Dunno: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 07:25, 6 July 2006

Neznaika or Neznayka (Template:Lang-ru, the name derived from the expression "не знаю", or "I don't know") is a character created by Soviet children writer Nikolay Nosov. The name was also translated as "Dunno" and "Know-Nothing".

Heznaika, recognized by his wide-brim pointed hat, is a hero (actually, an anti-hero) of the trilogy, The Adventures of Neznaika and his Friends (1954), Neznaika in the Sunny Town (1958), and Neznaika on the Moon (1966). The trilogy tells about the life and adventures of fictional tiny (several centimeter high) children-like men called "shorties" ("коротышки"). It is traditionally classified as a fairy tale (сказка), but there is no magic and other traditional attributes of fairy-tales: besides tiny sizes of heroes, usage of sweet sirup instead of gasoline in a car, and some other fantasy elements, including the science fiction-like setting of the third novel, the heroes live a pretty much "normal" life, just like the life, e.g., in the Wind in the Willows. The books are heavily didactical, especially the third one which is actually a political satire on the capitalist society. At the same time, they are full of humor and adventures, and loved by children.

Neznaika and some other characters of the trilogy became stock characters in the Soviet children magazine Murzilka and in other publications.

In a nutshell, the first novel is about regular Soviet life of shorties in an "ordinary" Soviet city, the second one is their jorney into a Communist utopia, and the third one is their encounter with Capitalism still remained in a very remote place (on the Moon) ended with a victorious Socialist revolution.

Characters

Flower City dwellers

The characters in this city are based on a single personal trait, reflected in their names.

Neznaika is a boy who knows nothing, canot do nothing and doesn't want to learn anything.
Gunka, Neznaika's friend
Znaika is a boy who knows everything, a nerd
Vintik and Shpuntik, technicians
Guslya, a musician
Tyubik, an artist
Knopochka, a girl
Toropyzhka, a boy who hurries too much
Rasteryayka, a boy who always loses things
Doctor Pilyulkin
Ponchik, likes to eat
Siropchik, likes sweet things
Pulka, a hunter
Tsvetik, a poet
Bul'ka, a dog
Pachkulya Pyostrenky, always gets dirty
Tsirkul (compass), a long-legged, long-nosed bicyclist
Vorchun, always grumbles
Molchun, speaks little

Green City dwellers

Only girls live in this city: they do not like boys because all of them are naughty and live in Kite Cyty

Medunitsa, a girl, a doctor
Sineglazka, a girl
Snezhinka, a girl
Samotsvetik, a girl

Kite City dwellers

Boys-only city

Gvozdik, a boy
Bublik, a car driver
Shurupchik, a techician
Smekyalo, a writer

The Adventures of Neznaika and his Friends

Neznaika in the Sunny Town

Neznaika on the Moon

External links

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 '''Neznaika''' or '''Neznayka''' ({{lang-ru|Незнайка}}, the name derived from the expression "не знаю", or "I don't know") is a character created by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[children writer]] [[Nikolay Nosov]]. The name was also translated as '''"Dunno"''' and '''"Know-Nothing"'''.
-Heznaika, recognized by his wide-brim pointed hat, is a hero (actually, an [[anti-hero]]) of the trilogy, ''The Adventures of Neznaika and his Friends'' (1954), ''Neznaika in the Sunny Town'' (1958), and ''Neznaika on the Moon'' (1966). The trilogy tells about the life and adventures of fictional tiny (several centimeter high) children-like men called "shorties" ("коротышки"). It is traditionally classified as a [[fairy tale]] (сказка), but there is no magic and other traditional attributes of fairy-tales: besides tiny sizes of heroes, usage of sweet [[sirup]] instead of [[gasoline]] in a car, and some other fantasy elements, including the [[science fiction]]-like setting of the third novel, the heroes live a pretty much "normal" life, just like the life, e.g., in the ''[[Wind in the Willows]]''. The books are heavily [[didactic]]al, especially the third one which is actually a [[political satire]] on the [[capitalist society]]. At the same time, it is full of humor and adventures, and loved by children.
+Heznaika, recognized by his wide-brim pointed hat, is a hero (actually, an [[anti-hero]]) of the trilogy, ''The Adventures of Neznaika and his Friends'' (1954), ''Neznaika in the Sunny Town'' (1958), and ''Neznaika on the Moon'' (1966). The trilogy tells about the life and adventures of fictional tiny (several centimeter high) children-like men called "shorties" ("коротышки"). It is traditionally classified as a [[fairy tale]] (сказка), but there is no magic and other traditional attributes of fairy-tales: besides tiny sizes of heroes, usage of sweet [[sirup]] instead of [[gasoline]] in a car, and some other fantasy elements, including the [[science fiction]]-like setting of the third novel, the heroes live a pretty much "normal" life, just like the life, e.g., in the ''[[Wind in the Willows]]''. The books are heavily [[didactic]]al, especially the third one which is actually a [[political satire]] on the [[capitalist society]]. At the same time, they are  full of humor and adventures, and loved by children.
 Neznaika and some other characters of the trilogy  became [[stock character]]s in the Soviet children magazine ''[[Murzilka]]'' and in other publications.