Vashkov, Evgeny Ivanovich

Evgeny Ivanovich Vashkov (1878–1938) - Russian artist and writer, famous for his literary hoaxes .

Born in Sergiev Posad in the family of the writer Ivan Andreevich Vashkov . From 1892, he studied at the Stroganov School , but unlike his brother, the famous Moscow architect S. I. Vashkov , he did not graduate: in 1899, being a fourth-grade student, he submitted a letter of resignation and engaged in literary activity.

In 1899 his first publication appeared in the magazine "Europe". Printed in the magazines " Nov ", "Native Speech", " Iskra " (supplement to the "Russian Word") and the newspapers "Courier" , " News of the Day ", "Russian Word" ; edited the magazine "Wasp" (1924), "Friend of Artists." Had a large number of literary pseudonyms ^[1] .

In 1900, the journal “Russian Thought” was published material “Pushkin. New Unknown Initiation Kern ", which turned out to be a literary hoax E. Vashkova. The best known is the case of the sale of Vashkov Demian to Bedny in 1929, for 500 rubles, of the “merchant Fyodor Semykin’s notebook”, in which “turned out” an unknown poem by N. A. Nekrasov “Svetochi” ^{[2] [3]} . Among his literary hoaxes were still “the archive of the Decembrist Mitkov, and in it the diary of Odoyevsky and the letter of Ryleev”, and also (in 1938) “the unknown poem of Mayakovsky“ It was - Russia ”. A. Kamensky wrote in the emigrant newspaper “Rul” (dated June 2, 1930): “This gentleman is known to all the old bohemians of St. Petersburg and Moscow ... by the nature of something in between Khlestakov and Baron Munchausen ... He has the talent of the most skilled mystifier.”

In 1912 he began to publish his daily newspaper, "Evening News" (there were only 27 issues). He had close contact with M. Gorky , V. Gilyarovsky , A. Pazukhin (for whom designed the book). As a graphic designer, Vashkov worked a lot and fruitfully: in the almanacs “Dawn”, “Around the World”, the collection “Bee”, books for children, his ornaments, screensavers and illustrations were accompanied by original texts; He was among the artists and authors of the text of the unique gift edition “Moscow. Moscou. Moskau. Its historical past and present ”; designed the book by I. V. Bazhenov about the Kostroma Epiphany-Anastasiin monastery . Vashkov is also noted as the creator of scenery for performances (in country theaters in Perovo and Malakhovka ).

In 1927 he lived in Ivanovo , where he created the novel "Faceless" under the pseudonym Angelo Cagliari . In Ivanovo, Vashkov created a joint-stock construction company with a registered capital of 500 rubles, the “activity” of which led him to Dmitlag ^[4] : in 1933 he - in Ivankovo on the construction of the Moscow-Volga canal (most likely as a prisoner) - by 1936 The two-volume book “Articles about the village of Ivankovo, folklore and the Moscow-Volga channel” was released.

EI Vashkov is the author of “fairy tales in verses from fig. the author ”“ Ivan the Orphan ”(1911) and the almost fantastic story (about the mystification)“ Leap through New York ”(1927, reprinted in 2006).