Isn’t this son of the Slobodskaya land the next candidate for posthumous recognition and glorification throughout Russia (in the same vein as what is happening these days with the merchant Anfilatov, Standard Bearer Bulatov and gunner of the cruiser “Varyag” Semyon Kataev)?

On the city library website named after Green, a 28-page “Calendar of significant dates in the city of Slobodsky for 2018” is available for download. (The download link is in the news feed of the library website, in the entry dated December 5, 2017).

Among other things, the calendar reminds to the reader that 2018 is the year of the 145th anniversary of the birth of Grisha Kosinsky. This legendary peasant from the village of Saltyki, by chance, became a famous wrestler - first with Russian and then European fame. However, at the peak of his wrestling career, he left the arena and returned to work as a peasant in his native village (where his days ended in 1914).

About that fateful incident which brought him to fame, you can read the following on the Internet:

– The popular strongman Fyodor Besov came to the city of Slobodskoy. He demonstrated mind-blowing tricks: he broke chains, juggled three-pound weights blindfolded, tore open a deck of cards, bent copper coins with his fingers, bent a metal beam on his shoulders, smashed a cobblestone with his fist...

At the end of the performance, Besov, as he constantly practiced, turned to the audience: “Perhaps someone would like to wrestle with me on the belts?” The hall fell silent. There were no takers. Then the athlete called his assistant and, taking ten rubles from him, raised his hand up, and again turned to the audience with a smile: “And this is for the one who can hold out against me for ten minutes!” And once again silence in the hall. And like a jack-in-the-box, from somewhere in the gallery, someone’s bass rumbled: “Let me try.”

To the delight of the audience he entered the arena bearded man in bast shoes and a linen shirt. He turned out to be tall - more than two meters, his shoulders would hardly fit through the gate. This was a famous strongman-peasant from the village of Saltyki throughout the province, Grigory Kosinsky. There were legends about him. Grisha could, in particular, tie twelve two-pound weights, put them on his shoulders and walk around with this colossal load. They say that once he put a forty-pound “woman” in the sleigh in which the contractor was riding, shortchanging the workers, for driving piles.

The battle has begun. Neither knowledge of techniques nor enormous skill could save Besov from defeat. The audience gasped with delight when the bearded giant pinned the visiting athlete to the mat.

Besov realized that he had met a nugget. After the performance, he took Grisha backstage and spent a long time convincing him to go with him - “to show strength.” Besov talked enthusiastically about Grisha's future career, about the glory that awaited him. He finally agreed...

Kashcheev's performances(Kosinski's wrestling pseudonym) enjoyed enormous success. In 1906, he first met world-class wrestlers and became friends with Ivan Zaikin, who helped him enter the big arena. Soon Kashcheev put all the famous strongmen on the shoulder blades, and in 1908, together with Poddubny and Zaikin, he went to Paris for the World Championship, from where he returned with a victory.

However, more and more often Gregory expressed a desire to give up his career and fame: “No, I’ll leave the circus. I’ll return home and plow the land.” This is what he did, being at the peak of his popularity.

He was gone in 1914, and the June issue of Hercules magazine for that year reported:

– On May 25, in his fifth decade, the famous giant wrestler Grigory Kashcheev, who left the circus arena and was engaged in farming in his nearby village of Saltyki, died of a heart attack. The name of Kashcheev has not been thundering for a long time not only in Russia, but also abroad. If in his place there had been another uncle, more greedy for money and fame, then he could have made a worldwide career for himself. But Grisha was a Russian peasant farmer at heart, and he was irresistibly drawn from the most profitable engagements - home, to the land...

In the everyday life of Fyodor Besov and his partner Grisha Kashcheev on tour, anecdotal situations also happened. This is how Besov himself recalled one of them:

– Grisha and I are coming to a remote, remote town. They didn’t see people like us there... Kashcheev (Kosinsky’s pseudonym) is shaggy, like an animal, and my last name is Besov... We don’t have a human appearance. They decided that we were werewolves... Without saying a bad word, they lassoed us, took us outside the city and said: “If you don’t leave our city on good terms, then blame yourself.”

So Grisha and I - God bless our legs...

One of the characteristics of Grigory Kashcheev was given by Ivan Lebedev (wrestler, organizer of French wrestling championships and editor-in-chief of the sports magazine “Hercules”):

– I had to see a lot of original people when I was the director of wrestling, but still I have to think that the most interesting in terms of character was the giant Grigory Kashcheev. In fact, it’s hard to imagine that a gentleman, who had made a European name for himself within 3-4 years, would voluntarily leave the arena back to his village and take up the plow and harrow again. That same gentleman was of enormous strength... Kashcheev, if he had been a foreigner, would have earned large sums of money, because he was stronger than all the foreign giants.

