Viktoriya Tokareva
Encyclopedia
Viktoriya Samoilovna Tokareva (born 20 November 1937) is a Soviet and Russia
n screenwriter
and short story writer.
, in the Soviet Union
. Her love for literature began at the age of twelve, when her mother read her "Skripka Rotschil'da," (“Rothschild’s Violin”), a short story by Chekhov
. However, this love for literature did not immediately translate into a desire to be a writer – as a young woman, Tokareva initially applied to study medicine. When her application was rejected, she decided to study music instead, spending four years studying the piano at the Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Conservatory.
In this, too, Tokareva was unsuccessful. Realizing that she would never become a musician, she found work as a music teacher instead, in a school on the outskirts of Moscow
. However, this did not suit her either, and Tokareva decided to become an actress, enrolling in the State Institute of Cinematography
in 1963. It was here that she discovered her talent as a writer and found her niche as a screenwriter.
In her second year at the Institute, Tokareva published her first short story, “Den bez vraniia,” or "A Day Without Lying,” in the literary magazine "Molodaya Gvardiya". She has been writing steadily ever since. Her books to date include Happy End (1995), Vmesto menya or Instead of Me (1995), and Loshadi s kryl'iami or Horses with Wings (1996), and she has published often in the journals Novy mir
, and Yunost.
Tokareva’s characters tend to be ordinary people facing ordinary problems – people to whom her readers can easily relate. The majority of her characters are women, and as such she is regarded primarily as a women’s writer. Her writing can on occasion seem moralistic, upholding traditional values and gender roles, which has led to Western critics labeling her “pre-feminist.” Although she writes mainly in the realist tradition, she sometimes dips into what she calls "fantastic realism," weaving magical events into accounts of every-day lives.
, whom she has acknowledged as one of her main influences. Another influence may be Sergei Dovlatov, whom Tokareva has claimed is her favorite contemporary Russian writer.
Critical response to Tokareva has been varied, with some Russian critics dismissing her as just another female writer, and critics abroad seeing her as a non-feminist writer less talented than the other popular female Russian writers: Lyudmila Ulitskaya
, Tatyana Tolstaya
, and Lyudmila Petrushevskaya
. There has been little critical work conducted on Tokareva's work in the West thus far, although she is often mentioned by Helena Goscilo in her work on Russian female writing, and by Richard Chapple.
(1977), Dzhentlmeny udachi, or Gentlemen of Fortune
(1972), and Shla sobaka po royalyu, or A Dog was Walking on the Piano (1978) – were quite successful, with Mimino
winning a gold medal at the 1977
Moscow International Film Festival
.
, where she continues to write. Her work has been translated into English and is available in several anthologies as well as in The Talisman and Other Stories - a book of Tokareva's short stories translated by Rosamund Bartlett.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and short story writer.
Biography
Viktoriya Tokareva was born in 1937 in LeningradSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Her love for literature began at the age of twelve, when her mother read her "Skripka Rotschil'da," (“Rothschild’s Violin”), a short story by Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
. However, this love for literature did not immediately translate into a desire to be a writer – as a young woman, Tokareva initially applied to study medicine. When her application was rejected, she decided to study music instead, spending four years studying the piano at the Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
Conservatory.
In this, too, Tokareva was unsuccessful. Realizing that she would never become a musician, she found work as a music teacher instead, in a school on the outskirts of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. However, this did not suit her either, and Tokareva decided to become an actress, enrolling in the State Institute of Cinematography
Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography All-Russian State University of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov), VGIK for short, is a film school in Moscow, Russia.-History:...
in 1963. It was here that she discovered her talent as a writer and found her niche as a screenwriter.
In her second year at the Institute, Tokareva published her first short story, “Den bez vraniia,” or "A Day Without Lying,” in the literary magazine "Molodaya Gvardiya". She has been writing steadily ever since. Her books to date include Happy End (1995), Vmesto menya or Instead of Me (1995), and Loshadi s kryl'iami or Horses with Wings (1996), and she has published often in the journals Novy mir
Novy Mir
Novy Mir is a Russian language literary magazine that has been published in Moscow since January 1925. It was supposed to be modelled on the popular pre-Soviet literary magazine Mir Bozhy , which was published from 1892 to 1906, and its follow-up, Sovremenny Mir , which was published 1906-1917...
, and Yunost.
Tokareva’s characters tend to be ordinary people facing ordinary problems – people to whom her readers can easily relate. The majority of her characters are women, and as such she is regarded primarily as a women’s writer. Her writing can on occasion seem moralistic, upholding traditional values and gender roles, which has led to Western critics labeling her “pre-feminist.” Although she writes mainly in the realist tradition, she sometimes dips into what she calls "fantastic realism," weaving magical events into accounts of every-day lives.
Critical Responses
Viktoriya Tokareva's writing style is often compared to that of Anton ChekhovAnton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
, whom she has acknowledged as one of her main influences. Another influence may be Sergei Dovlatov, whom Tokareva has claimed is her favorite contemporary Russian writer.
