Nikolai Albertovich Kun (May 21, 1877 - December 28, 1940) - Russian historian, writer, teacher; author of the popular book “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece” (1922), which went through many editions in the languages of the peoples former USSR and basic European languages.
He was born in May 1877 in the family of a scientist and pianist. Nicholas's parents came from old noble families, had deep Russian, Anglo-Scottish and German roots, thanks to which the boy received a good education at home and early learned to read and speak fluently in several languages.
Having received a diploma from the Faculty of History and Philology of Moscow in 1903 state university named after M.V. Lomonosov, Kuhn got a job as a teacher at the Tver Women's Teachers' Seminary named after P.P. Maksimovich, and two years later was invited to continue his education at the University of Berlin. Returning to Tver in 1906, Nikolai Albertovich headed the Tver private real school. Soon, Elena Frantsevna Roper, an Englishwoman of high origin, became Kuhn’s wife, but for the sake of an alliance with a novice scientist, she forever quarreled with her parents, renounced her inheritance and changed her religion.
The scientific career of Nikolai Kuhn was rapid and impressive - back in at a young age The title of professor was awarded to him by several leading universities in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. In addition to giving lectures on the history of culture, religions, ancient art, ancient civilizations and a number of other disciplines, Nikolai Albertovich also worked as an editor in the Big and Small Soviet Encyclopedias, creating hundreds of notes and articles on ancient history for them.
Kuhn's last years were spent in Cherkizovsky Park, at his dacha, where he died at the age of sixty-three on December 28, 1940. The writer and great popularizer of historical knowledge was buried at the Cherkizovsky cemetery.
Over many years of fruitful work, Nikolai Kun became the author of such books as “Gods and Heroes”, the “Perseus” series, the work “Mohammed and Mohammedanism”, included in the collection “Prophet Muhammad”, as well as many other retellings and original works. But the best known is Kuhn's book, originally entitled What the Ancient Greeks and Romans Told About Their Gods and Heroes and first published in 1914, which is still widely republished today under the title Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece. Works from this edition are included in educational program high school and, according to readers, they differ from other interpretations of ancient Greek legends in the accessibility and fascinatingness of the author’s language, the completeness and depth of the material presented.
He published a translation of “Letters of Dark People” (1907), wrote the books “Tales of African Peoples” (1910), “Mohammed and Mohammedanism” (1915), “Italy in 1914.” (1915), two volumes “Tales of the Gypsies” (1921 and 1922), “The Predecessors of Christianity (Eastern Cultures in the Roman Empire)” (1922), “Primitive Religion” (1922), “Tales of the Peoples of the Islands of the Great Ocean” (1922). However, the most famous book is still written in 1914 “for female students and high school students, as well as for all those interested in the mythology of the Greeks and Romans.” Under its original title, What the Ancient Greeks and Romans Told About Their Gods and Heroes, the book was published in 1922, 1937, and 1940. After 1940 (the last lifetime edition was signed for publication on September 17, 1940), it was repeatedly reprinted in mass editions, but with changes made under the title “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece.”
), which has gone through numerous editions in the languages of the peoples of the former USSR and major European languages. Professor at Moscow State University.
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Father, Albert Frantsevich, was an educated man, keen on science, and knew Russian culture well; had deep German and Anglo-Scottish roots. Mother, Antonina Nikolaevna, from the old noble family of Ignatiev, was a very capable pianist, a student of Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky.
After graduating in 1903 with a first degree diploma and the prestigious prize named after. Sazikova for an essay, Faculty of History and Philology, Moscow University, he was left at the university, but due to his participation in the student movement, the presentation was not approved by the trustee of the Moscow educational district and he began working at the Tver Women's Teachers' Seminary. P. P. Maksimovich. In 1905 he worked at the University of Berlin under Professor Meyer and at the Museum of Ethnic Studies. At the end of 1906 he returned to Tver; was elected chairman of the board of the Tver private real school. With the opening in Tver People's University in January 1907 he lectured there on the history of culture.