(Hercules Magazine, No. 2, 1915).

Preparation of publication – Vladislav Nikonov

The famous strongman Fyodor Besov came to the town of Slobodskaya, in the Vyatka province. He demonstrated mind-blowing tricks: he broke chains, juggled three-pound weights blindfolded, tore a deck of cards, bent copper coins with his fingers, bent a metal beam on his shoulders, smashed a cobblestone with his fist... And in general, he plunged the local residents into indescribable delight. At the end of the performance, Besov, as he always practiced, addressed the audience: Maybe someone would like to wrestle with me on belts? The hall fell silent. There were no takers. Then the athlete called his assistant and, taking ten rubles from him, raised his hand up, and again turned to the audience with a smile: And this is for the one who can hold out against me for ten minutes! And again silence in the hall.

And suddenly, from somewhere in the gallery, someone’s bass rumbled: Let me try. To the delight of the audience, a bearded man in bast shoes and a canvas shirt entered the arena. He turned out to be tall - more than two meters, his shoulders would hardly fit through the door. This was a strongman-peasant from the village of Saltyki, famous throughout the province, Grigory Kosinsky. There were legends about him. Grisha could, for example, tie twelve two-pound weights, put them on his shoulders and walk around with this colossal load. They say that one day he put a forty-pound woman in a sleigh in which a contractor was riding, shortchanging the workers, for driving piles. The fight began. Neither knowledge of techniques nor extensive experience could save Besov from defeat. The audience gasped with delight when the bearded giant pinned the visiting athlete to the mat. Besov realized that he had met a nugget. After the performance, he took Grisha backstage and spent a long time trying to persuade him to go with him - to show his strength. Besov talked enthusiastically about Grisha's future career, about the glory that awaited him. He finally agreed.

Started new life, but, of course, not as sweet as Besov pictured for him. Performances took place in the provinces, most often under open air, with big physical activity. There were also funny incidents during these touring wanderings. This is what Besov said about one of the incidents that happened to them. Grisha and I arrive in a remote, remote town. They didn’t see people like us there... Kashcheev (Kosinsky’s pseudonym) is shaggy, like an animal, and my last name is Besov... We don’t have a human appearance. They decided that we were werewolves... Without saying a bad word, they lassoed us, took us out of town and said: If you don’t leave our city on good terms, then blame yourself. So Grisha and I - God bless our legs... Kashcheev’s performances were a huge success, but more and more often he said: No, I’ll leave the circus. I'll return home and plow the land.

In 1906, he met world-class wrestlers for the first time. He became friends with Ivan Zaikin, who helped him enter the big arena. Soon Kashcheev put many famous strongmen on the shoulder blades, and in 1908, together with Ivan Poddubny and Ivan Zaikin, he went to the world championship in Paris. Our heroes returned to their homeland in victory. Kashcheev took the prize. It would seem that now Kashcheev’s real wrestling career had begun, but he still gave up everything and went to his village to plow the land. Best characteristic Russian hero - giant Grigory Kashcheev are the words of the famous organizer of French wrestling championships, editor-in-chief of the sports magazine "Hercules" Ivan Vladimirovich Lebedev: I had to see a lot of original people when I was director of wrestling, but still I must consider the giant Grigory the most interesting in character Kashcheeva. In fact, it is difficult to imagine that a person who has made a European name for himself within 3–4 years would voluntarily leave the arena back to his village and again take up the plow and harrow.

This man had enormous strength. Almost a fathom tall (218 cm), Kashcheev, if he were a foreigner, would have earned a lot of money, because he surpassed all foreign giants in strength. (Hercules Magazine, No. 2, 1915). Kashcheev died in 1914. There were many legends about his death, but here is what is reported in the obituary published in the June issue of the Hercules magazine for 1914: On May 25, in his fifth decade, the famous giant wrestler Grigory Kashcheev, who left the circus arena and was engaged in farming in his home village of Saltyki. Not so long ago, the name of Kashcheev thundered not only in Russia, but also abroad. If in his place there had been another person, more greedy for money and fame, then he could have made a global career for himself. But Grisha was a Russian peasant-farmer at heart, and he was irresistibly drawn from the most profitable engagements - home, to the land. He was a great hero. But how many people know about it today?

Uncle Ivan

Parade, hello! - Whistle. - Music, march!.. In the arena in patent leather boots on plump short legs, in a Russian jacket of the finest cloth, a Russian cap with a patent leather visor, from under which intelligent eyes look, stands a man of average height, with the broadest shoulders. He's full Russian face with an upturned nose and a small mustache above a plump lip. In his hand he holds a golden whistle on a thin gold chain. This is the famous I, V. Lebedev, nicknamed Uncle Vanya, the referee and organizer of the first professional wrestling championships in Russia, whose name is as popular as the names of the Durovs, Poddubny, Bim-Bom...

