Biography of Greece Ernest Seton Thompson read. Ernest Seton-Thompson: biography and literary activity

Biography

Seton-Thompson

(Seton Thompson) Ernest (14/8/1860, South Shields, UK - 23/10/1946, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA), Canadian writer, animal artist, naturalist. In 1879 he graduated from the Toronto College of Art. He lived for a long time in forests and prairies. He wrote about 40 books, mainly about animals. The narrative was accompanied by precise and skillful drawings. He devoted several books to the life and folklore of Indians and Eskimos. The first work of S.-T. - “The Life of a Meadow Grouse” (1883).

His books “Wild Animals as I Know Them” (1898), “The Life of Those Who Are Hunted” (1901), as well as the 8-volume work “The Life of Wild Animals” (1925−27) brought him fame. Published the books “Biography of a Grizzly” (1900), “Birch Bark” (1902), “Book of the Forest” (1912), etc. Scientific accuracy in the books of S.-T. combined with entertaining presentation. He influenced many animal writers.

Ernest Seton-Thompson was born in Great Britain, South Shields, on August 14, 1860. His father, Seton, was of a noble family. The family moved to Canada when the guy was barely six years old. The father adjusted the force to his wife and son, so Ernest spent most of his time in the forest, sketching and studying its inhabitants. Tired of problems at home, the guy changes his name to Ernest Thompson-Seton (Thompson Seaton). In 1879 he received his education at the Toronto College of Art.

In 1883, the writer published his first work, “The Life of a Meadow Grouse.” Afterwards, thanks to his childhood observations of forest life, he wrote the collections “Wild Animals as I Know Them” in 1898, “The Lives of Those Who Are Hunted” in 1901 and “The Life of Wild Animals” in 1925, which brought Ernest fame in Canada and the USA. The illustrations in the books were handwritten by the writer himself, because six years of studying fine arts from 1890 to 1896 in Paris were not in vain.

Being a fan of forest life, the poet spends more and more time there. He writes about 40 books, most of which describe the inhabitants of the forest. In a couple of books he described the life of Eskimos and Indians. Ernest describes the theme of their everyday life and life in the wild in the book “Little Savages”.

Ernest meets a girl, Grace Gallatin, whom he marries in 1896. As a result, their only daughter, Ann, was born on January 23, 1904. After being married for 39 years, Ernest and Grace divorced, and a little later he tied the knot with Julia M. Butry. The couple could not have children of their own, so they decided to adopt, and in 1938, they adopted Beulah (Dee) Seton.

Ernest Seton-Thompson dies in America on October 23, 1946 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was cremated, keeping an urn containing his ashes for fourteen years, and in 1960 his daughter and grandson scattered his ashes from an airplane over the hills of Seaton Village.

Ernest Seton-Thompson was born (1860-1946) in England, in the small town of South Shields. But he was not English by birth. His ancestors came from Scotland. Legends about the glorious past were lovingly kept in the family, as well as about the hunting successes of many of their members who belonged to the ancient family, especially about Lord Seton, a passionate hunter who killed the last wolf in the British Isles in the same 18th century. Many years later, having become a famous writer, Seton-Thompson restored the old surname of the family, retaining for some time a double surname, under which he established himself as a writer in world literature.

As an equally gifted person, he spoke about his life in the book he wrote in his declining years, “The Path of the Artist-Naturalist” (1941), in the Russian translation “My Life.”

The father of the future writer was a wealthy man, the owner of about ten ships that transported goods to all corners of the world. A large family - there were fourteen children (four of them died in early age) - lived in abundance. Seton-Thompson was the youngest, tenth child. Already at an early age he developed a love for animals. No matter how bitterly he cried, he had only to say: “Look, a bird!” or show him some kind of bug to shut him up. In winter, as he recalled, his mother used to wrap him in a blanket and tell him to imagine himself as a tree. Having entered this image, the boy, without moving, sat for hours near the wall. He also loved to listen to fairy tales, such as “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids,” but his sympathies were always on the side of the wolf.

The writer truthfully describes an episode of a bloody massacre, in which he himself participated, over the neighbor’s chickens that strayed onto their property. Later, fear and shame appeared for what he had done. Perhaps, it was after this event that the writer began to think about the difficult and often dramatic relationship between man and nature, about the need to protect it from human desires that harm nature.

During the early years of Seton-Thompson's childhood, his father's affairs deteriorated, and when the boy was six years old, the whole family moved to Canada in search of happiness. They first settled in the city of Lindsay, in the province of Ontario, and four years ago they moved to Toronto, then a small town surrounded by forests.

This move to Canada determined the future fate of the writer. The boy found himself in completely unusual conditions. opened up to him new world forests where there were many similar animals and birds.

Young Ernest remembered most of all how the first house was built with the hands of his parents and brothers, in the construction of which he, the little one, also took part. He also remembered long journey before school, when he somehow almost didn’t freeze. He remembered how the first deer was shot before his brother’s eyes, and his feelings: the desire to hit him, and then the feeling of pain at the sight of an animal that died before his eyes.

All yours free time The guy always spent time in fields and forests, watching the life of animals and birds. By the time he graduated from school, he knew that he would become a naturalist. But my father was against it, because this profession did not provide the opportunity to earn a lot of money. He believed that it was better to study as an artist by drawing his favorite animals. So he started drawing. He was taught by a local master. The young man enters a local art school, where he receives a gold medal.

In 1879, Ernest went to London to enter the Royal Academy of Arts. But it was only the following year that he was enrolled and given the opportunity to complete a seven-year course of study. His greatest joy then was visiting the zoo, where he sat all day, making sketches of animals. But he did not study at the academy for long. The constant need for money and starvation exhausted his strength, and he was forced to return home in 1882.

Seton-Thompson settled in Manitoba and returned to his favorite activity - observing animals. At this time, he wrote and published many articles about animals, and in 1886 his first book, “Mammals of Manitoba,” was published, after which a number of scientific publications soon appeared.

In 1898, Seton-Thompson published the book “The Animals I Have Known” (in Russian translation “My Wild Friends”), which made people talk about him as a writer who rediscovered the animal world for humans. Following it, books appeared such as: “The Fate of the Persecuted” (1901), “Hero Animals” (1905), “Wild Animals at Home,” which only strengthened this impression about him.

The main characters of Seton-Thompson - not only one, two, but several dozen books - are animals. Sometimes domestic, but mostly wild, forest, which modern people, as a rule, had to be seen only in the zoo, in a small and uncomfortable cage.

Seton-Thompson describes their life in freedom, where they appear in all their glory, in no way inferior to man, but mostly superior to it, with their own special character, habits, with their own unique character, with a one-of-a-kind destiny, capricious turns which is no less captivating than the intrigue of an adventure novel.

There are many unusual things in the stories the writer tells. His heroes are the Winnipeg wolf, the dog Bingo, who saved his owner from certain death; the wise leader of the pack of wolves Lobo, who easily unravels all the hunters’ tricks, and his girlfriend Blanca; Tito the Coyote; Jack Rabbit and many others seem to be gifted with extraordinary qualities, but the stories themselves amaze primarily with their realism. These are “true stories.” The writer speaks only about what he saw and what he himself took part in. But both the vision and his participation are special. The world he saw through the eyes of a naturalist, not just a person in love with nature, not touched, who carefully studies it in all its manifestations, who tries to comprehend its secrets, approaches it with scientific objectivity.

Seton-Thompson carefully studied the habits of the most similar animals and birds. When he wrote about animals, readers were amazed at the author's powers of observation. Thompson wrote about everything as if he himself had once been a raven, a fox, or a bear. He knew in detail the life of animals, knew how they breed their offspring, how they find food, and what tricks they resort to to deceive their enemies. And this is no coincidence, because he was a scientist and spent decades observing many animals of the Canadian forests. He recorded everything he saw in his naturalist’s diary, which he used when he began to write his works, where he “populated” his animals. In addition, the writer drew beautifully. As a rule, he illustrated his books himself and left thousands of pictures from nature.

But animals were not Seton-Thompson's only hobby. His other passion was the Indians, their way of life, their “forest science”: The writer deeply admired how the Indians, whose life was spent in the forests, among wild nature, were able to read it like an open book, penetrating all its secrets. He devoted many years to studying their lives.

