Anatoly Durov - Revision history

Djando: /* The Durov Family */

2025-05-31T20:13:54Z

‎The Durov Family

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

2025-05-31T02:03:12Z

‎Image Gallery

Djando: /* The Durov Family */

2025-05-14T05:52:00Z

‎The Durov Family

Djando: /* The Durov Family */

2025-05-14T05:51:42Z

‎The Durov Family

Djando: /* The Durov Family */

2025-05-14T05:51:14Z

‎The Durov Family

Djando: /* The Durov Family */

2025-05-14T05:50:59Z

‎The Durov Family

Djando: /* Clown */

2025-05-14T01:23:17Z

‎Clown

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

2025-05-14T01:19:04Z

‎Image Gallery

Djando: /* Anatoly vs. Vladimir */

2024-10-15T20:20:01Z

‎Anatoly vs. Vladimir

Djando: /* In And Out of Russia */

2024-10-15T20:14:05Z

‎In And Out of Russia

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 [[File:Nadejda_Durova.jpg|Thumb|left|250px|Nadezhda Durova]]Anatoly Leonidevich Durov was born on November 26, 1864 to a wealthy aristocratic family in Moscow. He was the fifth child and second son of Leonid Dmitrievich Durov (1832-67), a hereditary Lord from the Province of Moscow, who was an officer in the Moscow Police&mdash;a job he did more because he wanted to than because he had to. Anatoly’s brother, [[Vladimir Durov|Vladimir Leonidevich]] (1863-1934), was his elder by a year.
-The Durov name was well known in Russia: The family had already produced a celebrity, Nadezhda Durova (1783-1866). Remembered in Russian history as the ''Cavalry Girl'', Nadezhda was Anatoly’s grandaunt. Dressed as a man, she had enrolled in a cavalry regiment to fight Napoleon’s advance in 1812. She is said to have received a medal from the hand of Field-Marshall Kutuzov, the man who had defeated Napoleon. Celebrated by Pushkin, Nadezhda eventually became a successful writer.
+The Durov name was well known in Russia, where the family had already produced a celebrity: Nadezhda Durova (1783-1866), remembered in Russian history as the ''Cavalry Girl'', was Anatoly’s grandaunt. Dressed as a man, she had enrolled in a cavalry regiment to fight Napoleon’s advance in 1812. She is said to have received a medal from the hand of Field-Marshall Kutuzov, the man who had defeated Napoleon. Celebrated by Pushkin, Nadezhda eventually became a successful writer.
 Anatoly Durov had three elder sisters: Margarita (1854-?); Konkordya (1860-?), among whose descendants is Lev Durov, the famous Russian actor; Lyudmila (1862-?); and a younger sister, Valentina (1866-1940). Anatoly’s mother, Maria Dmitrievna Durova (1833-1866), probably suffered from complications caused by Valentina’s birth: she died soon after, in 1866. Anatoly was only two years old at the time. Devastated, Anatoly’s father began to drink himself to death. He suffered from hallucinations and died a year later, in 1867.

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 <Gallery>
 File:Nadejda_Durova.jpg|Nadezhda Durova
 File:Anatoly_Durov_Autograph.jpg|Anatoly Durov (c.1890)
 Image:Douroff_poster_(1891).jpg|Poster for Durov at the Folies Bergère, Paris (1891)

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 ===The Durov Family===
-[[File:Nadejda_Durova.jpg|Thumb|left|300px|Nadezhda Durova]]Anatoly Leonidevich Durov was born on November 26, 1864 to a wealthy aristocratic family in Moscow. He was the fifth child and second son of Leonid Dmitrievich Durov (1832-67), a hereditary Lord from the Province of Moscow, who was an officer in the Moscow Police&mdash;a job he did more because he wanted to than because he had to. Anatoly’s brother, [[Vladimir Durov|Vladimir Leonidevich]] (1863-1934), was his elder by a year.
+[[File:Nadejda_Durova.jpg|Thumb|left|250px|Nadezhda Durova]]Anatoly Leonidevich Durov was born on November 26, 1864 to a wealthy aristocratic family in Moscow. He was the fifth child and second son of Leonid Dmitrievich Durov (1832-67), a hereditary Lord from the Province of Moscow, who was an officer in the Moscow Police&mdash;a job he did more because he wanted to than because he had to. Anatoly’s brother, [[Vladimir Durov|Vladimir Leonidevich]] (1863-1934), was his elder by a year.
 The Durov name was well known in Russia: The family had already produced a celebrity, Nadezhda Durova (1783-1866). Remembered in Russian history as the ''Cavalry Girl'', Nadezhda was Anatoly’s grandaunt. Dressed as a man, she had enrolled in a cavalry regiment to fight Napoleon’s advance in 1812. She is said to have received a medal from the hand of Field-Marshall Kutuzov, the man who had defeated Napoleon. Celebrated by Pushkin, Nadezhda eventually became a successful writer.

