History of creation
The author first thought about creating such a work when he was in the Far East. He followed the development of friendship between Tungus boys and Russian girls. The young men behaved like knights. They showed restraint and good manners, and were devoted to their friends. The girls were capricious, but they liked the attention of the opposite sex.
But it took Fraerman a lot of time to write “The Wild Dog Dingo”: for several years he was just thinking about the plot of the story. In December 1938, the writer moved to the village of Solotche, Ryazan region. There he completely cut himself off from society and stopped communicating with his family and acquaintances. Fraerman wrote the story in just a month.
Later, the author himself said that his writing helped to survive the pre-war years. With the help of the book, he tried to prepare young readers for the difficult trials ahead. Reuben Isaevich wanted to show the children good events, talk about the first timid feelings and oddities associated with them.
Vladimir Nikolaev, a researcher of the writer’s work, argued in one of his reviews that the author copied the image of the main character from his daughter. Nona Kovarskaya was born in Fraerman's first marriage. She later became a famous journalist.
History of the book
The history of the creation of “The Wild Dog Dingo,” according to researchers of Fraerman’s work, dates back to the writer’s stay in the Far East, where he saw many examples of the truly chivalrous attitude of Tungus boys towards Russian girls. The plot of the book matured in the writer’s mind for several years. When, finally, the writer was ready to create a work, he secluded himself from everyone in the Ryazan village of Solotche. Fraerman's wife recalled that the book was ready within a month. Currently, this work is very popular among teenagers and young adults, and this is not surprising, because it discusses topics that will be relevant at all times.
Main characters
In the book "The Wild Dog Dingo" there are only three main characters. The rest of the characters play a secondary role. But they are all interconnected, although they differ in character. The main characters of the work:
- Tanya Sabaneeva;
- Kolya;
- Filka;
- Sabaneeva's parents;
- Nadezhda Petrovna;
- Alexandra Ivanovna;
- nanny;
- Zhenya Belyakova.
Tanya is the main character. It was she who received the nickname after which the book was named. Kolya is her half-brother, and Filka is the girl’s best friend. Tanya's mother works a lot, so she is rarely at home. And her father is a colonel, he left the family a long time ago.
Sabaneev’s second wife’s name is Nadezhda Petrovna, she is Kolya’s aunt. But the girl's father had to adopt the boy. Alexandra Ivanovna is a Russian language teacher in the class where Tanya, Filya and their classmate Zhenya Belyakova study.
The girl spends most of her time with the nanny. After the divorce, her mother has to work constantly, so Tanya is left alone. She has long been offended by her father because he abandoned his family and married a second time.
Beginning of the work
You can read the book in abbreviation chapter by chapter. The retelling is short, although the full text is small. The plot is built around the main character - Tanya Sabaneeva . Her father left the family when the girl was 8 months old. He married again and adopted a boy, Kolya. Tanya stayed to live with her mother; it is difficult for a woman to support a child. But later the colonel returns to their city with his new family. This is where all the problems started.
Tanya and her classmate Filya were returning from a health camp. A girl dreams of a dingo dog, but at home she only has an old dog named Tiger. Mom works a lot, so a nanny is waiting for Tanya. A classmate on the road told me that his father bought him a husky. The girl is jealous of Phil, because he has a good relationship with his dad.
She says that her father lives on Maroseyki Island. The guys tried to find it on the map, but could not find it. Then Tanya got offended and left. At home, she accidentally found her father's letters. The colonel wrote that he was coming to his hometown with his new wife. The girl is still angry with him and cannot forgive his betrayal. Mom often talks to her daughter and tries to beg her to forgive her father.
Tanya found out the date when the colonel was supposed to return. She decided to make peace with him and meet him with a bouquet of flowers. But at the station the girl never met her father. The schoolgirl got angry and gave the flowers to the first passerby - a stranger in a wheelchair. Only a few days later she found out that it was Kolya. This is the same boy whom her father adopted.
The basis of the plot
Soon Tanya had to meet her father. The conversation was tense, the colonel said that he was married again and had adopted his wife’s nephew. This also angered the girl. She doesn’t like that dad didn’t pay attention to her for so many years, but raised someone else’s son.
Kolya ends up in Tanya's class, he is put at the same desk with Filka. Children constantly conflict over their father. In fact, Kolya is not a bad boy, he is diligent and purposeful. But he constantly hurts the girl, mocks her.
A famous writer is coming to their city soon. And arguments began in the class over who exactly would meet him. There are two candidates:
- Tanya;
- Zhenya is her classmate.