This was all reflected in the books of Seton-Thompson, which were no less famous than his stories about animals. Among these books were: “The Birch Bark Scroll of the Indians” (1907), “The Book of Forestry Science and Indian Wisdom” (1912), “The Goblin’s Textbook” (1912), “The Gospel of the Red Skin” (1938). Books about Indians also include the book “Rolf in the Woods” (1911).

"Lobo"

The main character of this story is a huge leader of the pack gray wolves- Lobo, who ravaged the Currumpo Valley for many years. His thunderous roar, well known to all shepherds, frightened the entire populated region of the northern part of New Mexico. His small pack was also well known, which included the she-wolf Blanca, Lobo’s friend, who raided herds of cows and flocks of sheep not only for the sake of need, but for the sake of entertainment, eating only selected pieces of meat from young heifers. Thanks to their leader, these wolves were elusive: they never fell into traps, did not eat dead meat, and seemed to mock all the tricks that cattle breeders and hunters tried to use. The narrator of this story, a former wolf hunter, aroused a sense of respect for the leader for his sharp mind, resourcefulness and ingenuity. But the hero arrived at the ranch with the goal of helping farmers fight this furious pack. Many failures befell him before he realized what hook he could use to hook the leader. During these searches, we, together with the author, have the opportunity, thanks to his naturalistic descriptions, to imagine rocky mountains where wolves were hiding, farmsteads, scenes of massacres of sheep, etc. The narrator studied the leader's character well and, like a smart hunter, understood his weak point (as a loner he was invincible and could only die because of the carelessness of a comrade he trusted). The brilliant plan worked perfectly, Blanca served as bait, and Lobo, looking for her, finally fell into the trap. But the death of this giant wolf is a real tragedy. Betrayal of friends, contempt for those who won, longing for the dead beloved and, finally, a dignified death cause genuine regret for this predatory beast.

MAIN WORKS:

“The Path of the Naturalist Artist”, “My Life”, “My Wild Friends”, “The Fate of the Persecuted”, “Hero Animals”, “Wild Animals at Home”, “Birch Bark Scroll of the Indians”, “The Book of Forest Science and Indian Wisdoms” ", "The Goblin's Textbook", "The Gospel of the Red-Skinned One", "Rolf in the Woods".

LITERATURE:

1. Stories about animals. - M., 1966;

2. My life. Animal heroes. The fate of the persecuted. My wild friends. - M., 1982.

The famous Canadian writer, hunter, traveler and animal artist Ernest Seton-Thompson (1860-1946) decided from childhood to become a naturalist and pursued his goal with enviable tenacity.

When difficult days came, he remembered the brave ancestor who, many centuries ago, became famous for his exploits in the battles for Scotland. The boy said to himself: “Invincible Georgie never gave up, which means I must emerge victorious!”

Ernest Seton-Thompson was born in the north of England in a small seaside town, his grandfather and father were shipowners. When the family's affairs worsened, they had to move to America. His parents, cousin and nine brothers settled in Ontario, deciding to start farming. We had to do everything ourselves: build a spacious house for a huge family, take care of livestock.

His father had long noticed little Ernest’s hobby: he enjoyed going into the forest, observing plants, trees and animals. But he was especially interested in birds; he made sketches of their plumage, memorized their voices, but, unfortunately, could not name them by name. Arriving in the city, the boy went into a hardware store, where the owner kept stuffed birds, under each stuffed bird there was a sign with the name. Now he could recognize every bird he encountered in the forest!

In a bookstore, Ernest found the Birds of Canada guide, which cost a dollar and ten cents. The boy had to collect the required amount for several months to purchase the treasured book. Imagine his disappointment when he found out that there were many inaccuracies in it. Then Ernest began to add his own amendments and additions to the book, which served as the beginning for the first independently compiled guide to the birds of Canada.

When difficulties arose with the household, the family moved to Toronto. Here Ernest graduated from art college. All school teachers praised Ernest: “Your son is the first student. But his success in drawing is especially amazing! If you help his talent develop, he will become a great artist and glorify your family throughout the world!”

His father believed that the profession of naturalist that Ernest dreamed of had neither future nor prospects. Although the family lived very poorly, he managed to send his son to the Royal Academy of London. They taught there for free and gave a small stipend. But it was quite difficult to get there. Ernest entered only a year later, when his drawing entered the competition.

Seton-Thompson was given student ID, engraved on an ivory plate. The young man learned that next to the museum where he often worked there was the largest science Library, which houses a huge collection of natural history books. Entrance to the library was free, but persons under twenty-one years of age were not allowed. Ernest asked to be given a library card, but the attendant said that they had famous academicians studying there, and members of the museum’s board had established strict rules.

Tell me the names of the board members! - asked the young man.

Please: Prince of Wales, Archbishop of Canterbury.

There were seven people on the board in total, and these were the greatest men in England. Seton-Thompson wrote a long letter to each of them. He talked about himself, his dreams and explained why it was so important for him to become a reader of the Library British Museum. Three days later, he received seven polite responses - from each of the board members. They all promised to discuss his request. And two weeks later the director of the library invited him and gave him not just a simple, but a lifetime membership card!

Many years passed when they first appeared wonderful stories about animals: “Animals I Have Known”, “Animal Heroes”. Their creator died in 1946, at the age of 86, having lived a long life full of good deeds, and his books were loved by children and adults in many countries around the world. The stories are accompanied by witty and expressive drawings author. They contain a lot of informative information about the habits of animals and their struggle for existence.

Particularly fascinating are the stories about the strong, dexterous and brave Lobo - the leader of a pack of gray wolves that devastated the Currumpo Valley, about the wild horse - the lively and elusive handsome mustang pacer, about the crow killed by an owl, about the inspired singer Randy the sparrow, about the black fox Domino and the Royal Analostanka.

Is in this book interesting story about the heroic pigeon Arno, who broke many glorious records. One day he flew a report over the sea, in the fog, two hundred and ten miles in four hours and forty minutes. The letter was rolled up, wrapped in waterproof paper, addressed to the Steamship Company and attached to the underside of the tail feathers. Arno's heroic feat was included in the lists of the Pigeon Club.

But the bird's life was too short: he was in a hurry to get home, flying low as the wind rose. The falcons were catching a weak, tired dove. “In one minute it was all over. The pigeon keepers squealed with joy. Squealing in the air, they soared onto their rock, holding in their claws the pigeon’s body - all that was left of the fearless little Arno.”

From Seton-Thompson's book you can find out who a pacer is. “I saw a herd of mustangs going to water at Antelope Spring. There are also a couple of foals there. One small, black one is handsome, a born pacer. I chased him for about two miles, and he kept ahead the whole time and never lost his trot. I deliberately drove the horses for fun, but I never knocked him off his amble!”

Such horses are not suitable for peasant farming. But a mustang is a wild horse. And so the hero of the story “Mustang the pacer” greatly annoys the cowboys, taking their domestic mares with him. They try to herd the stallion, but they fail to catch him. How much will, strength and courage he showed in defending his freedom!

In the story "Royal Analostanka", the cats of Scrimper Lane are fed by a man with a wheelbarrow. He takes out pieces of fragrant boiled liver from the drawer. Each cat grabs a piece and runs away to enjoy its prey in a safe haven.

All the cats are well known to the liver seller: here is a cat whose owner carefully contributes his ten cents a week, but John Washie's cat receives a smaller piece because John is late in payment, the innkeeper's rat-catcher, decorated with a collar and bows, receives an additional portion as a reward for the owner's generosity. But the black cat with a white nose is mercilessly pushed away. She doesn't understand what happened. Only the seller of the liver knows well what the matter is: its owner has stopped paying him.

Cats who were not on the lists of the aristocracy waited at a respectful distance. Among them was one stray cat, which is becoming the main character story. Her story is the story of Cinderella. But only for cats!

Many of Seton-Thompson's stories end tragically. For example, “Domino. The story of one black and brown fox." A father fox, returning home with prey for five fox cubs, and his girlfriend are pursued by hunters. When Domino realizes that Belogrudka is exhausted, he bravely rushes towards the dog to lead her away from the hole.

There are stories with a good ending. The hunter has been trying to drive down the huge deer of the Sandy Hills for several seasons, and finally he succeeds. We must shoot. “The deer stood like a statue. He stood and looked straight into Ian's eyes with his large, truthful eyes. The gun trembled in Ian’s hand. He raised it and lowered it again...”

Reading the works of Seton-Thompson, you will notice that the author endows animals with human properties. His heroes think and feel like humans. This is called anthropomorphism. The writer was a supporter of such ideas about living nature.