While still a student, I. V. Lebedev became interested in athletics and wrestling. At that time he was a member of the St. Petersburg circle of Doctor Kraevsky - the “father of Russian athletics”, in whose “office” many wonderful Russian heroes were born...

Modern “gladiators” enter the arena in a line to the sounds of the “March of the Gladiators”. The music doesn’t seem to be playing for them: everyone walks with their own gait, developed over the years, not at all in the rhythm of the march. The wrestlers step heavily onto the mat, as if they were not alive, but made of iron.

Having walked around the arena, the “champions” stop, forming a closed circle; everyone takes their own “plastic” pose. Spectators already know each wrestler, his biography, fighting style, muscle size. The orchestra freezes.

The real championship is organized by me - powerful Uncle Vanya's voice can be heard to the most remote corners of the gallery - to the world championship! The following wrestlers arrived and signed up. French wrestling technician...

Uncle Vanya organized the first wrestling championship in Russia in 1904 at the Ciniselli Circus. The success was colossal, and so was the material income. But Ciniselli was not one of those who shared income, and soon Uncle Vanya broke up with him. He persuaded the millionaire Eliseev to finance wrestling championships, in return for which he provided his abilities and experience. The most popular champions were drawn from abroad. Multi-colored posters appeared on billboards and fences in St. Petersburg - portraits of medal-laden wrestlers with incredible muscles. The newspapers were full of sensational “information” about the fighters. Interest in the championship was fueled by the fact that Ivan Poddubny participated in it. He has just returned from Paris, where he had a scandal during a world championship meeting with Raoul Boucher, a contender for first place along with Poddubny. Poddubny in Paris, as the wrestlers say, was “combined.” He did not receive a single defeat, but did not receive a prize. Raoul Boucher was also invited to St. Petersburg, and his meeting with Poddubny promised to be sensational, since the Russian hero decided to take revenge.

It is difficult now to imagine what passions flared up around the championships in those years. All levels of society were fond of circus wrestling. Every evening Uncle Vanya had to answer from the arena many questions that the audience asked from the seats: “How old is Lurikh? How much does Chambers Zipps weigh? Is Aberg married? What is Zbyszko's breast size? Where is Zaikin?

Uncle Vanya answered with lightning speed. It was a living encyclopedia in the field of wrestling and sports. True, his answers were not always accurate, but this was not required...

Cyclops Benkovsky weighs seven pounds and forty pounds! Drinks three samovars of tea! Alex Aberg is a confirmed bachelor. Zbyshko-Tsyganevich's chest volume is 131 centimeters! Ivan Zaikin is now boarding the train at Tyumen station to leave for St. Petersburg!..

Uncle Venya, who spoke several languages, was, without a doubt, an educated man and an excellent businessman. His friends were Kuprin, Chaliapin, artists Myasoedov and Serov. The pages of his magazine “Hercules” were decorated with drawings by famous illustrators; Myasoedov drew the cover for it. Caricatures of Uncle Vanya could be seen in all newspapers and magazines of that time.

Uncle Vanya had remarkable talent as a director, and he had a lot of imagination. He invented the “roles” of wrestlers - “lovers”, “animals”, “comedians”. At the performance, he knew how to drive the audience into a frenzy. The most respectable bourgeois beat their fists on the barrier of the boxes and shouted to the whole circus: “Wrong!” Their prim, diamond-studded wives did not behave better than husbands. A wrestler who placed his opponent incorrectly had apples and sometimes even heavier objects thrown from the gallery. It happened that the police had to restore order in the auditorium. The wrestlers who played the roles of “villains” were often afraid to appear on the street.

Uncle Vanya came up with spectacular surnames for new wrestlers, handed out championship titles without any embarrassment, and it happened that one championship brought together a dozen and a half “world champions.” He began to demonstrate all kinds of competitions and power attractions, and came up with the first wrestling - “black” - mask, which became an indispensable character of any championship. He found amateurs in every city who trained him, wrote books on athletics and wrestling, and published the Hercules magazine, which advertised his champions. He raised interest in the championships to extraordinary heights, and he, in the end, killed this interest, bringing his directorial tricks to the point of absurdity, which the public no longer believed in.

Uncle Vanya liked to say: “As long as there are fools, there will be fighting in the circus. There are enough fools for my lifetime." It was a pathetic “philosophy,” but at the circus box office there were still signs that read “sold out.” The result of his vigorous activity were two private apartment buildings in St. Petersburg, his own rather voluminous magazine and his own “business” with multi-thousand turnovers.