In 1908 he was elected professor of general history at the Moscow Higher Women's Pedagogical Courses D. I. Tikhomirova, where he lectured until the courses were closed in 1918. At the same time, he lectured at the Moscow Society of People's Universities, taught history at educational institutions Moscow (in 1915, according to the yearbook “All Moscow,” he taught at the gymnasium named after G. Shelaputin).
In 1911-1912 he led excursions of Russian teachers in Rome, gave lectures in Roman museums on the history of ancient art, the Roman Forum, and the Palatine. Since 1915 - professor at Moscow City University. A. L. Shanyavsky at the Department of History of Religions. Since 1916, he has been a professor at the Nizhny Novgorod City People's University.
Since 1920, N. A. Kun has been a professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Moscow State University. At the same time he taught cultural history at the 1st Moscow Pedagogical Institute (1918-1925). In the 1920s, N.A. Kun also taught at the Moscow State Music College named after. Rimsky-Korsakov, the so-called “People's Conservatory”, in the village of Cherkizovo.
From 1935 until the end of his life he was a professor.
Since 1933, he was editor of the ancient history department of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia and the Lesser Soviet Encyclopedia, and wrote several hundred articles and notes.
N.A. Kun was married to Elena Frantsevna Roper (1871-1961). She came from an old Anglo-Scottish family. Being the twelfth child in the family, Elena Frantsevna lived with her elderly parents; conducted extensive business correspondence with her father in English, French and German languages. Marriage to an aspiring scientist was not to the liking of Elena Frantsevna’s parents, and they threatened her with disinheritance. Before the wedding, Elena Frantsevna converted from the Anglican Church to Orthodoxy and the next day after the secret wedding, the young spouses together wrote a renunciation of the inheritance.
N.A. Kun spent his last years at the dacha in Cherkizovsky Park. He died before reading his report “The Emergence of the Cult of Serapis and religious politics the first Ptolemies", which became his last work.
This book was given to my son for his birthday. At first I was worried that he was too young for such serious literature, only 8 years old. But my husband convinced me. He said that he himself actually read it in the first grade and perceived it at that time as an interesting fairy tale about the hero Superman. Over the years, understanding came, and the value of the book in his eyes completely changed. We started reading the exploits in the evening before going to bed, and my son looks forward to this hour every day. We are reading Kuhn’s book for the second time, but the child’s interest is only increasing. He asks a lot of questions about the text, carefully examining the illustrations each time. Hercules is now his idol. Friends are surprised, because their children’s idols are Spider-Man, Batman and similar creatures that have nothing to do with cultural education. And now many, looking at us, also begin to read classics to children. So even eight-year-olds can easily handle such books, especially if the mother reads and discusses with the child everything that he does not understand.
Read moreCatherine
I came across this book by Kuhn and immediately recalled memories of how, as a child, I adored these stories about the great ancient Greek hero. And now I’m asking my eleven-year-old niece about who Hercules is and why he’s famous. And in response there was silence. But in my days there were no bright pictures, and the print quality was worse. And now I leafed through this publication and gasped. What wonderful illustrations, the pages smell deliciously of fresh printing ink. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop reading. The adventures of the strong, brave Hercules take on a new flavor in this design.
I have already cleared up the misunderstanding with my niece. I gave her this particular book. The child read it with pleasure, and at school class hour showed the book to my classmates. And at the same time she briefly told what this story is about. And the kids became interested; there was already a line of people wanting to read it. We must not forget such works; they will always be relevant. These fifth-graders, as an example, with proper demonstration, read this wonderful book with pleasure.
I read Nikolai Kun’s book during my school years and it was in our parents’ library at home, but over time it got lost somewhere. But childhood impressions of her remained very strong. Still, the classics are always relevant and do not lose their relevance. So now when my son finishes primary school and despite the general fascination with tablets, which prevent children from learning to read, he began to show interest in reading, I decided to buy him this book, which fascinated me so much in my childhood. Moreover, in two years he will have it school curriculum. I have seen this book in different editions, but I want to buy this one, since the “Classics at School” series most fully corresponds to the program we will study in the sixth grade. And in terms of printing, it was published with very high quality, in good binding and with a reasonable price-quality ratio.