Read an essay by Vasily Peskov about his acquaintance with the writer’s books and his trip to his homeland.

Vasily Peskov

Lifelong friend

If you asked me which of the books I read as a child had the greatest influence on me, I would immediately say: “Animal Heroes” by Seton-Thompson.

Almost everyone in our country reads this book as a child. It was published dozens of times under this and other titles. It left a grateful memory for everyone who read it. For me, the book was a whole event.

Life was just beginning for me then. And most interesting place there was a river in it, marshy chaplygas, an alder forest, a wet meadow with yellow wagtails, waders and lapwings. The day in childhood is long, but it was not enough to run around this great kingdom. In the evenings, the already half-asleep traveler’s mother, reprimanding him for leaving the heifer unattended and for the holes in his newly sewn shirt, steamed his chicks with sour cream. (Pimples, for those who don’t know, are a disease of village boys: from constant climbing in the swamps, the dried mud on the feet finely cracked along with the skin.) It was a good time! And then someone’s smart, attentive hand placed a book called “Hero Animals” on the nine-year-old “naturalist.”

Only now, having already gray hair, do you understand how important it is to throw the right grain into the ground in time. Over the next forty years, I probably have not read a more necessary book than this one. Everything in the book was simple, clear and very relatable. Pigeons, cats, horses, wolves, foxes, sparrows, mice, dogs, tits - everything is familiar and at the same time new, unusual. The pictures in the book were also special. They were placed on sheets of paper on the side. There were many of them: someone’s footprints, dropped feathers, an extinguished fire, wolf eyes looking out of the darkness with two lights, some kind of flower, a hut, a string of geese, a cow skull, a trap... These drawings are still in my memory, and I can name them one by one. Reading the book, I experienced a strange feeling, as if everything that was drawn and written in it, I had seen myself on our river, in the forest, in the chaplygs, in the yard. The book seemed to me like a treasure that should have been placed under the pillow. I re-read it for the third, fourth time. I even remember the smell of it, the smell of yellow paper that had been lying around for a long time with notes written in blue pencil...

Later, from the pictures in the wide margins, I immediately recognized the books that were dear to me, I found and read everything that could be found. “Animals I Have Known”, “From the Life of the Persecuted”, “Mustang Pacer”, “Rolf in the Woods”, “Little Savages”. I learned that the writer and artist of all these books are the same person - Seton-Thompson. I also learned that the heroes of the books - the wolves Tito, Lobo and Blanca, the pigeon Arno, the fox Domino, the rabbit Jack, the dog Chink, the Indian Chaska - were known and dear not only to me.

Even later, re-reading Seton-Thompson with an experienced eye, I felt this man’s enormous knowledge and love for nature, extraordinary authenticity in every word and in every drawing. Now I began to become interested in the author himself and realized: behind the books there is a bright, interesting human life. I made inquiries in the library: is there anything about Seton-Thompson? The old librarian said: “Just a minute...” and returned with a small book. “My life,” I read on the cover... Still the same style - a narrow set, and on wide margins there are drawings: a hut, wolf tracks, a running elk, a locomotive drowned in the snow, a rider on a horse among the prairies...

I read the book in one night, last sheets turned over already in the morning light. This second meeting with Seton-Thompson was more serious than his childhood date. I found out: the writer was born and spent his childhood in Canada, lived and worked in New York, but was burdened by the city and finally left for the wild, uninhabited places of America.

What was important for me was the discovery: a man lived happy life because he worked tirelessly and did what he loved. The book also opened my eyes to the fact that it is very difficult to feel “your purpose” and then follow it. Life is a continuous exam; it does not spare those who retreat and stumble. But perseverance, faith and courage do not go without reward...

Forty years ago, could I have thought that I would see the Seton-Thompson house, I would see the table at which the writer worked, I would see his paintings, drawings, the worn-out pencil that fell from his hand in 1946. I will see my daughter and his grandchildren. Could I think?

But that's exactly what happened in 1972. Traveling around America, my friend and I found a village in New Mexico called Seaton Village (“Seton Village.” We say Seton, Americans say Seaton) and spent the whole day in the house of a person dear to me.

Seton-Thompson built the house himself, with his own hands, to his own taste. His adopted daughter Di Barbara and four grandchildren now live in it.

I walked around this scrap with excitement, touching things that once surrounded the writer, leafing through his books, looking at the originals of such familiar drawings made in ink on thick paper. I was shown a considerable feather dress, given to Seton-Thompson by his Indian friends, and I saw the place where he sat talking with the Indians.

And at this table he died. I sat and worked. “And suddenly he dropped his pencil,” said Di Barbara.

The writer’s grandchildren, children just like ours, listened attentively to the conversation. They were interested to know: somewhere far away their grandfather was known and loved.

We really love and know this wonderful naturalist writer. His books introduced many people to the world of nature from childhood, helped them understand and love this world, and helped some people choose a path in life. And this happened to several generations of people. The books of this remarkable nature writer, artist and scientist do not age.

Literature

1. Voskoboynikov V. When Seton-Thompson was little (On the 140th anniversary of his birth) / Bonfire. - 2000. - No. 8.

2. Korotkova M.S. "I went my own path..." E. Seton-Thompson. "My Life" and "Little Savages". V grade / Literature at school. - 2010. - No. 1.

3. Peskov V. Friend for life / Young naturalist. - 1983. - No. 7.

4. Seton-Thompson E. My life. Little savages. - M.: Politizdat, 1991.

5. Solovey T.G. "Little Hero" by E. Seton-Thompson. Lesson-game based on the story "Chink". V grade / Literature lessons. - 2005. - No. 11.

6. Chudakova M. About animals / Reader. - 2006. - No. 6.

Ernest Seton-Thompson(English) Ernest Thompson Seton, born Ernest Evan Thompson- Ernest Evan Thompson; in literature the variant is often found Ernest Thompson Seton) - Canadian writer, animal artist, naturalist and public figure British origin. One of the founders of the Scout movement in the USA. Since the United States played almost as significant a role in Seton's life as Canada, he can rightfully be called an American writer.

Ernest Evan Thompson was born in the British city of South Shields. His father, Seton, came from an old English noble family. When Ernest was six years old, the family moved to Canada. Young Ernest often went into the woods to study and draw animals, mainly to avoid his violent father. Later, as a result of the estrangement between them, he changed his name to Ernest Thompson-Seton (or rather Thompson Seaton). Ernest graduated from the Toronto College of Art in 1879.
First literary work Seton-Thompson, “The Life of the Red Grouse,” was published in 1883. The writer became famous in the USA and Canada for his collections “Wild Animals as I Know Them” (1898), “The Lives of Those Who Are Hunted” (1901), and also the 8-volume work “The Life of Wild Animals” (1925-1927). Seton very skillfully drew illustrations for his stories and stories himself - his drawings are distinguished by their accuracy and expressiveness. From 1890 to 1896 Seton studied art in Paris.
Not being a fan of city life, Seton lived for a long time in the forests and prairies. He wrote about 40 books, mainly about animals. He devoted several books to the life and folklore of Indians and Eskimos. Themes of Indian life and life in nature, among wild animals, were combined in the fascinating and educational autobiographical book “Little Savages.” Seton also published the books “Biography of a Grizzly Bear” (1900), “Birch Bark” (1902), “Book of the Forest” (1912), etc.
In 1906, the writer met Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts movement. Together they actively promoted the ideology of living in harmony with nature.
Seton became one of the founders literary genre works about animals; he had a powerful influence on many animal writers.
In 1896, Seton-Thompson married Grace Gallatin. On January 23, 1904, their only daughter, Ann, was born. She later became famous under the name Anya Seton as a best-selling author of historical and biographical books. Grace and Ernest divorced in 1935, and he soon married Julia M. Butry, who was also engaged in literary activities (herself and in collaboration with her husband). They did not have children of their own, but in 1938 they adopted a seven-year-old girl, Beulah (Dee) Seton, (married Dee Seton-Barber). In 1972, Soviet journalists Vasily Peskov and Boris Strelnikov visited her and they described this meeting in their book “The Land Beyond the Ocean.” Anya Seaton died in 1990, and Dee Seaton-Barber died in 2006.
Ernest Seton-Thompson died on October 23, 1946 in the American city of Santa Fe (New Mexico). His body was cremated and the urn with his ashes was kept in the house for fourteen years. In 1960, on the centenary of the writer's birth, his daughter Dee and grandson Seaton Cottier (Ani's son) took to the skies in an airplane and scattered his ashes over the hills of Seton Village.