But the teachers choose the main character. This amused her, because meeting a writer is a real honor for a girl. But just before the meeting, Sabaneeva tried to take the inkwell out of the box and spilled liquid from it on her hands. Kolya saw this and warned the girl.
From that moment on, relations between the children began to improve. The guys found a common language, they had many common interests. The boy even invited his girlfriend to go with him to the New Year's party.
The holidays are over. Tanya noticed that something strange began to happen in her soul. Previously, she did not love her father's new wife and his adopted son. But later she realized that she had warm feelings for them. The girl constantly thinks about Kolya, waiting for a new meeting with him. She has no idea that Filka has been in love with her for a long time. The boy does not like her friendship with Kolya, so he often intrigues his opponent.
Because of his jealousy, tragic events occurred. Filka decided to deceive everyone: he told his friend that Kolya would go to the skating rink with Zhenya, and whispered to his rival that he was taking Tanya to the theater. This greatly heated the situation and worsened the relationship between the guys.
Tragic events
Tanya sharpened her skates and went to the ice-covered river where there was a skating rink. The Tiger also tagged along with her. But she noticed Kolya and Zhenya, they were walking together - the boy supported his classmate, helping her walk along the slippery road.
The dog ran out to meet his friend, giving away the girl. Tanya felt offended that her lover was walking with someone else. After a short conversation, she left with her dog. The girl went to school, because Filka was waiting for her at the performance.
But suddenly a storm came. Tanya decided to help the teacher and take home the girl who lived not far from the river. She had to run in time to warn Kolya and Zhenya about the danger. While she was collecting her thoughts, she noticed that her classmates were sitting on the ice and arguing.
It turned out that Zhenya herself asked to go to the skating rink, and Kolya, through Filka, warned Tanya that he could not go for a walk with her. The boy twisted his leg and could not move. Zhenya was afraid of the snowstorm and ran home, even refusing to go to Filka and tell him that Tanya and Kolya remained at the skating rink. The boy apologized to his classmate for not being able to pull the kitten out of the water - the girl then considered him a coward. But she did not listen to him, but tried to figure out how to save them from the snowstorm.
Tanya ran to Filka and took his sleigh, which was harnessed to huskies. The boy tried to stop her, but did not have time to catch up. While he was trying to get to the skating rink on skis, Tanya had already arrived on the ice and helped Kolya lie down on the sled. The snowstorm brought a horse onto the river, which scared the dogs. The girl tried to calm them down, but she had to sacrifice the Tiger, throw him into the flock.
The old dog disappeared into the depths of the snow, where he remained to await his death. The pack dealt with him, but the reins broke and the dogs ran away towards the forest. The sled turned over, but Tanya managed to pick it up. She took Kolya, although he resisted.
Suddenly the guys heard a cannon shot - border guards were approaching them. It turned out that Filka warned his father, so he asked for help to save Kolya and Tanya. The colonel found the children when the girl was almost exhausted, and her clothes were covered with a crust of ice.
Download: Wild Dog Dingo, Reuben Fraerman
...The thin line was lowered into the water under a thick root, moving with every movement of the wave.
The girl was catching trout.
She sat motionless on a stone, and the river washed over her with noise. Her eyes were cast downwards. But their gaze, tired of the shine scattered everywhere over the water, was not intent. She often took him aside and directed him into the distance, where steep mountains, shaded by forest, stood above the river itself.
The air was still light, and the sky, constrained by the mountains, seemed like a plain among them, slightly illuminated by the sunset.
But neither this air, familiar to her from the first days of her life, nor this sky attracted her now.
With wide open eyes she watched the ever-flowing water, trying to imagine in her imagination those uncharted lands where and from where the river ran. She wanted to see other countries, another world, for example the Australian dingo. Then she also wanted to be a pilot and sing a little at the same time.
And she began to sing. Quiet at first, then louder.
She had a voice that was pleasant to the ear. But it was empty all around. Only the water rat, frightened by the sounds of her song, splashed close to the root and swam to the reeds, dragging a green reed into the hole. The reed was long, and the rat worked in vain, unable to pull it through the thick river grass.
The girl looked at the rat with pity and stopped singing. Then she stood up, pulling the line out of the water.
With a wave of her hand, the rat darted into the reeds, and the dark, spotted trout, which had previously been standing motionless on the light stream, jumped and went into the depths.