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I am simply delighted with the book “Myths of Ancient Greece”! Stunning design and content, of course))) This book is a pleasure to hold in your hands. Large format, velvet cover, very pleasant to the touch, excellent binding. Thick, smooth pages. Large font. And very bright, colorful illustrations by Anna Vlasova.
This book, of course, is “a pearl of the world’s classical heritage” (C) and, by the way, not because of its design, but because of its content. The annotations can be trusted 100%)
I've been dreaming about this book for a long time. Once in my childhood I found a book by N.A. Kuna was in my grandfather’s library, and I couldn’t tear myself away from it for a long time) I read it avidly. That book was not so brightly designed, but it was very exciting to read. I absolutely loved the Greek myths as presented by Kuhn.
The book can be an excellent gift for both children and adults.
Truly a legendary book. Of course, we must remember that it is addressed to schoolchildren, but it is not a textbook and does not pretend to be of a serious level. Essentially, Kuhn's work is short history mythology of Ancient Greece. The key word is "shortest". The cream of the crop. But with what interest it is read!
The book is divided into three parts - the gods of Olympus, heroes on Earth, and Odysseus is included separately. Moreover, I think that Kuhn’s retelling of the Homeric epic turned out great and I would recommend reading it first, and then immersing yourself in the original source. This is such a paradox.
So, what would I have learned from this book if I had read it yesterday for the first time:
1. About religion. The fact that for the ancients myths were actually a set of religious beliefs, I think, is no secret to anyone. But this is different. Comparison of Greek polytheism with modern monotheism. Look: those who believe in one God have him, a bunch of angels, and all sorts of retinue. The Greeks have the main Zeus and a bunch of smaller and simpler gods. And now an easy comparison-assumption. If Zeus is God the Father, then the patron gods of all sailors, farmers, pregnant women, lovers, and so on are the same modern saints Nicholas, Proskovya, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Anastasia the Pattern Maker, and again, and so on. Well, the gods at their beck and call, like the rainbow-Iris or Hermes, are all sorts of angels and archangels. And attention to the question - what is the difference???
I haven’t yet begun to compare Tartarus with hell, but the groaning souls and donkey-footed devils there are generally the same.
2. About politics. Power is also power in Ancient Greece. The son overthrows his father, frames his friend, and goes over heads and corpses. Showdowns on Olympus do not stop, as in any Rada, Duma and White House. Constant persecution of one another and all sorts of thefts - for example, Hermes stole cows from Apollo, I’m generally silent about Prometheus and the fire of Hephes.
Moreover, the fights between these gods often reminded me of the showdowns between the new Russians in the 90s, with the difference that the Olympians are, in fact, immortal.
3. About marriage and betrayal. Oh, this is my favorite theme in mythology. Sometimes they say that God is love, but the Greeks apparently believed that the gods should deal with it non-stop. Not Olympus, but some kind of brothel. And the most active on the sexual front, of course, is Daddy Zeus. And his wife Hera did nothing but pursue his next lover. He will drive one up a mountain, one onto an island, one into the sea, or even send it to people. What would it be like not to sprinkle diamond chips into the ambrosia once and that’s it? Okay, he's in charge. And again - immortal. I just wanted to insert a detective story into mythology, so I said it.
By the way, in order for a nymph or goddess to get married, in 90% of cases she must be kidnapped and forced to go to the Olympic registry office. A normal lady in her right mind doesn’t do that there, because the remaining 10% are sisters who married brothers. Well, okay, 9%, let’s leave the percentage to chance... Yes, and they didn’t put rings on their wives, but fed them pomegranate seeds - and that’s it, the wife. So, girls, do not buy pomegranates from married sellers!
4. About headaches. Yes, about that too. The well-known goddess Athena was born when Zeus had a headache, they cut it open with a sword and this beautiful militaristic woman and weaver came out. And so, dear male colleagues, if Zeus himself can have a pregnant head because of a warlike woman, then what can we say about us mere mortals!
5. About word formation. This is so, passing by - wow, how many international words are someone’s mythological names! Echo, Iambic, Ocean, Arachne... But this is so - a minute of information.
6. About innocence. Lastly. Virginity in mythology is a very unusual thing. Is there anyone who has not heard of the beautiful goddess of beauty Aphrodite? Here.