In the photo: E. Thompson in Indian clothing.

(edited)

Ernest Thompson Seton (Seton)

(renamed Seton-Thompson ONLY in Russia)

/ Ernest Thompson Seton, August 14, 1860, South Shields, UK - October 23, 1946, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA /

British-born Canadian writer, animal artist, naturalist and public figure. One of the founders of the Scout movement in the USA. Seton (Chief Black Wolf) - illustrator, naturalist, writer, storyteller and lecturer, author of best-selling books on animal life, expert on American Indian sign language, supporter of the political, cultural and spiritual rights of the indigenous people of America, author of a work on the theory and practice of camouflage .
The artist also loved to depict footprints in the snow. He painted traces of a bear, deer, fox, raccoon, lynx and some other animals. The trace of the wolf is not ignored either. Of course, he is windy more often than others. In letters to friends, Thompson often drew a wolf’s footprint instead of a signature, and sometimes signed: “Wolf Thompson.” He was a great friend of the Indians. Few people know that Thompson also had an Indian name - Black Wolf. In our opinion, it’s a little gloomy, but among animals, the wolf enjoyed special respect among the Indians.
In 1891 he published big volume the definitive catalog “Birds of Manitoba,” thanks to which in 1892 he was appointed naturalist by the government of the province of Manitoba. In the early 1890s he made several trips to Paris to continue his study of art. The first book that made Seton famous, Wild Animals I Have Known, was published in 1898.
In 1902, he organized the “League of Woodcraft Indians” (in Russian approximately: Indians are experts in the woods), an organization for boys (although not Indian), and wrote its charter and leadership on a birch bark scroll. Following the example of Woodcraft Indians, English Colonel Lord Baden-Powell organized the Boy Scouts movement in England. Subsequently, based on the League of Woodcraft Indians, Seton Thompson and Daniel Beard (also a writer and illustrator) organized the Boy Scouts of America movement. Interestingly, Seton was expelled from the organization in 1915 for criticizing its militaristic orientation, although officially because he was not an American citizen.
In 1908, he published “The Life of Northern Animals” in 2 volumes, and in 1925–1927, an 8-volume work “The Life of Wild Animals.” In 1930 he moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and in 1931 he became an American citizen. He lived in Santa Fe for the rest of his life.

...........................................

Ernest was not English by birth. His ancestors came from Scotland. Legends about the glorious past were lovingly kept in the family, as well as about the hunting successes of many of their members who belonged to the ancient family, especially about Lord Seton, a passionate hunter who killed the last wolf in the British Isles in the same 18th century. Many years later, having become a famous writer, Seton restored the ancient surname of the family, retaining for some time a double surname, under which he established himself as a writer in world literature.

As a multi-talented person, he spoke about his life in the book “My Life” (1941), written by him in his declining years.

The father of the future writer was a wealthy man, the owner of about ten ships that transported goods to all corners of the world. The large family - there were fourteen children (four of them died at an early age) - lived in abundance. Seton was the youngest, tenth child. Already at an early age he developed a love for animals. No matter how bitterly he cried, he had only to say: “Look, a bird!” or show him some kind of bug to shut him up. In winter, as he recalled, his mother used to wrap him in a blanket and tell him to imagine himself as a tree. Having entered this image, the boy, without moving, sat for hours near the wall. He also loved to listen to fairy tales, such as “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids,” but his sympathies were always on the side of the wolf.

The writer truthfully describes an episode of a bloody massacre, in which he himself participated, over the neighbor’s chickens that strayed onto their property. Later, fear and shame appeared for what he had done. Perhaps, it was after this event that the writer began to think about the difficult and often dramatic relationship between man and nature, about the need to protect it from human desires that harm nature.

During the early years of Seton's childhood, his father's affairs deteriorated, and when the boy was six years old, the whole family moved to Canada in search of happiness. They first settled in the city of Lindsay, in the province of Ontario, and four years ago they moved to Toronto, then a small town surrounded by forests.

This move to Canada determined the future fate of the writer. The boy found himself in completely unusual conditions. A new world of forests opened up to him, where there were many different animals and birds.

Young Ernest remembered most of all how the first house was built with the hands of his parents and brothers, in the construction of which he, the little one, also took part. He also remembered the long journey to school, when he somehow almost didn’t freeze. He remembered how the first deer was shot before his brother’s eyes, and his feelings: the desire to hit him, and then the feeling of pain at the sight of an animal that died before his eyes.

The guy always spent all his free time in fields and forests, watching the life of animals and birds. By the time he graduated from school, he knew that he would become a naturalist. But my father was against it, because this profession did not provide the opportunity to earn a lot of money. He believed that it was better to study as an artist by drawing his favorite animals. So he started drawing. He was taught by a local master. The young man studies at a local art school, where he receives a gold medal.

He forever remembered his first oil painting - a portrait of a hawk. The boy spent two weeks on its execution, carefully writing out all the details. School drawings Thompson compared favorably with the works of his peers. Already in his youth, he depicts animals, usually from life. His drawings were interesting, but did not stand out in any way.

After working for two years after school as an apprentice to a young, successful artist in Toronto, Ernest begins attending evening classes at the Toronto College of Art and ends up as its first student. Seton went to London to continue his artistic education, where in 1880 he entered the School of Painting and Sculpture at the Royal Academy, being one of six fellows out of a hundred applicants.

The student card, engraved, by the way, on ivory, gave a number of privileges, including free visit zoo There, the future artist, writer and naturalist will spend many days getting to know its inhabitants, drawing a lot from life. Unfortunately, a year later, due to health reasons, he will be forced to leave London and return home.

In the mid-eighties, Thompson began writing stories about animals, but only writing. No one is printing them yet. In the fall of 1890 he entered the art school in Paris, visiting evening classes. And during the day... During the day, as in London, he spends time at the zoo, drawing his favorite animals. How many of them did he depict? No one has answered this question yet. But it is known that a folder with three thousand drawings is kept in his house today! Many paintings were also painted. Seton illustrates all his stories with his own drawings, placing many of them in the margins of the pages.

“Wolves have always been a favorite subject of my drawings,” admits the writer. Indeed, he had a special passion for wolves. He dedicated four independent large stories to them: “Lobo” (the author’s favorite wolf), “Winnipeg Wolf”, “Badland Billy, or the Victorious Wolf” and “Tito. The story of the meadow wolf." Each of the stories is richly illustrated with drawings and reproductions of paintings.

During Thompson's visit to the Paris Zoo in 1890, his attention was drawn to one of the wolves - a large, beautiful animal, from which he painted the painting "Sleeping Wolf". It was presented at the Grand Art Salon of Paris. The picture was accepted.

One day, standing near his work in the Salon, the author heard from a random visitor a story about how, in the Pyrenees Mountains near the southern border of France, wolves tore to pieces a hunter who lived in a secluded hut and was hunting wolves. Seton-Thompson is planning to paint a picture on this topic.

Having completed it on a canvas measuring 1.4x2.1 meters, he calls new job“Revenge of the Wolves,” but one of his French friends suggested a different title: “Waiting in Vain,” explaining that it was more consistent with the meaning of the tragedy that had occurred. You can see a fragment of the canvas in the illustration. True, there is no view of the house in the background with smoke coming from the chimney; probably, someone in the house is really waiting for the unlucky hunter to return. This time, the Salon jury rejected the painting, noting that it “offends human dignity” and “the author apparently sympathizes with the wolf.”

Thompson later decided to show the painting at the Chicago International Exhibition. And again she was rejected. But a letter from the chairman of the Canadian section of the exhibition appeared in the press, which said: “We, unfortunately, have quite a lot of sugary, inexpressive daub, and I personally would like to see a bold, courageous style of writing - like in the painting “Waiting in Vain.” . A scandal broke out. As a result, the painting took one of the central places in the exhibition of the Canadian section.

In 1895, Seton conceived another large painting about wolves for the next exhibition in Paris. About the new idea, the artist wrote: “Forest, Russian sleighs are rushing along a fresh path, and behind them a pack of twelve wolves is chasing them.” Work began: the composition was carefully thought out, a sketch of each wolf was completed. The artist worked with inspiration, and called his painting “The Pursuit.”