When all the wrestlers in St. Petersburg had already wrestled several times, Uncle Vanya found a little Japanese somewhere and made him into another bait for the spectators (this was after Russo-Japanese War). Announcements appeared on huge posters: “The famous Japanese jiu-jitsu wrestling specialist Sarakiki-Kutsukuma has called all the participants in the championship and is betting 1000 rubles against any wrestler!” Sarakiki was said to have a phenomenal arm grip and his grips were almost lethal for wrestlers.

Circus Petersburg became agitated. Uncle Vanya described in the newspapers how the Japanese trains, how he breaks thick sticks with a blow of his palm, tears three decks of cards and compresses the strongest springs. Spectators flocked to watch the new miracle. Sarakiki really defeated everyone. As soon as he grabbed the opponent’s wrists, he began to squirm, struggle, and eventually lay on his shoulder blades without performing a single move. They were afraid to say hello to the Japanese. All the newspapers started talking about him.

The St. Petersburg Athletic Society was patronized by Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich. Interested, he suggested to Uncle Vanya that he arrange a meeting between the Japanese and one of the strongest amateur wrestlers on the premises of the Athletic Club. Many years later, Uncle Vanya told the author of these lines that he found the Japanese in some St. Petersburg laundry. He had no idea about jiu-jitsu or French wrestling. The trick with a strong grip was invented by Uncle Vanya himself, so the prince’s proposal excited him. On the day of the fight, when the spectators - athletes, amateur athletes and other club members - had already gathered, Uncle Venya began to process Sarakiki’s opponent. He felt terribly sorry for the amateur. The Japanese, he said, was furious and would crush the amateur into powder. The Japanese's pride is monstrous, and no matter how much Uncle Vanya persuades him not to cripple the amateur, he does not agree. The lover's soul gradually sank into his heels; he was no longer glad that he got involved in this story. He stepped onto the carpet as if onto a scaffold. The Japanese, in turn, figured out what to do if an amateur attacked him. Uncle Vanya recommended that he pretend to be crazy... As soon as the Japanese grabbed his partner’s hands and squeezed them a little, the lover turned green with fear and fell on his shoulder blades. They poured water over him, and Uncle Vanya showed everyone some non-existent bruises and assured that the lover miraculously did not remain crippled for life. This absolutely fantastic incident strengthened the popularity of the Japanese; he quit the laundry and began to travel with the championship, after some time gaining fame as a phenomenal wrestler.

In approximately the same way, Uncle Vanya made fun of one of the most famous wrestlers - world champion Lurich. A winner of many championships, Lurich was a truly magnificent, strong and technical wrestler. Deciding to play a prank on his prime minister, Uncle Vanya told him that one amateur would like to fight him. Club members allegedly bet a large amount against the champion. They claim that Lurich will not put it down.

Lurich laughed it off for a long time, but finally got angry and agreed to meet with the amateur. Uncle Vanya immediately told about this both in the championship and in the club and immediately began to treat Lurikh from the other side. He praised the amateur terribly. He insisted that he had never met such a phenomenon, that he was a man of terrible strength, despite his low weight, and most importantly, that he was an unusually cunning and intelligent opponent, the inventor of some completely new techniques that Uncle Vanya had allegedly never seen. It was already too late for Lurich to refuse. Everyone heard that the challenge was accepted, and the prestige of the champion did not allow Lurich to back down.

The fight took place. Lurikh's opponent was some funny student, a very average amateur. Uncle Vanya taught him how to behave during a fight. Such a fight athletes l viewers have never seen before. The student took some incredible poses and downright hypnotized the champion. Lurich, confused, was afraid of falling for the “terrible” trick that Uncle Vanya had warned him about. Twenty minutes of struggle had elapsed, - Lurich did not put down the amateur, because he did not try to do so. Later, Uncle Vanya confessed everything to Lurikh, and his anger was indescribable. He broke up with Uncle Vanya and left the championship along with his brother Aberg. They opened their own “business”. Lurich's enormous popularity was deserved, although, of course, his success also depended on the fact that he was almost always the owner of the championship in which he fought. At that time there were a lot of fighters of Lurich’s class.

Soon the name of Uncle Vanya became popular in the provinces, since there was no circus where his championship or a branch of his championship fought. The rest of the referees tried to imitate him in everything, even in appearance. For many years, his directorial tricks were adopted, until the first cry was heard from the auditorium; "Bench!".

The years 1914-1917 were " swan song"circus championships, although it was at this time that they reaped the richest harvest.

Hungarian wrestler Famous Russian wrestler

Sandor Szabo Alex Aberg

Despite the behind-the-scenes “combinations,” a good circus championship was a significant event from a sporting point of view. Wrestlers in those days trained a lot. They knew the technique of wrestling and working with weights well. These were truly strong people.