Gorgeous. Sportswoman. Not a Komsomol member, of course, but she was just born at the wrong time. And a virgin is forever, which is typical. At the same time, she has several children and a shitload of lovers.
Do you know why this is so? For the gods, everything is simple - if you are not married, then you are a virgin! Very convenient, in my opinion! Do you remember why you’re not married? Because they couldn't steal...
In general, this is such a gorgeous book that can be read like a fairy tale, but you can find food for thought on almost any topic.
Separately, I can’t help but thank my twin Lenochka @bonita_senorita, who gave me this book as part of Secret Santa. And in a breathtaking design! Thanks to you, I not only reread with interest the myths and stories from Vladimir Kun, but also enjoyed reproductions of famous world masterpieces by Vrubel, Botticelli, Rubens, Goya and many others. Thank you very much! ☺
Years of life: from 01/01/1877 to 10/28/1940
A prominent Russian scientist-historian, teacher, writer. Author of numerous scientific and popular science works, the most famous of which is the book “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece.”
He came from a Russified German family. Nikolai Albertovich's father, Albert Frantsevich, was an educated man, keen on science, and knew Russian culture well. Mother - Antonina Nikolaevna Ignatieva - from an old noble family, a capable pianist, a student of Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky.
Nikolai Albertovich graduated from Moscow University in 1903 with a first-degree diploma. After graduating from the university, the scientist went to Tver, where he began work at the Women's Teachers' Seminary. P.P. Maksimovich. In 1905 - 1906 Nikolai Albertovich worked at the University of Berlin with outstanding scientists in the study of classical antiquities and in the Museum of Ethnic Studies. At the end of 1906 he returned to Tver, where he was elected chairman of the board of the Tver private real school. In January 1907, the People's University was opened in Tver and Kuhn became its chairman, giving lectures on cultural history.
In 1908 N.A. Kun is elected professor of world history at the Moscow Higher Pedagogical Courses named after. DI. Tikhomirov, where he taught until their closure in 1918. At the same time, N.A. Kuhn taught history in educational institutions in Moscow and gave lectures at the Moscow Society of People's Universities. In 1911 – 1912 Nikolai Albertovich led excursions of Russian teachers in Rome, and gave lectures on the history of ancient art in Roman museums. The first edition of the scientist’s most famous work, a book with the original title “What the Greeks and Romans Told About Their Gods and Heroes,” was published in 1914.
In 1915 N.A. Kuhn was elected professor at Moscow City University. A.L. Shanyavsky at the Department of History of Religions. A year later, he became a professor at the Department of General History of the Nizhny Novgorod People's University. N.A. Kuhn combined pedagogical work with education - giving lectures in cities Central Russia, in the Urals, Ukraine. In 1920, Nikolai Albertovich was appointed professor at Moscow State University in the Department of History of Religion. Since 1933 N.A. Kuhn teaches at Moscow state institute history, philosophy and literature (MIFLI). N.A. Kuhn was directly involved in the creation of the Great and Small Soviet Encyclopedias; since 1933 he was the permanent editor of the department Ancient history, has written more than 300 articles. On December 28, 1940, Nikolai Albertovich came to MIFLI to read a report “The Emergence of the Cult of Serapis and the Religious Policy of the First Ptolemies,” but the reading did not take place; at the opening hour of the meeting he died suddenly. Buried in Cherkizovo (Tarasovka Yaroslavskaya station railway), next to his eldest son and two daughters who died prematurely.
Nikolai Albertovich knew fine art very well, he drew and took photographs himself, so his books are distinguished by a thoughtful and scientifically verified design; he himself selected the illustrations and drew the headpieces.
Nikolai Albertovich spoke twenty languages - all European, “dead”, classical.
African Tales (1910)
(What the Greeks and Romans told about their gods and heroes) (1914)
Mohammed and Mohammedanism (1915)
Italy in 1914 (1915)
Tales of the Gypsies" (1921 - 1922)
Predecessors of Christianity (Eastern Cultures in the Roman Empire) (1922)
Primitive Religion (1922)
Tales of the Peoples of the Great Ocean Islands (1922)