But... failure again. True, this time the jury of the Paris Salon, rejecting the canvas itself, accepted six studies. When US President Theodore Roosevelt, who himself was fond of hunting and knew a lot about wolves, later saw the picture, he exclaimed: “I have never seen a picture where wolves were depicted so beautifully!” Soon, at his request, Seton made a copy of the central part of the painting, which was later placed in the Theodore Roosevelt Gallery.

And here is a portrait of Seton's famous pet, Lobo the wolf. The animal's head painted in oil is extremely expressive and dynamic. Look: he's smart, strong hero wild raids on herds of cattle, terrifying local farmers. Having lost his vigilance after the death of his friend the white wolf Blanca and having fallen into a trap, he bravely meets his enemies.

Seton painted many other paintings depicting the life of wolves, and all of them illustrate one or another of his literary works. Many paintings were reproduced in the writer’s books published in different years.

Throughout his long life, Seton-Thompson kept a diary. It consisted of 50 thick volumes bound in leather. And in all of them there are countless drawings. Pencils, brushes, paints, and inks accompanied the writer-artist everywhere. His first collection of stories, Animals I Have Known, was published in 1898. Animals had been written about before Thompson. Animals and birds were often the heroes of fairy tales and fables, but usually these were characters who thought and acted like people. Seton-Thompson was the first to write specifically about the animals themselves, about their actions, characters, and moods. The narrative is not told in the first person. You are reading a story about an animal, and not the animal’s fantasy thoughts about itself.

Drawings in the margins of books... These are the heroes of the events described. They tell us about certain incidents that happened to them, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. Here is a bear cub Web, caught in a trap, here is another bear cub screaming desperately. He climbed onto a thin tree, it’s time to get down, but it’s scary! Here is a fast running hare. And from the expressiveness of the image you see that the hare is not just running, but rushing as fast as he can. Here lies a sick dog with a bandaged muzzle. There is sadness and melancholy in his narrowed eyes, and you have no doubt: yes, the dog is really sick, he is having a hard time. And there are hundreds of such drawings!..

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In 1879, Ernest went to London to enter the Royal Academy of Arts. But it was only the following year that he was enrolled and given the opportunity to complete a seven-year course of study. His greatest joy then was visiting the zoo, where he sat all day, making sketches of animals. But he did not study at the academy for long. The constant need for money and starvation exhausted his strength, and he was forced to return home in 1882.

Seton settled in Manitoba and returned to his favorite hobby - watching animals. At this time, he wrote and published many articles about animals, and in 1886 his first book, “Mammals of Manitoba,” was published, after which a number of scientific publications soon appeared.

In 1898, he published the book “My Wild Friends,” which made people talk about him as a writer who rediscovered the animal world for humans...

The main characters of Seton - not only one, two, but several dozen books - are animals. Sometimes domestic, but mostly wild, forest animals, which modern people, as a rule, had to see only in the zoo, in a small and uncomfortable cage.

Seton describes their life in freedom, where they appear in all their beauty, in no way inferior to man, but mostly superior to it, with their own special character, habits, with their own unique character, with a one-of-a-kind fate, the capricious turns of which captivate no less than the intrigue of an adventure novel.

There are many unusual things in the stories the writer tells. His heroes are the Winnipeg wolf, the dog Bingo, who saved his owner from certain death; the wise leader of the pack of wolves Lobo, who easily unravels all the hunters’ tricks, and his girlfriend Blanca; Tito the Coyote; Jack Rabbit and many others seem to be gifted with extraordinary qualities, but the stories themselves amaze primarily with their realism. These are “true stories.” The writer speaks only about what he saw and what he himself took part in. But both the vision and his participation are special. He saw the world around him through the eyes of a naturalist, not just a person in love with nature, not touched, who carefully studies it in all its manifestations, who tries to comprehend its secrets, approaches it with scientific objectivity.

Seton carefully studied the habits of a wide variety of animals and birds. When he wrote about animals, readers were amazed at the author's powers of observation. Thompson wrote about everything as if he himself had once been a raven, a fox, or a bear. He knew in detail the life of animals, knew how they breed their offspring, how they find food, and what tricks they resort to to deceive their enemies. And this is no coincidence, because he was a scientist and spent decades observing many animals of the Canadian forests. He recorded everything he saw in his naturalist’s diary, which he used when he began to write his works, where he “populated” his animals. In addition, the writer drew beautifully. As a rule, he illustrated his books himself and left thousands of pictures from nature.

But animals were not Seton's only hobby. His other passion was the Indians, their way of life, their “forest science”: The writer deeply admired how the Indians, whose life was spent in the forests, among wild nature, were able to read it like an open book, penetrating all its secrets. He devoted many years to studying their lives.

This was all reflected in the books of Thompson Seton, which were no less famous than his stories about animals.

From the book "Tales of the Forest Country".

/ per. A.V. Vashchenko /

Global problems modernity ultimately turns into an ecological one. The attitude towards them increasingly reveals the inability of a person - namely a civilized person - to survive. In response to this, modern literature sharply increases attention to environmental topics - “ecological prose” appears, natural-philosophical prose continues, mass-mystical prose flourishes, etc.
In the light of modern times, it is interesting and instructive to look back at the experience of the early 20th century. In this case, the names of writers, Indian and white, who connected life with nature, animals and, as often happens, with a related indigenous theme, acquire a special resonance. This approach then led them to the conflict between nature and traditional culture, on the one hand, and civilization, on the other. Jack London, Gray Owl, Charles Roberts, Ohijeza and a number of others, each in their own way reflected this trend of the times. On Russian soil, you can put Bogoraz-Tan, Prishvin, Arsenyev, Fedorov in a row with them. However, against their background, the legacy of Ernest Thompson Seton still stands apart, which appeals to us today in a new way.
The writer-scientist, naturalist, and artist, who thirsted for revelations of a wild land, came to natural philosophy, and then to the mystical-philosophical teaching about the role of nature in human life. Having written a number of scientific works devoted to the description of the birds of Canada, then making a name for himself with stories about “hero animals”, Thompson-Seton, at the end of his days, came to the conclusion that Western (and any other) civilization was exhausted and the need to learn from nature and the aboriginal Northern America. By that time, he had spent a lot of time among the Indians, receiving the respectful nickname “chief.”
The concept of the world and nature, which the writer came to over time, forced him to create a special school on the territory of his own estate in New Mexico called the Woodcraft League to teach adults and children about life in nature and the basics of its wisdom. It was supposed to be a kind of national and international “institute” for natural history and outdoor living. On the protected area there is an Indian kiva sanctuary, consecrated by Indian elders, and the writer himself and his wife Julia Seton were the only white people who were allowed to go down to the Indian sanctuary. A room for “secular” meetings was also conceived and installed there. The walls of this “Council House” were painted with colorful murals by Jack Hokea, a famous Kiowa artist at the time. All this, including the main house, where the writer’s library, drawings and archives are still kept, including the honorary diploma awarded to Thompson by Alexander III, are waiting for their researchers. It's a shame, however, that the estate is now falling into disrepair: the roof of the main house is leaking, the ceilings of the council house have collapsed, and the Hokea frescoes probably cannot be saved from the elements.
Future members of the League needed to be educated on something. And then the writer compiled his works in the form of manuals for converts. These included Rolf in the Woods (1911), Wild Animals at Home (1913), and Woodland Tales (1921). ) and “The Book of Woodcraft and Indian Lore”, 1922. It is more important for us now to highlight volume 3, “Stories of the Forest Land,” since this book brings together 107 small parables that “initiate” the reader into the natural bush. The stories presented here are taken from it and translated into Russian for the first time.
The main meaning of these small revelations is that the legacy of Thompson Seton, his plans, ideas, concepts and spirit of ideological and creative quest are directly addressed to those who love life in nature, to the Indian culture based on this. Those who pin their hopes on revelations gleaned from the Great Spirit and see the spiritual in the material environment. In other words, to youth and adults in whom the childishness and nature of all things lives.

