Babikov, Konstantin Ivanovich

Born in a merchant family, studied at Moscow University . The first story of his “Children’s years in the village” was placed in the “Russian Herald” (1861, No. 5) and aroused hopes for the appearance of a new fictional talent: it is warm, although not without an admixture of sentimentality, depicting an ugly life in our pre-reform provincial village. Petersburg magazines opened their pages to the budding provincial novelist. In 1863, his story “Outback” appeared in the journal Vremya (No. 4), the following year in Epoch - the novel “Deaf Street” (No. 10 - 12) and in 1867 in “Domestic Notes” “The Cunning Beguiled ”, Zamoskvoretsky manners (No. 7). Both of these works were published in Moscow and in separate books in 1869. Finally, in 1869, a story was printed in Dawn: “Headquarters Captain Bubentsov and the Plisova Maid.” This ended his journalistic activities. His best work remains “Deaf Street” - a true picture of the life of Moscow corners, the ancestor of “The Unknown”, “Rasteryaev” and other deaf streets that have appeared since then in our fiction. By attaching to this novel the author’s first novel and his essay on Zamoskvoretsky manners in “Domestic Notes”, we get all that is best in his works.

Everything else is already in the realm of speculation. So, in 1870 he composed "Selling Women" - paintings of public debauchery in the East, in the Middle Ages, in the ancient world and now. This is a purely pornographic collection, albeit cut from serious books by Paran du Châtel, Paul Lacroix and others, but published with the direct purpose of acting on the erotic inclinations of a semi-educated mass.

Then, having told everything that he managed to notice about corners and back streets, Babikov, not finding more suitable subjects in the close sphere of small talent, began to write essays and scenes for street illustrated and humorous leaflets: "Entertainment", "Alarm Clock" and others. The volume of small stories by Babikov was published in Moscow in 1872 in the collection under the general title: “Quiet and Smooth,” and the following year, in early August, Babikov died of consumption, in extreme need, 32 years old, increasing only the number of undeveloped talents and unfulfilled hopes of Russian literature. Book of Babikov “From the cradle of the grave. Man and Woman ”(1873) was banned by censorship.

• Babikov, Konstantin Ivanovich // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1891. - T. IIa. - S. 594-595.