Krokodil
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Categories | Satire and humour |
---|---|
Frequency | 3 issues per month |
Publisher | Rabochaya Gazeta, Pravda |
Year founded | 1922 |
First issue | 27 August 1922 |
Final issue | 2008 |
Country | Soviet Union |
Based in | Moscow |
Language | Russian |
Krokodil (Russian: Крокодил, IPA: [krəkɐˈdʲil] (listen), lit. 'crocodile') was a satirical magazine published in the Soviet Union. It was founded in 1922,[1][2] at first as the satirical supplement to the Workers' Gazette (called simply «Приложения» [Supplement]); when it became a separate publication, the name 'Crocodile' was chosen at an editorial meeting from among a list of suggested animal names.[3] At that time, many satirical magazines existed, such as and Prozhektor. Nearly all of them eventually disappeared.
History[]
Krokodil was founded in 1922, first as a supplement to Rabochaya Gazeta ('Workers' Newspaper'), and was published once a week. Although political satire was dangerous during much of the Soviet period, Krokodil was given considerable license to lampoon political figures and events. Typical and safe topics for lampooning in the Soviet era were the lack of initiative and imagination promoted by the style of an average Soviet middle-bureaucrat, and the problems produced by drinking on the job by Soviet workers. Krokodil also ridiculed capitalist countries and attacked various political, ethnic and religious groups that allegedly opposed the Soviet system.
Many notable persons contributed to the magazine, including Vladimir Mayakovsky, Mikhail Zoshchenko, Kukriniksy, and Yuliy Ganf.
Similar magazines existed in all the Union republics, and in several ASSRs and in other states of the Soviet bloc, e.g. Starshel ("Wasp") in Bulgaria, Eulenspiegel in East Germany, Urzica ("The Nettle") in Romania, ("Porcupine") in Czechoslovakia, and Szpilki (Pins) in Poland.
Among the vocal compositions of Dmitri Shostakovich, who is known for his satirical character, there are 5 Romances on texts from Krokodil Magazine (1965), taken from the section of the magazine where were published real-life nonsense texts.
Republic | Title | Translation |
---|---|---|
Ukrainian SSR | Перець | Pepper |
Belarusian SSR | Вожык | Hedgehog |
Uzbek SSR | Муштум | Fist |
Kazakh SSR | Ара | Bumblebee |
Georgian SSR | ნიანგი | Crocodile |
Azerbaijani SSR | Кирпи | Hedgehog |
Lithuanian SSR | Šluota | Broom |
Moldavian SSR | Кипэруш | Pepper |
Latvian SSR | Dadzis | Bur |
Kyrgyz SSR | Чалкан | Nettle |
Tajik SSR | Хорпуштак | Hedgehog |
Armenian SSR | Ոզնի | Hedgehog |
Turkmen SSR | Токмак | Mallet |
Estonian SSR | Pikker | Pikker |
Bashkir ASSR | Хэнэк | Pitchfork |
Chuvash ASSR | Капкан | Trap |
Komi ASSR | Чушканзі | Wasp |
Mari ASSR | Пачемыш | Wasp |
Tatar ASSR | Чаян | Scorpion |
Udmurt ASSR | Шӧкыч | Hornet |
Reinstatement[]
After the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union the magazine was discontinued (2000). It was reinstated in 2005 in Russia, issued monthly, headquartered in Moscow, and with editor-in-chief . The reinstated version, deliberately printed on old Soviet-style paper, ceased publication in 2008.
Editors-in-chief[]
- Konstantin Eremeev (1922–1923)
- Nikolay Smirnov (1924–1927)
- Konstantin Maltsev (1927–1928)
- Felix Kohn (1928–1930)
- Nikolay Ivanov-Gramen (1928–1930)
- (1930–1934)
- Mikhail Koltsov (1934–1938)
- Yakov Rovinsky (1938–1941)
- Lazar Lagin (1938–1941)
- Grigory Ryklin (1941–1948)
- Dmitry Belyaev (1948–1953)
- Sergei Shvetsov (1953–1958)
- Manuil Semyonov (1958–1975)
- Evgeny Dubrovin (1975–1985)
- Alexey Pyanov (1986–2000)
- Emil Bondarenko (since 2017)
See also[]
- Molla Nasraddin, an Azerbaijani satirical periodical published in the early 20th century.
References[]
- ^ Behind The Smile On Krokodil, JUNE 7, 1964 The New York Times
- ^ James Adams. "15 Incredible Soviet Era Magazine Covers". Cartridge Save. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ^ Boris Efimov, Десять десятилетий, ch. 6: "Тогда пошли в ход всевозможные жалящие и кусающие представители животного мира: оса, еж, шмель, ерш, ястреб, волкодав, скорпион и даже… крокодил."
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Krokodil. |
- 1922 establishments in the Soviet Union
- 2006 disestablishments in Russia
- Defunct magazines published in the Soviet Union
- Magazines established in 1922
- Magazines disestablished in 2006
- Magazines published in Moscow
- Satirical magazines published in Russia
- Russian humour
- Magazines published in the Soviet Union
- Russian-language magazines