring plans, he stepped on the deck of a transport ship of the Russian navy. The year was 1847 ...

How the troublemaker hussar becomes "Robinson"

The officers' wardroom received the retired cornet very friendly. However, he also managed to show his cocky disposition here. Once drunk Lisitsyn uttered a bunch of impudences to the commander of the ship, for which he was sent under arrest. Sitting in his own locked cabin, he began to incite the guard sailors to mutiny. The captain of the ship ordered to twist the instigator and, having blindfolded him, disembark on a deserted shore.

Freed from the bonds, the unfortunate rebel tore off the blindfold and saw on the horizon a departing ship. However, by order of the noble captain, Lisitsyna was left, in addition to suitcases with clothes, a sheepskin coat, three pairs of boots, two pistols, a dagger, a saber, a supply of tea and sugar, a folding knife, a pocket gold watch, a couple of flasks of vodka, a pound of crackers, as well as written accessories, a supply of writing paper, notebooks, tea and shaving utensils, a supply of matches, paints, pencils, drawing paper, credit notes for 2800 rubles and even two hundred Havana cigars.

This considerable baggage was accompanied by a good gun and 26 rounds for it, as well as a note from the commander of the ship. He wrote that according to Marine charter the deed of "dear Sergei Petrovich" deserves death. However, the captain gives him life, since he spares Lisitsyn's youth and wonderful talents, and moreover, his undoubted kindness of the heart. Further, the captain expressed a desire that the difficulties of a solitary life would correct the unfortunate character of the young man. At the end, he added: if someday fate brings us together again, which I really want, I hope we will not meet as enemies ...

Is it easy to be a Robinson?

The nobleman Lisitsyn never had to do anything with his own hands: for this, there were serfs in the estate, and a batman in the regiment. The young man knew that the ship was in the Sea of Okhotsk and hoped that they had landed it on a piece of land belonging to the ridge of the Kuril or Aleutian Islands. Alas, Lisitsyn soon became convinced that the situation in which he found himself was nowhere worse: the Sea of Okhotsk was rising in front of him, the eternal dense taiga rustled behind him, in which poisonous snakes were found ...

A week passed - and the "Russian Robinson" already had his own house with a stove and furniture. Lisitsyn himself made a bow, arrows and a sling, deciding to save rifle cartridges. By the way, the latter were very useful to him when in winter a pack of hungry wolves burst into the house: the hermit killed eight predators point-blank with a gun. Before that, he was lucky enough to shoot a bear and provide himself with a supply of bear meat and a warm fur coat. In the summer, Lisitsyn fished, collected mushrooms in the taiga and dried them for future use.

This story did not go without Friday. In April, Sergei Petrovich was walking along the seashore, assessing the consequences of recent storms, when he suddenly saw a man lying face down unconscious. Later it turned out that the man's name was Vasily and he and his son sailed on transport to Russian America. When the ship started to leak, everyone fled from it, and Vasily and his son were forgotten.

The ship was found nearby. In addition to a sixteen-year-old boy, he had eight Kholmogory cows and a bull, sixteen oxen, twenty-six sheep, cats and two shepherd dogs, as well as food supplies, rye and barley seeds, weapons, two telescopes and a telescope, a samovar, a gardening and construction tool.

The Russian version of Robinson Crusoe is much more humane

Seven months of forced loneliness completely wiped out the arrogance of the former master. With his assistants, he renovated the house and the bathhouse over the summer, learned how to make sour cream, butter, cottage cheese and cheese, plowed a field, where he then harvested rye and barley. The labor commune of Lisitsyn organized an abundant catch of river and sea fish, collected and processed mushrooms, berries, forest herbs ...

Chinese smugglers periodically tried to attack the commune, but the settlers used a ship cannon taken from a ship against them. Somehow, Russian warships, sent to defend our borders from uninvited Chinese guests, approached the coast. It was they who helped their compatriots to repulse the next attack of the Chinese.

Ten years have passed. In 1857, the writer and scientist Alexander Sibiryakov met with Sergei Petrovich Lisitsyn, the hospitable owner of the Amur gold and copper mines. He found deposits of gold and copper ore at the time of his loneliness. By the way, the government appointed Lisitsyn to manage these lands.