Sports in Russia were just emerging at that time, and there were only a few athletes, especially in the provinces. Beginning amateurs had no one to learn from, no one to follow as an example, except circus athletes and wrestlers. Young people went to the circus to watch not only “animals” and “comedians,” but also masters of sports with magnificent figures that impressed them. And the fight was sometimes not carried out according to the owner’s schedule. Professional wrestlers valued their name very much: his material well-being depended on the reputation of a wrestler. The result of the struggle was often predetermined by the fact that, traveling from city to city, the fighters fought with each other many times and knew well who would win.

Athletes know how much more visually interesting a masterful demonstration of wrestling technique is than serious wrestling. For example, in 1914 in Kiev, an amateur phenomenon, Black Sea Fleet diver Danil Posunko challenged the famous Zbyshko-Tsyganevich to a competition. The opponents fought in a standing position for two hours, without performing a single move and without ever being on the ground. From a sporting point of view, it was an outstanding amateur triumph, but the spectators watching the match were clearly bored. But when, say, Lurich met with Aberg or Spool, or Clemens Buhl fought with Schultz, it was a spectacle of virtuoso technique, dexterity and beauty.

Professional wrestling was an agitator for beauty, agility, and strength. Amateurs began to “pump up their muscles” and became seriously interested in athletics and wrestling. They entered the circus for wrestling training (and the training was always interesting and athletic!), and invited wrestlers to their clubs.

And how many young athletes were created by the same Uncle Vanya! He was an excellent teacher and coach and loved young people very much. His books on athletics have not been lost to this day. educational value, especially if you take into account that we are often motivated by “results”, and the desire to have a beautiful, athletic figure is inherent in few people.

Professional wrestlers have played a positive role in the development of youth health. Who didn’t want to be like K. Buhl, Gakkenshmidt, Eliseev, Morro-Dmitrizv, Moor-Znamznsky, Krylov, Stepanov, Kerlo-Milano, Aberg, Schwarzer, Borichenko, Spul! What remarkable muscles many wrestlers and athletes possessed! Some really looked like marble come to life, classical sculptures. And what power MANY athletes demonstrated in the circus! This was also excellent propaganda. It would not be harmful for modern amateur athletes to organize not only sports competitions, but also evenings to demonstrate their skills.

It happened that for some reason a circus wrestler left the arena and opened his own school. These schools also played a positive role. Uncle Vanya, whose slogan was: “In healthy body - healthy mind", always visited sports clubs in the cities where he toured and worked with young people for free. Without further ado, he took off his famous undershirt and took up the “doubles”, with which he worked superbly: he squeezed different ways, juggled, showed difficult tricks with them. His specialty was “twisting”: he “twisted” about six pounds! He immediately switched to the wrestling mat and did not keep any “secrets”. He offered to feel his biceps, and he had them like they were made of steel. He truly loved the sport, loved its followers and knew how to captivate anyone.

Uncle Vanya's last major championship was the championship at the Second State Circus in Moscow in 1922 with the participation of the “champion of champions” Ivan Maksimovich Poddubny. It included only Russian wrestlers, mainly Muscovites - Nikolai Bashkirov, Pefnutyev, Titov, Mironov, Kapturov, Hadji Murat. The appearance of I. M. Poddubny in the parade was celebrated with special pomp. He came out after the presentation of the entire championship; the wrestlers met him, standing in two ranks, like a uniform.

Poddubny’s figure cannot be assessed from photographs: this could only be done when he appeared among the wrestlers. When Poddubny entered the parade, no matter what its composition, all the wrestlers seemed to become thinner and smaller. Poddubny’s shoulder width was phenomenal. And his is wonderful rib cage with a huge amount of plastic muscles! His iron muscles are not visible in the photographs. You had to look at Poddubny at the moment of tension: under the thin skin, the muscles, amazing in relief, came to life.

The manner in which he fought was an accurate reflection of his character. Poddubny never “walked towards the enemy”, but, turning after a handshake, took his famous “stance”, slightly raising one hand higher than the other, and waited. At the beginning of the fight, he always looked almost sleepy, only from under his eyebrows gleamed keen eyes. Everything about him seemed relaxed - and it was. Poddubny, like no one else, knew how to relax, and at the same time he had a quick reaction like no one else. If in his manner of movement he resembled a bear, then in his instant reaction he resembled a tiger. He could calmly take the enemy by the hands, then phlegmatically put his hands on his neck, and... suddenly the enemy dived nose-first into the carpet! This is one of Poddubny’s famous jerks. Poddubny’s ability to get into a technique is amazing. He knew a lot of deceptive pressures and feints. This is nothing new in wrestling, but Poddubny had his own ways of distracting the enemy.

The championship in Moscow did not last long, and Uncle Vanya moved to the provinces. There were no longer any real partners for Poddubny; Essentially, he did not fight, but tried, as it were, not to crush anyone by accident. He needed different opponents, although some young wrestlers called him “old man” behind his back.

