8 facts about the ‘king of reporters’ of Tsarist Russia (PICS)

At the same time, the author of ‘Moscow and Muscovites’ had a life like an adventure novel: before earning the title of ‘king of reporters’, he worked as a barge hauler, a circus performer, a firefighter and did many other jobs. This experience would later prove useful to the budding journalist, teaching him how to find common ground with everyone, from aristocrats to vagabonds. We’ve picked out some of the most interesting facts from the life of Vladimir Gilyarovsky (1855-1935) for you below.

He had a second name – ‘Uncle Gilyai’

Gilyarovsky wrote in his memoirs that, as a child, he used to call himself ‘Gilyay’, because he couldn't pronounce his long last name and even his first name Vladimir was difficult for him. The prefix ‘Uncle’ stuck with him in adulthood, due to his sociability and authority. He was a familiar face in various social circles – from the slum dwellers of Khitrovka to prominent writers and artists. Thus, the nickname became his quasi “middle name” and even a pseudonym, which he used to sign off on some newspaper articles.

He worked as a barge hauler on the Volga River

In June 1871, Gilyarovsky read Chernyshevsky's banned novel ‘What Is to Be Done?’ and, after failing his exams, ran away from the Vologda Gymnasium without documents or money. At the time, he was 16 years old and unusually strong: he could bend a coin with his index and thumb fingers and twist a metal poker. So, the young man hired himself out to one of the barge haulers' cooperatives in the city of Rybinsk, then the country’s largest port. One time, he pulled a ship from Kostroma to Rybinsk for 20 full days. Gilyarovsky recalled that it was incredibly grueling, physical labor "until he was bleeding".

He changed several astonishing professions

From 1871 to 1881, Gilyarovsky experienced a period of wandering, during which he did numerous jobs: He worked as a fireman in fisheries, as a hookman at the port, as a stoker, as a factory worker and as a horse herder. He even performed as a rider in a circus and toured with its traveling troupes. His performances were billed as ‘Alexis on a Bareback Horse’. He performed complex stunts, worked on a trapeze without a safety net and even tried to pass himself off as a foreigner. He studied the circus arts (acrobatics, trick riding), while still attending high school in Vologda.

He attended the coronation of Nicholas II at Khodynka Field, where he miraculously survived

On May 18 (30), 1896, during the festivities celebrating the coronation of Nicholas II at Khodynka Field, a monstrous stampede occurred – officially, approximately 1,389 people died in it. Gilyarovsky recalled being in the thick of the crowd, but remembered leaving his father's snuffbox at the races and going back to look for it. This saved his life. He was the first and only journalist to write a report (published in the ‘Russkie Vedomosti’ newspaper) about the tragedy. He described in detail how the dead remained standing in the dense crowd: "The old man standing next to me… had long since stopped breathing: he suffocated silently… and his frozen corpse swayed with us." The authorities later banned the report.

He was friends with Anton Chekhov

The friendship between Vladimir Gilyarovsky and Anton Chekhov is one of the most striking unions in the history of Russian literature. Their relationship lasted over 20 years and, in it, sincere admiration for each other's talent was combined with unbridled joy and mutual respect. The writers met in Moscow in the early 1880s. "At first, we had fleeting encounters and then a friendship developed. I fell in love with Antosha and he loved me until the end of his life, although we had grown distant in recent times," the journalist once recalled. Chekhov sought out Gilyarovsky as an expert on Moscow's underworld. They visited the flophouses of Khitrov Market together, where the journalist served as a guide and guarantor of the writer's safety. Gilyarovsky actively assisted Chekhov in his work on Sakhalin Island, providing him with connections, directions and advice.

Consulted Stanislavsky on the production of ‘The Lower Depths’

In 1902, the Moscow Art Theater was preparing a production of Maxim Gorky's new play. To create an incredibly authentic atmosphere for the lives of the flophouse dwellers, Stanislavsky turned to Vladimir Gilyarovsky, the leading expert on Moscow's "lower depths". The journalist didn't just offer advice; he personally took Stanislavsky and the Moscow Art Theater actors to the most dangerous areas of Moscow, so that the actors could hear the slang, see the types, mannerisms and everyday life of the people they would be playing. Thanks to Gilyarovsky's consultations, the production acquired an incredible authenticity: many even believed that real tramps were brought onto the stage.

He was the model for ‘Taras Bulba’ on the Gogol monument

Sculptor Nikolai Andreyev was looking for a "textured" person to portray Taras and it’s believed that he ultimately modeled the figure on the bas-relief after Gilyarovsky. Contemporaries described him as a portly, powerful man with a luxuriant mustache. His cheerful disposition and barge hauler background made him the living embodiment of the spirit of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. Moreover, Gilyarovsky was friends with many artists, making him an accessible model.

He praised Soviet power

Surprisingly, Gilyarovsky lived under the Soviet regime for almost 18 years and the "living legend of pre-revolutionary Russia" had no disagreements with it. In his final years, he worked on his memoirs (‘My Wanderings’, ‘Friends and Meetings’), which were published and well-received. He was regarded as a respected witness of a bygone era, a unique chronicler of old Moscow, whose talent and authority transcended politics. He, in turn, praised the achievements of the Soviet regime. Vladimir Gilyarovsky died of pneumonia on October 1, 1935, in Moscow.