The girl was left alone. She looked at the sun, which was already close to sunset and was sloping towards the top of the spruce mountain. And, although it was already late, the girl was in no hurry to leave. She slowly turned on the stone and leisurely walked up the path, where a tall forest descended towards her along the gentle slope of the mountain.
She entered it boldly.
The sound of water running between the rows of stones remained behind her, and silence opened before her.
And in this age-old silence she suddenly heard the sound of a pioneer bugle. He walked along the clearing where old fir trees stood without moving their branches, and blew a trumpet in her ears, reminding her that she had to hurry.
However, the girl did not increase her pace. Having walked around a round swamp where yellow locusts grew, she bent down and, with a sharp twig, dug several pale flowers out of the ground along with the roots. Her hands were already full when behind her came the quiet noise of footsteps and a voice loudly calling her name:
- Tanya!
She turned around. In the clearing, near a high heap of ants, the Nanai boy Filka stood and beckoned her to him with his hand. She approached, looking at him friendly.
Near Filka, on a wide stump, she saw a pot full of lingonberries. And Filka himself, using a narrow hunting knife made of Yakut steel, cleared the bark of a fresh birch twig.
“Didn’t you hear the bugle?” - he asked. - Why aren’t you in a hurry?
She answered:
- Today is parents' day. My mother cannot come - she is at the hospital at work - and no one is waiting for me at the camp. Why aren't you in a hurry? – she added with a smile.
“Today is Parents’ Day,” he answered in the same way as she, “and my father came to me from the camp, I went to accompany him to the spruce hill.”
-Have you already seen him off? It's far away.
“No,” Filka answered with dignity. - Why would I accompany him if he stays overnight near our camp by the river! I took a bath behind the Big Stones and went to look for you. I heard you singing loudly.
The girl looked at him and laughed. And Filka’s dark face darkened even more.
“But if you’re not in a hurry,” he said, “then we’ll stay here for a while.” I'll treat you to ant juice.
“You already treated me to raw fish this morning.”
- Yes, but it was a fish, and this is completely different. Try! - said Filka and stuck his rod into the very middle of the ant heap.
And, bending over it together, they waited a little until the thin branch, cleared of bark, was completely covered with ants. Then Filka with...
Unfortunately, the text of the book was removed at the request of the copyright holder.
Book ending
In the final chapters of the book “The Wild Dog Dingo, or the Tale of First Love,” the action takes place after the holidays . Tanya forced herself to visit Kolya in the hospital - he had suffered serious frostbite. The beginning of the school year also did not please the girl. Classmates blamed her for what happened to Kolya. They want to expel the girl from the pioneers. No one could figure out what else could have been done in her place. Tanya burst into tears, because she was not to blame for anything.
At home, the girl decided to talk to her mother about justice and the attitude of her classmates. The woman said she wanted to leave the city. The daughter understood her intentions, because it is difficult for a mother to be near her father. At parting, she wants to see Kolya, which Filke says.
At dawn, lovers meet in the forest. Tanya announces her departure, this upsets Kolya. The girl convinces him that everything is being done for the better. The guy suddenly kissed her. But the meeting was interrupted by the father and Filka. They all went home together.
Later, the girl said goodbye to her father and friend. She noticed that the light letters of her name stood out on Filka’s tanned chest. The boy was ready to cry when saying goodbye, but held back his tears. He just shouted “Goodbye, dingo!” And Tanya walked home along the river along the sand, preparing to leave.
The Tale of the Wild Dog Dingo or the Tale of First Love. Chapter 21
Chapter 21
At night the city slept.
And although every sound heard in the distance seems close at night, there was nothing to listen to in the silence of the city. No one walked its streets. Only Tanya continued on her way.
Once she walked already at this time and along this road. But then Filka walked nearby, he carried her fishing rods on his shoulder. Both of them were shivering a little from the cold, because it was autumn and at dawn the leaves were torn off and caught up with the wind without touching the ground. And the stars then burned only at the very edge of the horizon. And now they did not leave the sky, waiting for dawn to leave it together.
And while they burned in silence, Tanya still walked alone in their light, heading towards the wooded cape.
She entered the forest and chose a wide path for herself, where it was lighter than under the trees. Long roots and shadows lay in the way. But she wasn't afraid. Only the wet alder leaves occasionally frightened her a little, touching her face. She pushed them away with her hand. She was thoughtful.
She thought: what to do if Kolya tells her about love? What to do? Yesterday he came to her and said: “Come. I ask you to come for me. After all, I have not yet properly seen the dawn in the forest. Come."