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(From the preface to the book “Prairies of the Arctic”)

Ernest Seton-Thompson is known throughout the world as a naturalist writer and artist. His books are imbued with love for nature; they helped many people preserve clean and careful attitude to the animals and plants that surround us everywhere. Seton-Thompson is less known as a traveler and scientist - after all, he did not graduate from universities and did not defend dissertations. And yet it is he who should be recognized as one of the founders of naturalistic ecology. It was he (and also J.-A. Fabre) who drew attention to the detailed study of animal behavior. Later this zoological science was called ethology. Seton-Thompson's main scientific work is the multi-volume Life of Wild Beasts. Seton-Thompson left behind not only books, but also followers and students - for example, the famous scientist A. Formozov (1899-1973). As a 23-year-old student, he sent Seton-Thompson his first book with original drawings and received the answer: “A great future belongs to those who know how to see and express what they saw in drawings, on the pages of books... I hope that you will continue your work " Seton-Thompson, born in England (August 14, 1860), lived a long life, and almost all of his life was spent in the forests and prairies of North America, like the life of St. John's wort from immortal works Fenimore Cooper. Since childhood, Nature revealed her secrets to the naturalist in love with her and gave her themes for creativity. Ernest especially loved and knew birds. However, the boy's parents were indifferent to his hobby. In a large and almost poor family, upbringing was quite harsh. For example, money for books and much more, considered unnecessary, was not allocated by parents. The young man's life did not start out easily, but hard work always brings results - and often brings success. Ernest became an artist, and fame came to him. He painted birds and wild animals, being convinced of his calling - to paint. However, it was his books that brought him real fame. For the first time, stories about animals were written so truthfully and vividly, with extremely accurate and deep knowledge of their behavior and way of life. Seton-Thompson's books have been published and reprinted hundreds of times. The most famous of them are “Domino”, “Stories about Animals”, “Rolf in the Woods”, “Animal Heroes”, “My Life”. “I knew the torment of thirst and decided to dig a well so that others could drink from it,” these wise words famous writer and the naturalist prefaced his book “Little Savages,” which tells about the adventures of two boys in the Canadian forests, about the most important things from the life of wild nature and the indigenous inhabitants of the forest wilderness - the Indians. Contemporaries were surprised to discover the whole world that Mr. Thompson gave them. It turned out that one person can surprisingly combine the talents of an artist and a writer! And also a scientist. This is truly a rare gift. Seton-Thompson has always lived by nature. And he languished if he was forced to live in cities for a long time. The big cities of America simply oppressed him. Therefore he traveled a lot. As a child, he dreamed of seeing herds of bison roaming the prairies... Alas, dreams remained dreams - wildlife in North America almost everywhere retreated under the onslaught of so-called civilization, bison and many other animals became rare or were exterminated completely. But still, when the writer and artist turned 47 years old, he managed to fulfill his old dream - to see herds (albeit small in number) of wood bison, caribou reindeer, numerous flocks of birds... Stories about the Indians with whom he had to communicate during the trip, imbued with a peculiar humor and concern for the future of Native Americans, full of respect for the Indians living in the difficult conditions of the Canadian North. Seton writes about the exceptional honesty of these people and their generosity towards each other. The attitude towards whites is different. Indians see newcomers from Europe - newcomers from the East - as debtors. After all, the whites took almost everything from them. And most importantly - the land that fed them by hunting. The writer saw that so-called civilization meant illness, decline in morals, and poverty for the indigenous people of America. Wise customs are disappearing, young people are forgetting their history. Seton-Thompson correctly assessed the danger of widespread Americanization of all aspects of life, destroying from the outside and, even worse, from the inside. Predicting, like O. Stapledon, the aggressive Americanization of Europe and the rest of the world, Seton-Thompson warned: “Beware, Europeans! In a hundred years you will be Americanized!..” It seems that the writer was right - both in relation to society and in relation to the “environment”, long-suffering Nature... The books that the great Ernest Seton-Thompson gave to humanity instilled a sincere love for nature in millions , tens of millions of people, helped (and still help) the formation of environmental thinking, so necessary to solve one of the most important (if not the most important! ) problems of our time - environmental protection.

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Such books as “Wild Animals as I Know Them”, “The Life of Those Who Are Hunted”, “The Life of Wild Animals” ( last piece presented in eight volumes), “Biography of a Grizzly Bear,” “Birch Bark,” “Book of the Forest.” In his books, the author adhered to scientific accuracy, which, however, did not detract from their artistic value and entertaining presentation. His work had a huge influence on other animal writers.
This is the biography of Seton-Thompson - a great writer and a wonderful person. This outstanding naturalist ended his life in America on October 23, 1946.

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Vasily Peskov.

Visiting Seton.

We asked a boy selling melons on the outskirts of Santa Fe how to get to Seaton Village.
The boy had heard about this village, but, perhaps, only that it existed somewhere.

Oh, it’s nearby... Leave the car, I’ll show you.

And there it was, the house on the hillside, the Seton-Thompson house. (We say Seton, Americans say Seaton).

Many childhood memories are associated with the books of Seton-Thompson.

And excitement, curiosity, memories - everything came flooding back to me at once as the three of us climbed the hill. This was the home of someone dear to me.

A black dog ran out and, with a friendliness unbecoming of meeting strangers, began to run joyfully at his feet. In the yard behind the fence, the guard barking of another dog was heard. The door of the house was locked. This turn of events both saddened and, perhaps, made me happy - it was time to put my feelings in order.

In the 1930s, here, on hills overgrown with juniper and pine trees, next to Indian huts, a famous man - a writer, artist, naturalist - built his home. He drew up the construction plan himself, chose the logs and stones himself, and, like the carpenters, did not let go of the ax. He chose a wild, uncomfortable place to live the rest of his days among nature, not yet trampled by man.

At this time, on the other side of the Earth, in a village near Voronezh, there lived a boy. For him, the world ended in a forest where the sun set, and in the steppe where it rose. And the most interesting place in this world was the river, marshy chaplygi, alder forest, wet meadow with yellow wagtails, waders and lapwings. The day in childhood is long, but it was not enough to run around this great kingdom. In the evenings, the already half-asleep traveler’s mother, reprimanding him for leaving the heifer unattended and for the holes in his newly sewn shirt, steamed his chicks with sour cream. (Pimples, for those who don’t know, are a disease of village boys: from constant climbing in the swamps, the dried mud on the feet finely cracked along with the skin.) It was a good time! And then someone’s smart, attentive hand placed a book called “Hero Animals” on the nine-year-old “naturalist.”
Only now, having already gray hair, do you understand how important it is to throw the right grain into the ground in time. Over the next thirty years, I probably have not read a more necessary book than this one. Everything in the book was simple, clear and very relatable. Pigeons, cats, horses, wolves, foxes, sparrows, mice, dogs, tits - everything is familiar and at the same time new, unusual. The pictures in the book were also special. They were placed on sheets of paper on the side. There were a lot of them: someone’s footprints, dropped feathers, an extinguished fire, wolf eyes looking out of the darkness with two lights, some kind of flower, a hut, a string of geese, a cow skull, a trap... Reading the book, I felt a strange feeling, as if everything I saw what was drawn and written in it myself on our river, in the forest, in the chaplygs, in the yard. The book seemed to me like a treasure that should have been placed under the pillow.

Later, from the pictures in the wide margins, I immediately recognized the books that were dear to me, I found and read everything that could be found. Even later, re-reading Seton-Thompson with an experienced eye, I felt this man’s enormous knowledge and love for nature, extraordinary authenticity in every word and in every drawing. Now I began to become interested in the author himself and realized: behind the books there is a bright, interesting life. I made inquiries in the library: is there anything about Seton-Thompson? Suddenly the old librarian said: “Just a minute,” and returned with a small book. “My life” - I read on the cover... The same style - a narrow set, and on wide margins there are drawings: a hut, wolf tracks, a running elk, a locomotive drowned in the snow, a rider on a horse among the prairies...

I read the book overnight, turning the last pages in the morning light. This second meeting with Seton-Thompson was more serious than his childhood date. The discovery was important: a person lived a happy life because he worked tirelessly and did what he loved. The book also opened my eyes to the fact that it is very difficult to feel “your purpose” and then follow it. Life is a continuous exam; it does not spare those who retreat and stumble. But perseverance, faith and courage do not go without reward. I was then in a state that many have experienced: school is over, but several clearly wrong steps have been taken. What's next? This book supported me. It can support everyone who reads it. This is the very case when a person’s life serves as a lesson. The last point in the book was set in 1940. Seton-Thompson died six years later.

Castle house...

Having learned where the guests had come from, the neighbor of the house said: the owners had not gone far, most likely they had gone to the shops.

Accompanied by a good-natured black dog and accompanied by the frantic barking of another dog in the yard, we walk around the house... Every house will tell something about its owner. This is a special case. A person did not just move into a home built by someone. The fire of the expedition led by Seton-Thompson burned at this place. And somehow these hills captivated the many-time traveler.