Under the "Russian Robinson" there was always the faithful Vasily "Friday", but his son became a student at Moscow University. At St. Petersburg University, they studied at the expense of Lisitsyn and two sons of the very captain of the ship who once landed the troublemaker of the cornet on a deserted shore. Yes, yes, having become rich, Sergei Petrovich found the old man and did not fail to express his gratitude to him. The deceased captain Lisitsyn spent his last journey, after which he took full care of his children. As you can see, the Russian Robinsonade turned out to be no less interesting than the story told by Defoe, and much more humane. Is not it?..

Daniel Defoe's novel "Robinson Crusoe" was not just an invention of an English writer, but based on true history harsh survival. The prototype of Robinson Crusoe was quite a real man- Scotsman Alexander Selkirk, who lived on desert island more than 4 years. At that time, the island was called Mas-a-Tierra, and received its modern name in 1966, more than 200 years after the publication of the famous novel.

Robinson Crusoe Island is located at western shores South America and belongs to Chile. The distance to the mainland is over 600 kilometers. It is one of the three islands of the Juan Fernandez archipelago and has an area of 47.9 square kilometers. The archipelago is of volcanic origin and characteristic mountainous relief. The climate here is Mediterranean, that is, there are pronounced seasons of the year: moderate warm winter(when the temperature drops to +5 ºС) and hot summers.

The events that formed the basis of the famous novel took place in 1704. Alexander Selkirk served as a boatswain on the Sank Por, which sailed to the shores of South America. At that time he was 27 years old. The sailor had a quick-tempered character and constantly came into conflicts with the captain of the ship. As a result of another quarrel, at the request of Selkirk himself, he was dropped off on the island of Mas-a-Tierra, past which a ship was sailing at that moment. It turns out that the fault of his stay on the island was not a shipwreck, as Daniel Defoe described in his work, but an obstinate character. But the rest of the life of the boatswain on the island was in many ways similar to the one that the famous Englishman described in his novel.

He built himself a hut, found wild goats on the island, got himself food and read the Bible so as not to run wild. True, she did not meet the natives there and Friday, and he lived incomparably less time. It is interesting that during his stay on the island of the English sailor, Spanish ships moored to him twice. But since Spain and England at that time were sworn enemies, Selkirk thought it good not to appear in their eyes. The sailor was rescued by the English ship "Duke" (4 years after his landing on the island). The fact that this story is true is also evidenced by the fact that the Selkirka site was discovered on the island. In 2008, a British archaeological expedition reported the discovery of the remains of a hut, an observation post at the top of the mountain, and navigational instruments from the early 18th century.

Today, the island of Robinson Crusoe is home to just over 600 people, who are mainly engaged in the extraction of seafood and work in the tourism business. The biggest locality an island called San Juan Bautista is located in the northern part of the island. Despite the original history, the tourist sector is underdeveloped here, the island is visited by only a few hundred people a year. Absence sandy beaches and high-quality roads, not at all a "paradise climate" (about half a year) and remoteness from the mainland attract only true connoisseurs of a secluded lifestyle who want to touch the history of Robinson Crusoe. In addition to the famous character, the island is famous for another attraction. During the First World War, the German cruiser Dresden sank off its shores. And today divers are organized at its location. By the way, the name of Alexander Selkirk also went down in history. So called neighboring island as part of the same archipelago.

The novel by Daniel Defoe is based on Alexander Selkirk. Unlike many of the Robinsons, who became such by the will of a tragic accident, the 27-year-old boatswain of the ship "Sank Por" Selkirk became a victim of his own character.

The very first. Alexander Selkirk

Hot-tempered and wayward, he constantly came into conflict with the captain of the ship, Stradling. After another quarrel that took place near the island of Mas-a-Tierra, Selkirk demanded to be dropped off. No sooner said than done, the brawler's request was granted. Attempts to return to the ship were futile. The disgraced boatswain spent four years on the island. Here he built two huts and an observation post, and hunted wild goats. Upon returning home, he talked a lot about his adventures. Selkirk was drawn to the sea again, he entered the Royal Navy as a lieutenant and died on board the royal ship "Weymouth" from yellow fever.