And in a moment she will come.
What to do? What to do in general when they talk to you about love, but you have a mother for whom you are alone in life, and she has no one else?
She trembled slightly thinking about it and wrapped herself in her mother's doctor's coat, which she had put on secretly.
And the forest went further and further, leading her along its paths to the cape, where huge stones were scattered.
Kolya chose a place for himself among them. He sat and waited, looking towards the forest. And under the fading stars the sand was already white and the stones shone as if in the rain.
Tanya suddenly appeared in front of him. He did not recognize her in a white robe and rushed away from her. Tanya called him by name. He responded. But his embarrassment did not go away immediately.
Time passed slowly. They walked in complete silence back to the edge of the forest, where the spiky spruce trees stood in the smoke like spindles wrapped in yarn.
They chose a larch with wide branches and stopped under it.
- Why are you wearing this robe? - asked Kolya.
Tanya replied:
“Now I don’t have the beautiful dress that you liked so much.”
“Why are you talking about your beautiful dress, I don’t remember it at all.” I only think about you.
- Always? - Tanya asked.
- Always. Even when I don't see you. That's what's strange to me.
“Yes, it’s strange,” she said.
Then they sat down at the foot of the larch tree and listened to the crackling of the branches overhead. It was the birds waking up in their shelters.
A nutcracker flapping its wings over the top of a nearby spruce tree and flew away, leaving a vague trail behind it in the dark air.
“This is very strange,” Tanya repeated, watching her flight. “She spent a long night among the branches, here on the spruce tree.” And now she flew away at dawn... But that’s good. So, you will always think about me, even when I’m not here? I'll be leaving soon.
Kolya screamed quietly. He did not hesitate to shout when he heard these words, which in one second turned his entire soul upside down.
Tanya, as much as she could, tried to restrain her voice.
- Do you want to leave here? - he asked.
- Yes, I decided so. Let your father stay with you and Aunt Nadya - she is also kind, he loves her. And I will never leave my mother. We need to leave here, I know it.
- But why, tell me? Or do you hate me like before?
“Don’t ever tell me about this,” Tanya said dully. “What happened to me at first, I don’t know.” But I was so afraid when you came to us. After all, this is my father, not yours. And maybe that's why I was unfair to you. I hated and was afraid. But now I want you to be happy, Kolya...
- No no! - he shouted in excitement, interrupting her. - I want you to be happy, and your mother, and father, and Aunt Nadya. I want everyone to be happy. Can't this be done?
“Maybe it’s possible,” Tanya answered thoughtfully, “I don’t know.”
And she fell silent, thinking about her own happiness, and about the happiness of her father and mother.
She sat quietly, pressing her back against the dark trunk of a wide larch, as if she wanted to lean on something more unshakable, more reliable than her unclear thoughts, vaguely crowding in her mind.
But the larch also swayed slightly under the force of the pre-dawn wind. He walked from the river along the peaks, shaking them.
The dawn rolled behind him like a surf, hitting the sheer wall of the forest.
And there was no longer a single star in the sky above the river.
“And I would like everyone to be happy,” Tanya said, relentlessly looking into the distance, at the river, where at that time the sun rose and trembled. - And so I came to you. And now I'm leaving. Goodbye, the sun has already risen.
And Tanya got up from the grass, turned her back to the river and walked through the forest, not making out the road.
Kolya caught up with her on the path, where cedar trees stood quietly among the fir trees.
- Tanya, don’t go! - he shouted. - Did you tell me everything? Is that all?
“Of course, that’s it,” she answered with surprise. “Is there anything else you need, Kolya?”
He did not dare look at her tenderly: he was afraid to blush and lowered his eyes.
She continued to look into his face with sweet and gentle attention.
Then he leaned down and brought his lips to her cheek.
She didn't move away from him.
It was quiet on all sides.
And at the same instant, two loud shots rang through the silence of the forest. Then there was an echo in the mountains.
A short cedar waved its branches, and a huge pheasant in green and golden feathers fell at the feet of the children.
They ran away in fright.
And the pheasant began to fight in the grass and froze. And another pheasant, with white ears, flew a little obliquely, in zigzags, and fell dead to the ground near Tanya.
From behind the thick fir trees, the father came out onto the path, and Filka appeared behind him.
Both had guns in their hands, and blue smoke swirled above their heads between the trees.
- Wonderful! - said the father.
Tanya rushed to her father.
