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[MASTERPIECE BY KONASHEVICH] Fire / Drawings by V. Konashevich

Marshak, S.

Moscow: Mejdunarodnaya Kniga, [1938]. Item #1115

[16] pp.: ill. 21,5x16 cm. In original illustrated wrappers. Very good, some stains, minor fragments of the spine and covers lost.

Scarce. First English edition.

In the 1930s, Soviet international trade organization ‘Mezhdunarodnaya kniga’ translated to English the well-known book ‘Pozhar’ [Fire] by Samuil Marshak. The book came out with no date of publication and printrun indicated.

‘Mezhdunarodnaya kniga’ was founded in 1923, its diverse activity included exporting antiquarian books abroad to finance the development of Soviet economics. Also, the company took part in issuing books and magazines in foreign languages.

Initially, it was published in Russian in 1923. The story was illustrated by artist Vladimir Konashevich (1888-1963) whose drawings remained the medium for this poem over the century.

By this time, Konashevich had already had a reputation as a book illustrator but he mainly worked on classics. His earliest children’s book was ‘ABC in Pictures’ (1918); he totally devoted himself to children’s books in 1922. In that year, he had designed several fairy tales by C. Perrault and A. Pushkin. These editions came out in Berlin, due to the high quality of German reproducing watercolors. In the following years, colorful books with his illustrations were published in Russia - like other children’s artists of that time, Konashevich preferred lithography.

Konashevich had met Marshak in 1923. Their prolific collaboration later produced ‘The Tale of a Silly Little Mouse’, ‘Petrushka-Foreigner, ‘Three Brave Trappers’, etc. They gained the greatest success with ‘Fire’, although it was supposed to be designed by another artist. The publishing house ‘Raduga’ had originally commissioned B. Kustodiev to design ‘Pozhar’, then the artist went on holiday to Crimea. ‘Raduga’ planned to issue the story as soon as possible, so entrusted Konashevich with ‘Pozhar’. Returning to work Kustodiev was disappointed, he had no intention to give up this order. Finally, the first edition was published with covers by Kustodiev and illustrations by Konashevich. According to a biographer V. Voinov, both artists were confused by this incident.

Nevertheless, Konashevich showed a dynamic and very spectacular action. Some critics rated this work higher than many of V. Lebedev’s works: “Fire has something that is not found in, for example, beautiful Lebedev’s books: the warmth of the close presence of children”. From time to time Konashevich came back to this story, trying to create absolutely new illustrations. In 1923-1952 Konashevich created 7 versions of illustrations. The story was reprinted at least 28 times in the Soviet Union and was regarded as “an ideal case of immortality for children’s book”.

Worldcat shows copies in Princeton, Harvard, Illinois, Chicago, Washington, Southern Mississippi, Rochester Universities, NYPL and Richmond Public Library.

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