Poddubny soon taught one of them a good lesson. In 1924, the next championship was held in the Kharkov Circus. Poddubny was invited to raise fees. He has arrived. The premier of the championship was the wonderful Georgian wrestler Kvariani. He was a handsome man with a magnificent figure - a strong, resilient and dexterous athlete. When it was the turn to fight Poddubny, Kvariani did not agree with Poddubny’s proposal: fight for 18 minutes, and Kvariani had to lie down. Lie down? The Prime Minister? Like an old man? Oh no!

“Well, son, let’s go to the drill,” said Poddubny peacefully. “Drill,” in wrestling terminology, means “seriously.” Kvariani arrogantly, “like an eagle,” flew at Poddubny. He was really confident in himself, but he faced a kind of stone mountain. After half a minute, he realized what the famous “old man” was and tried to avoid defeat. Poddubny was no longer a clumsy bear. Once! Two! Three! Like an inexperienced boy, he knocked Kveriani off his feet, without even trying to put him down. The prime minister began to run away from Poddubny by the carpet, grabbed the barrier... Kvarianya was as agile as a cat, but only the cat fell into the paws of the tiger. After three or four minutes, “the old men scooped up the squirming prime minister, shook him and with a sharp movement threw him like a sack to the ground. Kzarieni was carried away from the arena unconscious. It was, of course, cruel, but in the spirit of the unwritten laws of professional wrestling. Poddubny defended his name and, at 53 years old, still did not want to become an old man. A year later, at the age of 54, he successfully defended his name and the honor of his Motherland in America!

Hiding behind the brands of various organizations, Uncle Vanya managed to organize championships until the early forties. He also invited them to circuses, of which he was listed as the “head of the artistic department.” During this period, Uncle Vanya showed himself in a new capacity:

he began to act as a clown entertainer!

Uncle Vanya (I.V. Lebedev) in 1911

I don’t know if I have ever seen a more original, cheerful and witty entertainer than him. Uncle Vanya himself wrote poetry for his conference and did it with extraordinary speed. The conference was always satirical.

Spectators went not to watch the program, but to watch Uncle Vanya. He talked to the audience, “rooted” for the artists, and made funny remarks. It was a "carpet", although not the kind we are used to in the circus. Uncle Vanya even did... cascades! He suddenly fell awkwardly (and most importantly, it was so rare and unexpected) that if he had done even a double somersault instead, it would hardly have made a greater impression.

For an hour now, having forgotten about everything, I have been rummaging through the book rubble at the stalls of Parisian second-hand book dealers. I saw Russian magazines for 1915. Flipped through it. The title of the article caught my eye: “The Death of a Russian Champion.” Its author, a certain M. Jouvet, talks about the Russian hero Grigory Koshcheev: one day he received an invitation to come to Moscow for a meeting of circus wrestlers. He was met in the capital, accommodated in a hotel, and then treated to lunch in a restaurant. At the table, Grigory saw his former rivals, Russian and foreign, whom he had once knocked down at tournaments.
Soon Koshcheev left for his homeland, to the village of Saltyki, Vyatka province, and a day after arriving home he died suddenly.
- What happened? Was he poisoned out of envy, out of a desire to take revenge on a successful rival? - I thought. - Then, it means that those who were with him in the restaurant are to blame for his death. And they were there...
I, worried, hastily leaf through the pages of the magazine... What a pity! The next page, where the names of the people who were with Gregory that day may have been named, has been torn out...

FIRST VICTORY

In 1904, a circus performer and wrestler Fyodor Basov came to the town of Slobodskoy and performed in front of the local public: blindfolded, he juggled two-pounds, broke chains, tore a deck of cards, bent copper coins with his fingers, and bent a metal beam on his powerful shoulders. Sloboda residents were delighted with the artist’s strength!
At the end of the speech, Fedor addressed the audience:
- Maybe someone would like to fight with me?
The hall fell silent. Fight? With such a strong man?..
And suddenly someone's bass rumbled:
- Let me try!
A huge bearded man in bast shoes and a canvas shirt entered the arena.
- Yes, it’s Grigory! Well, yes, he is our fellow countryman from Saltyki,” the audience started talking.
The fight began. And what do you think? The Saltykov man beat the eminent young man. This was Gregory's first victory in the arena.

HIS STRENGTH WAS UNUSUAL!

He could, having tied up twelve two-pound pieces, put them on his shoulders and walk around the village. Once he put a forty-pound “woman” in the sleigh of a contractor who was deceiving and shortchanging the workers for driving piles. The contractor had to ask about two dozen men to pull the “piece of iron” off the sled.
One day on a holiday, Gregory saw a dozen guys fighting. He looked, looked at them, then grabbed them all with his long arms and drove them into the stream. Spoke with judgment:
- Hey you flies! Cool down.
I used to help my neighbors plow their plots and pull sleighs heavily loaded with firewood out of the snow. Because he helped everyone with his strength, Gregory was loved and respected in the village.