He didn't seem at all surprised to see her here in the forest.
He gently took her hand and said:
- Children, it's time for you to go home. Today is the last exam.
Filka picked up the heavy birds and, throwing them and the gun behind his back, stopped next to Kolya.
“And we, brother, hunted here,” he said. — Many pheasants graze on the cape in the morning.
Kolya was shaking all over. Filka took off his jacket and threw it over his shoulders. He took him by the arm too.
But the path was narrow for two. And they followed each other, and Tanya and her father led the way.
She pressed herself closer to him so as not to knock the dew off the trees with her shoulder.
From time to time she raised her eyes and looked into his face. And he walked straight along the path, not afraid of the dew and knocking his heels on the roots. He did not spin, did not spin through the forest. He was simple. He smiled at her and held her tightly.
- How much you look like your mother in this white robe! - he said.
And Tanya suddenly raised her father’s hand and placed it on her shoulder as it lay on the first day of their meeting. Then she stroked her and kissed her for the first time.
“Dad,” she said, “my dear dad, forgive me.” I used to be angry with you, but now I understand everything. No one is to blame: neither me, nor you, nor mom. Nobody! After all, there are many, many people in the world worthy of love. Is it true?
“True,” he said.
-Will you ever forgive me for my anger? I won't be angry anymore. “And you,” Tanya asked quietly, “aren’t you angry with me for being here in the forest with Kolya so early?”
- No, my dear Tanya. I also know: it’s good to be in the forest at dawn!
Reviews from critics
Soviet literary critics responded lukewarmly to Fraerman's book. They noted that the author was too immersed in sublime experiences. Several people wrote negative reviews:
- A. Margolina;
- M. Balina;
- M. Mayofis.
The story did not fit well into the canons of the 30s. The author paid little attention to the significance of the team and spoiled the end of the work. Instead of a happy ending, he made readers think about the inevitability of losses.
Fraerman was fulfilling an order - he was assigned to write a children's school story. Before this, no Russian author had worked in this direction. In fact, the book turned out to be such that adults also read it. And teenagers could not always understand the motives and actions of the main characters.
Critics noted that in the work there is no division of heroes into positive and negative. This complicates the analysis of the plot and interferes with the development of readers' feelings. In just a month, the writer created an adventure story with elements of Russian classical prose. But it was a sad work, proving that in life you will constantly have to look for compromises and adapt to circumstances.
Reader reviews
Before reading the story, you can read reviews from those who have already immersed themselves in Fraerman’s world. Opinions were divided - some liked the book, others found it too cruel.
I read the story when I was 14 years old, and recently opened this book again. I realized that I needed to get to know her in my youth. An adult will not understand the actions of the main characters and will not be able to share their thoughts. You need to fall in love for the first time to experience the whole plot.
Nina, 25 years old
My son was recently assigned this story for the summer. I had already forgotten what the book was about and had to re-read it myself. If I was fascinated by such stories as a child, I didn’t like him now. I will never be able to forgive Tanya for what she did to Tiger. Why is this passage even needed? What did she achieve by sacrificing her dog? And the ending leaves much to be desired. Everything is too sad and depressing.
Alina, 32 years old
I believe that such books are written exclusively for girls. The plot is unrealistic. Well, how could a girl herself load a guy onto a sleigh, cope with a team of dogs, and then replace them altogether? I didn’t understand why the author wrote about leaving at the end.
The mother’s fate did not work out, and now her daughter’s first relationship has broken down.
A cruel book, the episode with the death of the dog was especially disappointing. You could throw any object to the dogs, but not a living creature. I do not recommend this book to either children or adults. Ilya, 19 years old
History of creation[ | ]
According to the author, the idea of writing the story arose in the Far East, where Fraerman “observed many examples of friendship between Tunguska teenage boys and Russian girls, examples of true chivalry and devotion in friendship and love”[1].
The plot of the story matured for the author over several years. When it took shape, the writer closed himself off from everyone in the Ryazan village of Solotche. Fraerman's wife later recalled that, having started work in December 1938, he completed the story within a month[2].
“I thought about her in the anxious pre-war years. I wanted to prepare the hearts of my young contemporaries for the upcoming trials of life. Tell them something good, <…> show the charm of the first timid meetings, the emergence of high, pure love.”
— Reuben Fraerman.
According to Vladimir Nikolaev, a researcher of Fraerman’s work, Tanya’s prototype is the writer’s daughter from his first marriage, Nora Kovarskaya, who later became a journalist[3].