Seton-Thompson called this house his castle. You can imagine the first time he lit wood in the fireplace. And how in 1946 the house lost its main tenant and builder. The house is now clearly residential - there are neat curtains on the windows and a lot of flowers.

Four hour wait. We were already preparing to take a farewell look at the estate, when suddenly a dusty cherry-colored Volkswagen drove up to the house. A whole troop of troops poured out of the car: a man, a woman and four children - a “pale-faced” boy and a girl and two Indians, also a boy and a girl. Wary glances: what are strangers doing near the house?.. A minute later everything was explained, and now we are already helping to unload the suitcases.

On the threshold the hostess makes a sign:

Let's just sit down for a minute... Amazing day! Guests... My birthday... And Sherry's first day... Daughter, come to me.

It turns out that the family went to an orphanage in Farmington. Seven-year-old Indian Sherry was adopted. And she, like the two guests, sees for the first time the house in which she will now live.

Later, when the turmoil of the arrival had subsided and we had become properly acquainted, a family photo was taken. Looking at it now, it’s easiest to imagine the people who warmly welcomed us. Here is the photo of Di Barbara, the owner of the house, stepdaughter Seton-Thompson. She was Sherry's age when she was brought to this house just like that, at noon. In a casual conversation, Dee told us that her father also has his own daughter, but she lives in another place... On the right in the photo is Dale Barbara, the husband of Seton-Thompson’s daughter, the father of the children. Reticent in English, business-like and friendly, he showed us all the nooks and crannies of the house and took us to the pine forests, where there is a “school of Indian wisdom” that looks like a very large yurt. The walls of the school are painted with scenes of Indian life. In the middle, on the earthen floor, is the ashes of a fire covered with stones.

Seton-Thompson sat here for a long time with the Indians. - Dale showed how they sat here by the fire, leaning their backs against the wall. - The conversations were about crafts, hunting, customs. The painting was done by an Indian artist.

Did Dale know his famous father-in-law?

No, only from books, from photographs, from the things that surround us. The kids in the picture are the grandchildren of Seton-Thompson. Yesterday there were three of them. Now there are four. Mike is the youngest in the family. An unusually lively and handsome boy. A darling and a prankster. The Indians, the boy's parents, died when he was several months old. Mike is now six years old.
Now let's take a good look around... A large room full of books and paintings. The piano is off to the side. A chair near the table with a carved greeting: “Welcome, my friends!” Famous guests sat in this chair - artists, writers and scientists who came to Seaton Village. But more often the Indians sat in the chairs. They lived here on the hills, and the doors of the house were open for them at any hour. On the wall there is evidence of the meetings - a cape made of feathers from an Indian warrior. Dee puts on this headdress, allows us to try it on, and explains the meaning of the complex combination of eagle feathers, beadwork and ermine trim. Like today's orders and army insignia, the Indian cape gave the person he met a complete picture: who he was dealing with, was he dexterous, was he marked with the sign of a leader? Seton-Thompson was a full holder of all the highest honors and titles among the Indians. Any hunter from the local tribe, seeing his attire, would immediately understand this. Seton-Thompson was no less proud of such recognition than of recognition of his literary and scientific merits. He even had an Indian name, somewhat gloomy for a “pale-faced” one - Black Wolf. But, knowing how high the Indians place the wolf in the hierarchy of forest inhabitants, you are not surprised at the choice of name.

Right there in the room, next to the feather cape, are volumes of the best publications on biology, works on art and philosophy, works of literature, sheet music, folders of letters from all over the world and the writer’s own books in almost all the languages ​​of the world. In a special place there are diaries and folders with drawings (three thousand originals of those very pictures that captivate us with their special arrangement in the margins of book pages). It’s a pleasure to leaf through one after another the thick, slightly yellowed sheets with traces of erasing drops of ink, proof marks and variations of drawings. Tracker Ernest Thompson was always concerned about tracks in the snow. With the same feeling you look at paper with traces of painstaking work. The work room in the house is tiny. A black lacquered table, a stack of paper, feathers and brushes in a pot with Indian designs, pencil stubs - he loved to write with a simple pencil. (Prishvin had the same tendency, reducing his pencil to the size of a thimble.)

Father worked before last day. He died in this chair.

In the house, in addition to the living room and workshop, there is a certain altar, where only a few were allowed - only friends, and then only the closest ones. Fifteen steps up the wooden staircase, and here it is, Seton-Thompson’s cherished place - a forest hut in the house. Walls made of thick logs, a log ceiling, a rough fireplace that replaced a fire. Exactly the hut of a forest hunter. You can hang a hat on a nail in the wall. If you stretch your legs from the rough trestle bed, you will just reach the fire. It smells like tar and old smoke. This is a place for reflection, memories, for a heartfelt conversation with a person who understands you, who can, together with the owner, look at the fire for a long time without a single word. He lived with the consciousness that he was part of nature, and he died confident: life was not tailored by mistake. Eighty-six - time to take stock. But he didn't like to talk about the end. To the delicate question of one of his friends, who was spending the evening with him: “Where should I bury him?” - he answered in much the same way as Leo Tolstoy: “What difference does it make?”, but just like Tolstoy, he clarified: “Leave these hills...” His will was fulfilled. The urn with the ashes stood in a niche in the building. And in 1960, on the 100th anniversary of Seton-Thompson’s birth, admirers and friends came to the village. The small plane rose as high as it could above the hills and left a light cloud in the sky. The hills rising one after another are the best monument to the man who loved these places...

Five hours in the house... Visiting the home of someone dear to you - it doesn’t matter where it is located, in the village of Mikhailovskoye, Konstantinov, Polenov, Spassky-Lutovinovo, Yasnaya Polyana, the town of Weimar, Tarusa, Dunino near Zvenigorod or here in Seaton Village , - always convinces of the same thing: all creative values ​​were created from completely earthly impressions, fed on earthly juices, there is nothing chosen for the artist and poet on earth - there is one common pot for everyone. Everything is ultimately decided by the thirst for life, vigilance of the eye, sensitivity of the ear and heart. Textbook silhouettes and lacquered pictures often separate the creator from those for whom he created. And therefore it is very important to see, for example, that Leo Tolstoy slept on an ordinary bed and not some special lamp was burning above his table, but an ordinary kerosene lamp. Having read the documentary details of Pushkin’s biography, collected by Veresaev, you suddenly discover a new Pushkin and after that you look at the bronze monument differently - in Pushkin you feel the Man more than before, he has become dearer to you.

We also experienced a feeling of getting closer to Man in the Seton-Thompson house. Something important was added to what was stored in memory from childhood. These hills. A fireplace that had not been overgrown since the old man, alone or with the Indians, sat by the fire in the evening. A sparse garden behind the yard. A trophy on the wall, obtained by a young hunter in a two-week competition with an elk. Pieces of paper with horribly illegible handwriting, over which he dropped his pencil.

It was especially interesting to leaf through the family album. I don’t remember our publications with Seton-Thompson’s portrait. Here, in the house, for the first time we saw what he looked like. Here is youth, a challenge to New York - a dashingly curled mustache, shirt sleeves rolled up above the elbow, a provocative head turned, a cloak on his arm... Here is a photo of “The Man Who Found Himself” - a confident look, a mustache, rich hair, a neatly tied tie. This is the time when Ernest Seton-Thompson is already recognized and known. During these years, he communicates with Mark Twain and the president, he is recognized on the streets and applauded at his lectures... Five pages of the album - and we already see a man with glasses, who has turned gray. The beautiful face of a wise old man who has seen everything. During these years he writes: “I achieved fame and fortune in the east of America. But the call of the Wild West still stirred my heart." Work, conversations near the fire, contemplation of the hills - these were his values ​​​​of these years. And the last photo: the mustache is drooping, the jacket is baggy. He seems to be looking at the photographer with displeasure - people don’t like being photographed when they’re old. This year he said: “Leave these hills...”

While the guests walked around the house, its current residents set the ceremonial table. There are more than enough reasons to sit down for it: the hostess’s birthday, Sherry’s first day in the family, and the guests aren’t completely forgotten either. The table is the same one at which Seton-Thompson received friends.

He always sat here...

Let's skip the details of the table conversation. Let's just say: it was good for both guests and hosts. The kids, forgetting about food, leafing through the donated book, played a record with the voices of Moscow birds.

Are they reading their grandfather?

Father and mother laughed:

There are no prophets in their own country. One is still too small, the other is crazy about basketball...