Today's. Jose Ivan

In early 2014, on the Ebon Atoll, which is part of Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, two local residents found a man who, he said, had been at sea for about 16 months. During this trip, his boat was wrecked and lost its propeller. We managed to find out that Jose Ivan and his friend sailed from Mexico in the fall of 2012 and headed to El Salvador. After the accident, they wandered across the ocean for a long time; Jose's friend passed away a few months ago. They ate fish, birds, drank rainwater and turtle blood. The found marine robinson now looks fitting: he has long hair and a beard.

The youngest. Imayata

In February 1977, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, a girl named Imayata went with her friends to fish on the river. The boat capsized while fishing. The girl did not return home. Everyone believed that Imayata had died. She was met by chance already in 1983. A twelve-year-old girl who has lived alone for more than six years has even forgotten her native language. Parents, who had buried their daughter in their thoughts for a long time, immediately recognized her.

Record holder. Jeremy Bibs

In 1911, during a hurricane in the southern part The Pacific the English schooner "Beautiful Bliss" sank. Only 14-year-old boy Jeremy Biebs was lucky to get to the coast and escape on a desert island. Boy's literally literature saved - he loved and knew by heart the novel by Daniel Defoe. Biebs began keeping a wooden calendar, built a hut, learned to hunt, ate fruit and drank coconut milk. While he lived on the island, there were two world wars in the world, atomic bomb and a personal computer. Biebs knew nothing about this. Found it by accident. In 1985, the crew of a German ship unexpectedly found the record holder among the Robinsons, who had already reached 88 years old, and brought him home.

From brokers to Robinsons. David Glashin

What does a person do when, as a result of an exchange transaction, he loses $ 6.5 million? There may be many answers, but David Glashin came up with his own version: in 1993, he leased for 43 years a third of Restoration Island, which is off the northeastern coast of Australia (Australia). Under the terms of the deal, he must establish fishing and tourist infrastructure here. David, apparently, had no intention of fulfilling his promise. He pays £ 13,000 a year and leads a hermitage here. David earns money by playing on the stock exchange via the Internet. He grows vegetables, brews beer himself. By a court order, he was ordered to leave the island, but Robinson-broker returned to Big world does not want to. He is quite comfortable living on the island together with his dog Quasi.

Dream island. Brandon Grimshaw

In the early 60s, Brandon went on a business trip to the Seychelles. This work trip changed his life forever - he decided to stay on the unsuitable island of Muaen. Grimshaw was an entrepreneur and had enough money to provide legal basis for his hermitage. Brandon bought the island and started looking for those who had lived here before. The search for him was crowned with success, he found the Creole Rene Lafortuno. He was so imbued with the story of Grimshaw that he left his wife and children and kept Brandon company. "Robinson and Friday" not only live on the island, but support nature with all their might, they planted 16,000 trees each, breed turtles and create all the conditions for a comfortable life for birds. For this, Brandon even brought water to his island. Their efforts were duly appreciated: in 2008 the island acquired the status national park... Today, the history of Grimshaw is widely known and the island is constantly visited by tourists. As a memory of the days when Brandon's hermitage had just begun, he wrote The Story of a Man and His Island.

In harmony with nature. Masafuni Nagasaki

Masafuni Nagasaki was once a photographer, worked in the entertainment industry, but the norms set by society sickened his freedom-loving nature. Then he decided to leave the human world. For over 20 years, Masafuni has been living on Sotobanari Island, near west coast Iriomote Islands, Okinawa Prefecture. The voluntary Robinson eats rice, drinks rainwater, which he collects in pots placed throughout the island. Masafuni dresses only once a week, when he has to go by boat for rice to the nearest settlement (an hour's journey across the ocean). Relatives send him money. The purpose of his voluntary imprisonment on the island of Nagasaki is very simple: "Finding a place where you want to die is very important, and I decided to find peace here."

