Khokhryakov, Ivan

Little is known about Khokhryakov; basically - what A.I. wrote about him Kuprin ^[1] :

... he remembered two songs that are well known in Russian circuses. I knew them too. ... Another - historical - about the friend Ivan Khokhlikov and his misadventures, composed half in Russian, half in French:

Our friend Ivan Khokhlikov, Sur le bi, sur le bout, sur le bi du bout du banc. He was a jolly Charlatan, Sur le bi, sur le bout, sur le bi du bout du banc. He once went to Astrakhan, Sur le bi, sur le bout, sur le bi du bout du banc. And Kholeran got sick there, Sur le bi, sur le bout, sur le bi du bout du banc.

About this second song, I, a lover of searching for the sources and roots of nameless creativity, have been making inquiries for a long time and seem to have found traces of its occurrence.

Indeed, such a landowner once lived in Penza, but not Khokhlikov at all, but a nobleman of the sixth book Khokhryakov, a big eccentric, like all Penza landowners.

He loved to cheat, boast, drink on the "you", nibble, lend and owe no return, throw a dashing bank, cry under the guitar and throw a bundle of money to the gypsies - in a word, he was kind, funny, honest and dissolute small.

The most touching thing about this reckless landowner was that he loved the circus and circus people with real great love, faithful and unchanging. When the circus was in Penza, he did not miss a single performance, not excluding children's parties. He brought flowers and gifts to the benefits, baptized children with artists and was planted as a father at weddings. His office was hung with photographs of all known and unknown "circus performers" with their own handwritten signatures, illiterate and clumsy, but at the same time decorated with the most bizarre-luxurious strokes.

When unexpectedly big money fell on Khokhryakov, he was rolling a magnificent dinner for the whole circus band: artists, a veterinarian and a doctor - in an old spacious dining room, grooms in the kitchen. At lunch, the circus orchestra certainly played in the choirs of ancient circus waltzes, marches, polka and gallop, and it has long been established that the whole dinner went at an accelerated musical pace, just like the characters in circus pantomimes dine. They brought and carried away the music to the beat; exaggerated comic but precise gestures were made; clean plates flew across the table from hand to hand, spinning in the air; knives, forks and spoons served as objects of incessant dexterous juggling, and, of course, beat dishes in large quantities shining with happiness Khokhryakov!

He, when he could, generously helped the troupe that fell into a strip of failure. It happened that falling in love with a circus affair forced him to follow some wandering circus from city to city. In this way, he once got from Penza to Astrakhan , where, as a consequence of eating a watermelon, he was seized and almost sent to the other world cholera- morbus ^[2] .

Ah, these Russian landowners! Draws them to themselves, pulls a nomadic life. ...

Time to go to the circus. Both of Jeretti quickly assemble. Signora Gieretti does me a great honor: allows me to bring her cardboard to the circus. At the same time, I take a ticket for a long familiar performance. What can you do? And in me, as in Ivan Khokhlikov, Penza blood flows.

Another story by Kuprin “Tsarev the guest from Narovchat” ^{[3] is} almost entirely devoted to Khokhryakov.

• ... once lived in Penza ... a nobleman of the sixth book Khokhryakov ...
• ... once lived in Penza ... a nobleman of the sixth book Khokhryakov ... : Khokhryakov is the character of many legends that existed in the Penza province. One of them was used by Kuprin in the story “Tsarev the guest from Narovchat”.
• "Tsarev the guest from Narovchat".