Everyone went out to the doorstep of the house together. Grasshoppers rattled in the dry bushes behind the house. The sun was slowly cooling down and was ready to say goodbye to the village. Deep shadows appeared on the hills.

Was there a plane flying there?

Yes, just above the top...

At dusk we said goodbye.

Http://www.nsk.kp.ru/daily/25875.3/2838660/

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From the book "My Life"

My books.

My old friend Henry Still was in charge of the department decoration books from the publishing house "Charles Scribner and Sons". Still introduced me to the publisher Kimball and to many prominent people in the literary world.
At that time, James Barry, a Scottish writer, came to New York, and Kimbal organized a dinner in his honor at one of the fashionable clubs in New York. Among the guests was also the future President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.
To attract the attention of those present, Still made me speak about wolves. I was on a roll that day and read first one story and then the second. Theodore Roosevelt, himself a passionate hunter, applauded me especially warmly.
Then he came up to me and said:
- I want you to have lunch with me one of the next days.
The dinner took place at the Metropolitan Club, where I again performed with great success, reading my stories about animals.
If a writer has written a series of stories that were published in magazines and attracted the attention of readers, it is natural that his next step would be to publish a collection of these stories.
I selected eight stories with the idea of ​​publishing a collection: “Lobo,” “The Springfield Fox,” “Mustang Pacer,” “Wully,” “Redneck,” attached my illustrations to them and took them to the publishing house “Scribner and Sons.”
The editor approved my stories. Then I went to Scribner himself to finalize the agreement.
Scribner began by complaining about the enormous risk involved in publishing, and insisted that most books were a complete loss, which should never be forgotten when concluding a contract. In view of all this, ten percent of the book's selling price and a small additional fee for illustrations is all he can offer.
- How many copies do you need to sell to cover publishing costs? - I asked.
“At least two thousand copies,” replied Scribner.
Then I came up with my conditions:
“I would like to tell you that it is not in my interests to throw this book into the same pile with a hundred other new books.” I will talk about my book, I will speak with my stories before a meeting of readers in various cities, and people will willingly buy it. Along the way, I will organize exhibitions of my illustrations. I am so confident in the success of this book that I will not take a single cent from you for the sale of the first two thousand copies, but I make it a condition that you will pay me not ten percent, as you propose, but twenty percent of the proceeds for further sales.
My terms were accepted and the contract was signed. The book was published on October 20, 1898 under the title “My Wild Friends.” Its success exceeded all expectations - in a short time it was sold in several publications.
There is no doubt that this book marked the beginning of a new realistic direction in literature about animals. It was the first time that the behavior of animals was truly depicted.
Until now, only fables, tales about animals, and stories where animals talk and behave like people dressed in animal skins have been known.
American writer Clarence Hawks gave me his book with the inscription:
"To Ernest Seton-Thompson - friend and brother naturalist, whose work illuminated the path new school nature writers and made tens of thousands of people fall in love with wildlife.”
Following the first collection, my other books appeared in print: “The Fate of the Persecuted”, “Hero Animals”, “Biography of a Bear”, “Mustang Pacer” and others.
Books were published as soon as I had time to write and illustrate them. My readers wanted to see the author. One of the clubs in New York asked me to perform, offering a fee of one hundred dollars. I accepted this offer and spent an enjoyable hour reading my stories, or, in the language of my listeners, “turning into animals.” I am naturally gifted with a strong voice and stage presence. Completely involuntarily, I portrayed animals in their faces, like an actor. My friend, to whom I gave the story "Lobo", told me:
- Seton, you can speak with this story as much as you like. And while one generation grows up, another will be ready to listen to you.
My friend was right - I still speak with this story, as well as with dozens of others.
From all over America I received offers to speak to readers. In the end, this correspondence grew to enormous proportions and became a burden to me.
One fine day, completely unexpectedly for myself, I was freed from these troubles and labor. Here's how it happened. Major James Pond, a famous lecture organizer who gave talks to Mark Twain and a number of other American celebrities, once came to hear me speak.
During the break he came up to me and said:
- Well, I’ll tell you, you’re a godsend for me - we can do great things with you, if you just want.
After a short conversation, he offered me the following:
- I will pay for all your expenses, travel, hotel, posters, magic lantern, hall and invite a person who will act as your secretary and assistant, and ask you to speak with your stories twice a day, five days a week for a fee of six hundred dollars in Week. The duration of the proposed agreement is twenty weeks before the New Year and ten weeks after the New Year.
I accepted these terms without hesitation and we worked together for several years. The death of Major Pond interrupted our cooperation.
If I were to describe all the funny adventures and misadventures along the path of my wanderings, to talk about the eternal rush in which I lived, trying to get to the appointed time, despite the blizzard and fatigue, if I described all this, it would turn out to be quite a thick book.

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We live in a rapid age of ever-accelerating development of science and technology. Unfortunately, in many countries, due to poor control over the state of the environment, nature is becoming increasingly scarce, and the habitats of animals are changing (and not for the better). “Let these places be sacred to us,” Thompson wrote, “so that there, in safety, although from us, living beings can enjoy, the sight of which can give only one pleasure to everyone who carefully and with a pure heart observes them.”

Readers will always be grateful to the great humanist Seton-Thompson for the warm feelings that he awakened in them with his stories about our little brothers.

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The most notable publications in Russian.

Young savages: The life and adventures of teenagers in the Canadian forests / Transl. from English L. A. Murakhina-Aksyonova // Complete works in 10 books. - M.: Type. T-va I. D. Sytin, 1910. - Book 8. - (Free supplement to the magazine “Around the World” for 1910). One chapter (“The Sanger Witch”) of the first part is missing. Not all illustrations.

Rolf in the woods. Stories / Trans. from English edited by N. Chukovsky // Collection. op. in 3 volumes. - M. - L.: State Publishing House, 1930. - T. I. - 462 p. A significant portion is missing.

Animal heroes: Stories / Trans. from English edited by N. Chukovsky // Collection. op. in 3 volumes. - M. - L.: State Publishing House, 1929. - T. II. - 442 s.

Little savages or a story about how two boys lived the life of Indians in the forest and what they learned / Ed. N. Chukovsky; lane from English L. B. Khavkina; 2nd ed. // Collection op. in 3 volumes. - M. - Petrograd: State Publishing House (Gosizdat), 1923. - T. III. - 547 p. - (Library for children and youth. Foreign writers). The entire first part (“Glenyan & Yan”), that is, 14 chapters, is missing. Otherwise, the text is almost complete, with the exception of some abbreviations, as well as the replacement of specific terms, in comparison with the 1910 edition and the English original. There are tone illustrations by the author. Pencil drawings - without a few, almost all. Not all illustrations are captioned.

My life / Transl. from English A. Makarova. - Rostov-on-Don, 1957. The book is greatly truncated; the length is 186 pages (in other editions from 100 to 150) while the original takes up from 300 to 400. Almost the entire first chapter, describing life in Great Britain, has been cut out, descriptions of household routine, technical details, details inappropriate for children, descriptions of trading transactions.

Little savages / Transl. from English N. Temchina. - M.: State Publishing House "Children's Literature" (Detgiz), 1960. - 239 p. - (School library). Some chapters are missing and the entire text is greatly abbreviated. There are discards of specific terminology and translation inaccuracies. There are no tone illustrations, pencil illustrations are greatly abbreviated and have no captions. The text of this edition was copied by all subsequent editions, but the author’s illustrations were treated with even greater disdain.

Life and habits of wild animals. - M.: Knowledge, 1984.

Arctic Prairies: 2,000 miles by boat in search of caribou. Description of a trip to the area north of Lake Aylmer / Per. from English L. M. Bindeman. - M.: Progress, 1987. - 304 p.

Rolf in the Woods: A Tale / Transl. from English I. Gurova. - M.: Children's literature, 1992. - 287 p. - ISBN 5-08-001066-5. Complete edition.

Stories about animals. - M.: Azbuka, 2009, 2010. - 640 p. - (Series: “Everything about...”). - ISBN 978-5-9985-0084-8. Contains almost 200 original author's drawings more than previous editions in Russian.

Little savages / Transl. from English L. A. Murakhina-Aksyonova; lit. processing by G. Khondkarian. - M.: ENAS-KNIGA, 2012. - 256 p. (Series: “World Book”). - ISBN 978-5-91921-135-8 The text is based on the 1910 edition, but has been subjected to “literary processing”. There are abbreviations, including some technical details, from the English original. There are no copyright illustrations.