PATH TO GLORY

Grigory would have lived and lived, worked and worked in his native village, if not for his meeting with Fyodor Basov. He began to persuade him to perform in front of the people, to “show off his strength,” to fight in the arena: they say, a great future and glory awaits you!
And Gregory agreed. This is how his life began circus artist and a fighter. Of course, fame, fame, and money did not immediately come to him. Grigory had to practice a lot, gaining experience in performing in the arena and studying the techniques of French wrestling. He traveled around the province, often fighting for pennies in cold, drafty rooms. I even thought: shouldn’t he go home from the circus to plow the land...
Meanwhile, a rumor was already spreading throughout Russia that an athlete of unprecedented strength, equal to Ivan Poddubny himself, had appeared on the arena! Grigory performed with great success at wrestling championships in Moscow, Odessa, and Kharkov. At the world championship in Paris in 1908, the French were amazed by the power of the Russian heroes Koshcheev and Poddubny: they had never seen anyone like them!
They returned home victorious.

"FROM AN OLD NOTEBOOK"

“I had to see a lot of original people during my time as director of wrestling, but still, the most interesting in terms of character I have to consider the giant Grisha Koshcheev,” writes in his memoirs “From the Old notebook» Entrepreneur I.V. Lebedev. - This man was of enormous strength, not inferior to foreign giants, but was much stronger than them and was distinguished by great endurance in the fight. He loved one thing in the world infinitely - his native village, he was drawn to the land... The man, who in the course of three or four years had made an almost European name for himself, voluntarily left the arena for his village - again took up the plow and harrow, set up a good house, took charge, got married, had a daughter...

IN MEMORY OF THE PEOPLE

The memory of Grisha Koshcheev and his legendary strength is alive among the people. People also remember his kindness, responsiveness, friendliness: he helped his neighbors with money, and with housework, and upon arrival he would meet a fellow villager - he would be the first to take off his hat, say hello, ask how life was... And he never boasted that he was the first in Moscow a fighter and that he is known abroad. That's the kind of person he was. That’s why they called him in Saltyki, in Kosino they respectfully called him Grigory Ilyich, they greeted him like a relative.
Your essay about Grigory Koshcheev I.V. Lebedev ends with these words: “Life played with this a good man one of his evil and offensive jokes: they had just arrived for him bright days- and the threads of life are cut... The kind, always sad eyes of this black earth hero, who came out of the earth and went back into it, smile from the card.”

Nikolai Polikarpov, Alexander Veprikov and Dmitry Sennikov are united
much. All of them were born, lived, worked and are still working on Vyatka land,
They dedicated their creativity to her, became experienced professionals, received the title “Honored Artist of Russia” and pass on the secrets of their craft to the young.

All three recently turned sixty-five, and, apparently, they are connected not only by guild camaraderie, but also by simple human friendship. 25 years ago they already had a joint exhibition. And now, a quarter of a century later, they are showing viewers their works created over the past ten years.

Firstly, it must be said that all three are excellent landscape painters.

Nikolai Polikarpov is faithful to the theme of the Russian village with its difficult fate, he likes to paint work and life ordinary people, paints their portraits. For the last five years he has been working at his small homeland, in the Vyatka outback - the village of Ozhiganov, Oryol district, and created many new works there. Many of his works (“My Motherland”, “Istobensk”, “The Village of Polom on Vyatka”) can be called monumental epic canvases, although his sketches are no less interesting and exciting.

Alexander Veprikov also paid tribute to his small homeland - the city of Urzhum. Veprikov is a master of lyrical landscape, a romantic at heart, he often creates landscape paintings, be it a city or a village. In his work, as well as in the work of Sennikov, Vasnetsov’s places occupy a special place. Both of them are laureates of the government award Kirov region named after br. Vasnetsov. By the way, Sennikov has taken part in all Vasnetsov’s plein airs since 2006.

Dmitry Sennikov, as you know, has already entered the history of Vyatka painting as an artist who created a holistic image of old Vyatka; first of all, he is a master of the urban landscape. Those houses, streets and alleys that he forever captured with his brush have long since disappeared from reality.

But, naturally, each of them has other favorite topics. So Sennikov can be called an animal artist: he loves to depict animals, birds and other living creatures. At the same time, he shows not only observation, but also humor, and sometimes seems to humanize animals. His personal exhibition was recently dedicated to the animal world.

