In this interview, we asked Maxim to talk about the place of children’s literature in his life, his first reading experience, the peculiarities of children’s poetry and the prerequisites for choosing the profession of an actor.
Cinema, theater, television … Maxim Averin manages to realize himself in different roles. Few people know that, among other things, Maxim actively supports children’s book publishing. The actor has repeatedly performed with free concerts for children at the Russian State Children’s Library, at the Red Square book festival, presented a book of children’s poems by Robert Rozhdestvensky at the Moscow bookstore. Want to relive the best childhood experiences? There is a proven recipe – listen to him recite poetry for children!
– I started reading very early. Faster than even learning to speak. At three years old. First I read the signs on the shops. It amused me a lot. “Milk”. Then there were no such names as “supermarket”. I liked to say “bakery” very much. There was something tasty and fragrant in the word itself. Nowadays there are more activities for window reading. There are so many words! That’s where the practice is. And “leasing company” and “construction market”, and there are also foreign words. And then more and more: “furniture”, “sporting goods”, “home life”, “everything for the house”, “cooking” … And suddenly … And what is this? “Mom, what is it written on the sign:” rrrrum mmmochnaya “?!” What a word! Rrrrumochnaya!
Then I just learned to pronounce the letter “R”. And I really liked her. The victory over this letter was the most difficult and thus it was especially dear to me. Mom reluctantly answered that the drink-room is a cafe for adult uncles who are in no hurry to go home and discuss important, adult issues there. That would be to go to the “Vineyard”! Talk like an adult!
Then I started to master the books. But at first I fell in love with them as an object. You can build houses from books, towers, bridges, pyramids. Then I got interested in illustrations. A completely different world was already opening up here. I enjoyed looking at them so much. Inspired by the pictures, I began to draw on the next page of the book. Having received a reprimand from my father that drawing in a book is not good, I decided to immerse myself in the book and delve into its content. So I loved to read, imagining certain characters, adventures, events, times.
– I really liked reading Chukovsky, Marshak. There was a lot of rhythm in the melody of their poems. I liked the combination of letters and their pronunciation. The game appeared:
And then the phone rang.
Who is speaking? “
And I happily continued this proven telephone dialogue for the hundredth time:
“Elephant!”
This mess seemed to be something special.
“And behind her are crayfish on a lame dog.”
I remember that I was very sorry for the person scattered from Basseinaya Street in the work of Marshak. How could he still not get to his station! After all, they are probably waiting for him there, and he, poor fellow, drives by.
And just before school, before entering the first grade, I read three works that turned my entire subsequent life. Dad decided that I was already an adult and could read serious works. These three books have changed me, teaching mercy, sympathy, kindness. These were the works of “Vanka” and “Kashtanka” by Chekhov and “Mumu” by Turgenev. I don’t know how my life would have turned out if I had not read these books, but for me they were the first ones that taught me to feel the world, appreciate life and love it. And I was then five years old.
– A lot connects me with the publishing house “Malysh”. It’s like a relative who is with you all your life. You know him, your children, grandchildren. There were many books in the house, and since I had an older brother, his inheritance was added to my books. I especially remember one book. By the way, the logo of the publishing house clearly engraved in my memory.
The book was with pictures from my favorite cartoon “Kid and Carlson”. I loved her so much. Since cartoons were not often shown on TV, and the era of video and even more so DVDs and computers had not yet begun, there was no internet at all, so I had to leaf through the book and act out the scenes myself. It was possible to play both Carlson, and the Kid, and Miss Bok. This developed my imagination and ability to transform into one hero, then into another. Perhaps this is the beginning of my profession when I decided to become an artist. So thanks to “Baby” for the inspiration!
– Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak is an amazing, not fully studied person. Poet, playwright, translator, who gave us Shakespeare and other great poets. His children’s works are a masterpiece! I am very glad that in the year of the 130th anniversary of Marshak, all of us, yesterday’s boys and girls, future kids, will receive a monument to our main children’s poet.
– Children’s poetry is the most difficult. Because you need to talk to children in an adult way. They need everything specifically. Already in adults, a descriptive series arises, they say, “the reeds rustled, the trees bent, and the night was moonlit.” It’s all lyrics. Give the children specific actions. Take Agnia Barto’s poem First Love, for example. Here’s how it was: the girl Natasha woke up in the morning and decided that it was time for her to fall in love with someone. Not exactly waiting for a prince on a white horse, but specifically. And she began to choose a boy from the class. This one does not suit her, the other does not like it, but that one is just right for her. And she began serious offensive actions against her victim. But the counter rebuff received in response only firmly established her feelings in Natasha. So concrete, simple, businesslike. And all the lyrics, “I loved you, love still, maybe …”, this is only later, having matured …