If someone has not read the book by Daniel Defoe "The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Robinson Crusoe", then he has certainly heard about it. And what about the fact that Defoe, on the crest of a wave of his own popularity, hastily writes its continuation? About how his hero, at an old age, again leaves a quiet house to last time wander around the world, how does one get to Russia? From China, through the Priargunsky post. With extraordinary adventures, Robinson reaches through Nerchinsk (here he and his companions burn a pagan idol, hastily flee, fleeing the revenge of the natives, and the governor of Udinsk provides foreigners with a guard of fifty people), Eravna, Udinsk, Yeniseisk to Tobolsk. Here he spends a long Siberian winter, and in the summer again on a dangerous journey. Through Tyumen, Solikamsk to Arkhangelsk and from there, finally, will sail home.

Defoe does not always indulge readers with details. For example, we will not know how his hero got from Udinsk to Yeniseisk. But this is why there is not a word about Lake Baikal in the novel, which a traveler could not possibly have avoided ?! Maybe Defoe did not know about the existence of the lake?

It turns out that he could not help but know. While researching the novel by the famous author, Academician Mikhail Alekseev, back in 1924, discovered that, describing Robinson's journey across Siberia, Defoe used maps and a whole library of books on geography. And I selected from this list the travel diary of the Russian envoy Electedt Ides, who was heading for China. Robinson repeats the path of the messenger, only in reverse order.

There is a rather vivid episode in the diary connected with Lake Baikal. Ides had to cross the lake in a sleigh, on the ice, since it was winter. Locals warned him that Baikal should be treated respectfully, to call it nothing but the sea, so as not to cause anger and not perish. Idea, he stopped the sleigh, uncorked a bottle of wine and, pouring a glass, exclaimed: "Before God and my companions I affirm that Baikal is a lake." And Baikal took this insult! We crossed in clear weather.

Could Dafoe not have noticed such an episode while reading the diary? The point, most likely, is different.

Robinson arrives in Russia on April 13, 1703. According to calculations, his caravan to Lake Baikal would have approached the beginning of summer, when the lake is free of ice and represents a serious obstacle: there was, of course, no convenient road to bypass Lake Baikal. Defoe, always striving for plausibility, understood that as soon as he mentioned the crossing, he would immediately need to lay out at least some details that would give the event credibility: the type of ship, pier, their names. And he had no information about Baikal shipping.

But every cloud has a silver lining, says Academician Alekseev. By hasty description of the path of Robinson, Defoe managed to achieve an interesting effect: his hero does not travel, but literally runs through Siberia, which, to the author himself, obviously seemed to be a huge, wild, deserted space.

From the magazine "BAIKAL"

Tired of a dull existence and he decided to go to serve as a sailor in the navy. During his service, he sailed a lot on the oceans and seas, repeatedly took part in sea battles and as a result got into the command of the famous pirate, Captain Damper. Then the restless Alexander served in several more crews of ships, after which he stopped at the frigate of Captain Stredling, who made the capable young man his assistant.

A pirate ship with Selkirk on board suffered a slight wreck in May 1704, when a storm brought it to the island of Mas a Tierra, where the frigate was forced to anchor.

After the crash, Alexander remained on the shore with a weapon, an ax, a blanket, tobacco and a telescope. Alexander fell into despair: he had neither food nor fresh water, and the guy had no choice but to put a bullet in his head. However, the sailor overpowered himself and decided to explore the island. In its depths, he discovered an amazing variety of flora and fauna - Alexander began to hunt wild goats and sea turtles fishing and making fire by friction. So he for five years, after which he was picked up by a warship.

Books about Alexander Selkirka

The first book about the adventures of Alexander Selkirk, Industrial Voyage Around the World, was written by Woods Rogers in 1712. Then the former sailor himself wrote a book called "The Intervention of Providence, or the Unusual Description of the Adventures of Alexander Selkirk, Written by His Own Hand."

The autobiographical book of the future Robinson Crusoe never became popular - apparently because Selkirk was still a sailor, not a writer.

The book "Life and unusual adventures Robinson Crusoe, Robinson of York, who lived for 28 years on a deserted island, ”was written by Daniel Defoe in 1719. Many readers recognized the main character of the book, which became world famous, Alexander Selkirk, a forced hermit from the island of Mas-a-Tierra. Daniel Defoe himself has repeatedly confirmed his acquaintance with Selkirk, the story of which was used by the writer in his book. Thanks to Defoe, a living prototype of Robinson Crusoe, a monument was erected in his homeland - the Scottish village of Largo.