Alexander Veprikov can surprise viewers with “nudity”, performed very tactfully and elegantly, or with an original portrait of a woman. His still lifes are memorable, in which one can feel the love of life and the joy of being. His still lifes can exist not only in the house on the table, but also in the garden, in a clearing or on the edge of a forest.

All three artists work within the framework of traditional art, but they also try to master new techniques. Thus, Alexander Veprikov, for example, presented at the exhibition a collage painting “In Memory of Relatives”, which used small picturesque landscapes, photographs, poems, real household items and natural materials.

In the photo from left to right: N. Polikarpov, D. Sennikov, A. Veprikov.

The popular strongman Fyodor Besov arrived in the city of Slobodskaya, in the Vyatka province. He demonstrated mind-blowing tricks: he broke chains, juggled three-pound weights blindfolded, tore a deck of cards, bent copper coins with his fingers, bent a metal beam on his shoulders, smashed a cobblestone with his fist... And in general, he plunged the local inhabitants into indescribable ecstasy. At the end of the performance, Besov, as he constantly practiced, turned to the audience: “Maybe someone would like to wrestle with me on belts?” The hall fell silent. There were no takers. Then the athlete called his assistant and, taking ten rubles from him, raised his hand up, and again turned to the audience with a smile: “And this is for the one who can hold out against me for ten minutes!” And once again there was silence in the hall. And like a jack-in-the-box, from somewhere in the gallery, someone’s bass rumbled: “Let me try.” To the delight of the audience, a bearded man in bast shoes and a canvas shirt entered the arena. He turned out to be tall - more than two meters, his shoulders would hardly fit through the gate. This was a famous strongman-peasant from the village of Saltyki throughout the province, Grigory Kosinsky. There were legends about him. Grisha could, in particular, tie twelve two-pound weights, put them on his shoulders and walk around with this colossal load. They say that once he put a forty-pound woman in a sleigh in which a contractor was riding, shortchanging the workers, for driving piles.

The battle has begun. Neither knowledge of techniques nor enormous skill could save Besov from defeat. The audience gasped with delight when the bearded giant pinned the visiting athlete to the mat.
Besov realized that he had met a nugget. After the performance, he took Grisha backstage and spent a long time convincing him to go with him - “to show strength.” Besov talked enthusiastically about Grisha's future career, about the glory that awaited him. He eventually agreed. A new existence began, but, of course, not as sweet as Besov pictured for him. Performances took place in the provinces, most often in the open air, with great physical exertion. There were also funny incidents during these touring wanderings. This is what Besov told about one of the incidents, the one that happened to them. “We are coming with Grisha to a remote, remote town. We have never seen people like us there... Kashcheev (Kosinsky’s pseudonym) is shaggy, like an animal, and my last name is Besov... We have no human appearance. We decided that we - werewolves... Without saying a bad word, they lassoed us, took us out of the city and said: “If you don’t leave our city on good terms, then blame yourself.” So Grisha and I - God bless your legs...

Kashcheev’s performances were a huge success, but more and more often he said: “No, I’ll leave the circus. I’ll return home, I’ll plow the land.” In 1906, he met world-class wrestlers for the first time.
He became friends with Ivan Zaikin, the one who helped him get into the big arena. Soon Kashcheev put many famous strongmen on the shoulder blades, and in 1908, together with Ivan Poddubny and Ivan Zaikin, he went to the world championship in Paris. Our heroes returned to their homeland in victory. Kashcheev took the prize position. It would seem that now Kashcheev’s real wrestling career has begun, but he still gave up everything and went to his village to plow the land. The best description of the Russian hero-giant Grigory Kashcheev are the words of the famous organizer of the French wrestling championships, editor-in-chief of the sports magazine “Hercules” Ivan Vladimirovich Lebedev: “I had a lot of original people to mature in my time as director of wrestling, but still I must be the most interesting in character remember the giant Grigory Kashcheev. In fact, it’s hard to imagine that a gentleman, who had made a European name for himself within 3-4 years, voluntarily left the arena back to his village, took up the plow and harrow again. That same gentleman was of enormous strength. Almost a fathom tall, Kashcheev, if he were a foreigner, would have earned large capital, because he surpassed all foreign giants in strength." (Hercules Magazine, No. 2, 1915).

Kashcheev died in 1914. There were many legends about his death, but here is what is reported in the obituary published in the June issue of the Hercules magazine for 1914: “On May 25, in his fifth decade, the famous giant wrestler Grigory Kashcheev, who left the circus arena and was engaged in farming, died of a heart attack in his close village of Saltyki. The name of Kashcheev not so long ago thundered not only in Russia, but also abroad. If in his place there had been another uncle, more greedy for money and fame, then he could have made himself a worldwide career. But Grisha was a Russian peasant farmer at heart, and he was irresistibly drawn from the most profitable engagements - home, to the land." He was a great hero. But how many people currently know about it?