Critical response to Tokareva has been varied, with some Russian critics dismissing her as just another female writer, and critics abroad seeing her as a non-feminist writer less talented than the other popular female Russian writers: Lyudmila Ulitskaya
Lyudmila Ulitskaya
Lyudmila Evgenyevna Ulitskaya is a critically acclaimed modern Russian novelist and short-story writer. She was born in the town of Davlekanovo in Bashkiria on February 21, 1943...
, Tatyana Tolstaya
Tatyana Tolstaya
Tatyana Nikitichna Tolstaya is a Russian writer, TV host, publicist, novelist, and essayist from the Tolstoy family.- Family :She was born into a family of rich literary tradition. Her paternal grandfather was Aleksei Nikolaevich Tolstoi, an important Russian-Soviet writer known as 'the Red...
, and Lyudmila Petrushevskaya
Lyudmila Petrushevskaya
Lyudmila Stefanovna Petrushevskaya is a Russian writer, novelist and playwright.The Moscow-born Petrushevskaya is regarded as one of Russia's most prominent contemporary writers, whose writing combines postmodernist trends with the psychological insights and parodic touches of writers such as...
. There has been little critical work conducted on Tokareva's work in the West thus far, although she is often mentioned by Helena Goscilo in her work on Russian female writing, and by Richard Chapple.
Work in Film
Tokareva began working with various Russian film directors starting in the late 1960s. To date, she has written fourteen screenplays, several of which were adapted from her short stories or books, including Sto gram dlya khrabrosti or 100 Grams for Bravery (1976) and Talisman (1983). Three of her films - MiminoMimino
Mimino , is a 1977 comedy film by Soviet Georgian director Georgi Daneliya produced by Mosfilm and Gruziya-film, starring Vakhtang Kikabidze and Frunzik Mkrtchyan. Anatoliy Petritskiy served as the film's Director of Photography. The Soviet era comedy won the 1977 Golden Prize at the Moscow...
(1977), Dzhentlmeny udachi, or Gentlemen of Fortune
Gentlemen of Fortune
Gentlemen of Fortune is a Soviet comedy, filmed at Mosfilm. The stars of the film include famous Soviet actors such as Savely Kramarov, Yevgeny Leonov, Georgy Vitsin, and Radner Muratov....
(1972), and Shla sobaka po royalyu, or A Dog was Walking on the Piano (1978) – were quite successful, with Mimino
Mimino
Mimino , is a 1977 comedy film by Soviet Georgian director Georgi Daneliya produced by Mosfilm and Gruziya-film, starring Vakhtang Kikabidze and Frunzik Mkrtchyan. Anatoliy Petritskiy served as the film's Director of Photography. The Soviet era comedy won the 1977 Golden Prize at the Moscow...
winning a gold medal at the 1977
1977 in film
The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
Moscow International Film Festival
Moscow International Film Festival
Moscow International Film Festival , is the film festival first held in Moscow in 1959. From its inception to 1995 it was held every second year in July, alternating with the Karlovy Vary festival. The festival has been held annually since 1995....
.
Current Information
Viktoryia Tokareva lives in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where she continues to write. Her work has been translated into English and is available in several anthologies as well as in The Talisman and Other Stories - a book of Tokareva's short stories translated by Rosamund Bartlett.
Screenwriting Credits
- Урок литературы (A Literature Lesson) (1968)
- Джентльмены удачи (Gentlemen of FortuneGentlemen of FortuneGentlemen of Fortune is a Soviet comedy, filmed at Mosfilm. The stars of the film include famous Soviet actors such as Savely Kramarov, Yevgeny Leonov, Georgy Vitsin, and Radner Muratov....
) (1972) - Сто грамм для храбрости (100 Grams for Courage) (1976)
- Мимино (MiminoMiminoMimino , is a 1977 comedy film by Soviet Georgian director Georgi Daneliya produced by Mosfilm and Gruziya-film, starring Vakhtang Kikabidze and Frunzik Mkrtchyan. Anatoliy Petritskiy served as the film's Director of Photography. The Soviet era comedy won the 1977 Golden Prize at the Moscow...
) (1977) - Шла собака по роялю (A Dog Was Walking on the Piano) (1978)
- Шляпа (The Hat) (1981)
- Талисман (Talisman - adapted from the short story) (1983)
- Маленькое одолжение (A Small Imposition) (1984)
- Тайна земли (The Earth's Secret - adapted from the short story) (1985)
- О том, чего не было (About That, Which Did Not Happen - adapted from the story) (1986)
- Кто войдет в последный вагон (Who Will Enter the Last Car - based on the book Старая собака (Old Dog)) (1986)
- Стечение обстоятельств (Coincidence) (1987)
- Мелодрама с покушением на убийство (Melodrama With An Attempted Murder - adapted from the novella Пять фигур на постаменте (Five Figures on a Pedestal)) (1992)
- Ты ест... (You Are... - book adaptation) (1995)
- Вместо меня (Instead of Me - book adaptation) (2000)
- Лавина (Avalanche - book adaptation) (2001)