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ===The Durov Family===
-[[File:Nadejda_Durova.jpg|Thumb|left|300px|Nadejda Durova]]Anatoly Leonidevich Durov was born on November 26, 1864 to a wealthy aristocratic family in Moscow. He was the fifth child and second son of Leonid Dmitrievich Durov (1832-67), a hereditary Lord from the Province of Moscow, who was an officer in the Moscow Police&mdash;a job he did more because he wanted to than because he had to. Anatoly’s brother, [[Vladimir Durov|Vladimir Leonidevich]] (1863-1934), was his elder by a year.
+[[File:Nadejda_Durova.jpg|Thumb|left|300px|Nadezhda Durova]]Anatoly Leonidevich Durov was born on November 26, 1864 to a wealthy aristocratic family in Moscow. He was the fifth child and second son of Leonid Dmitrievich Durov (1832-67), a hereditary Lord from the Province of Moscow, who was an officer in the Moscow Police&mdash;a job he did more because he wanted to than because he had to. Anatoly’s brother, [[Vladimir Durov|Vladimir Leonidevich]] (1863-1934), was his elder by a year.
 The Durov name was well known in Russia: The family had already produced a celebrity, Nadezhda Durova (1783-1866). Remembered in Russian history as the ''Cavalry Girl'', Nadezhda was Anatoly’s grandaunt. Dressed as a man, she had enrolled in a cavalry regiment to fight Napoleon’s advance in 1812. She is said to have received a medal from the hand of Field-Marshall Kutuzov, the man who had defeated Napoleon. Celebrated by Pushkin, Nadezhda eventually became a successful writer.

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 ===The Durov Family===
-[[File:Nadejda_Durova.jpg|Thumb|right|300px|Nadejda Durova]]Anatoly Leonidevich Durov was born on November 26, 1864 to a wealthy aristocratic family in Moscow. He was the fifth child and second son of Leonid Dmitrievich Durov (1832-67), a hereditary Lord from the Province of Moscow, who was an officer in the Moscow Police&mdash;a job he did more because he wanted to than because he had to. Anatoly’s brother, [[Vladimir Durov|Vladimir Leonidevich]] (1863-1934), was his elder by a year.
+[[File:Nadejda_Durova.jpg|Thumb|left|300px|Nadejda Durova]]Anatoly Leonidevich Durov was born on November 26, 1864 to a wealthy aristocratic family in Moscow. He was the fifth child and second son of Leonid Dmitrievich Durov (1832-67), a hereditary Lord from the Province of Moscow, who was an officer in the Moscow Police&mdash;a job he did more because he wanted to than because he had to. Anatoly’s brother, [[Vladimir Durov|Vladimir Leonidevich]] (1863-1934), was his elder by a year.
 The Durov name was well known in Russia: The family had already produced a celebrity, Nadezhda Durova (1783-1866). Remembered in Russian history as the ''Cavalry Girl'', Nadezhda was Anatoly’s grandaunt. Dressed as a man, she had enrolled in a cavalry regiment to fight Napoleon’s advance in 1812. She is said to have received a medal from the hand of Field-Marshall Kutuzov, the man who had defeated Napoleon. Celebrated by Pushkin, Nadezhda eventually became a successful writer.

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-The Durovs are among Russia’s most prestigious circus dynasties. From the brothers Vladimir and Anatoly Durov, the founders of the circus dynasty, to a host of Anatolys, Vladimirs, Yurys, Natalias, and Terezas, all bearing the Durov name, they have given the Russian circus an impressive number of talented clowns, animal trainers, and entertainment entrepreneurs&mdash;and a few actors too.
+The Durov family is among Russia’s most prestigious circus dynasties. From the brothers Vladimir and Anatoly Durov, the founders of the dynasty, to a host of Anatolys, Vladimirs, Yurys, Natalias, and Terezas, all bearing the Durov name, they have given the Russian circus an impressive number of talented clowns, animal trainers, and entertainment entrepreneurs&mdash;and a few actors too.
 In Soviet circus lore, Anatoly and Vladimir Durov are often associated with the Bolshevik revolution. As clown-satirists who took an anarchistic stance against the autocratic tsarist government, they became popular heroes in the waning decades of the Russian Empire. The Soviet regime, always eager to play the populist card, did not hesitate to claim them as its own.
-In fact, however, Anatoly Durov&mdash;the more virulent of the two brothers&mdash;was opposed to any form of authority; it's reasonable to assume, therefore, that, had he lived to see it, he would have rejected the authority of the Soviet regime. As for Vladimir, who became an iconic figure in the Soviet era, he eventually gave up clowning, came to specialize in animal training, and just followed the path of political correctness. For the Durovs, like most popular entertainers of their time, were first and foremost intent on surviving and succeeding, whatever the regime and the circumstances. As a matter of fact, the Durov family's origins clashed with Soviet ideology.
+In fact, Anatoly Durov&mdash;the more virulent of the two brothers&mdash;was opposed to any form of authority; it's reasonable to assume, therefore, that, had he lived to see it, he would have rejected the authority of the Soviet regime. As for Vladimir, who became an iconic figure in the Soviet era, he eventually gave up clowning, specialized in animal training, and just followed the path of political correctness. Like most popular entertainers of their time, the Durov brothers were first and foremost intent on surviving and succeeding, whatever the regime and the circumstances. As a matter of fact, the Durov family's origins clashed with Soviet ideology.
 ===The Durov Family===

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 File:Anatoly_Durov_Autograph.jpg|Anatoly Durov (c.1890)
 Image:Douroff_poster_(1891).jpg|Poster for Durov at the Folies Bergère, Paris (1891)
 File:Anatoly_Durov_(1891).jpg|Anatoly Durov in Germany (1891)
 File:Anatoly_Durov_(1892).jpeg|Anatoly Durov at Paris's Cirque d'Hiver (1892)

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 In the ring, Anatoly’s clown character evolved over the years from a classic clown&mdash;one not very different, physically, from other clowns of his time&mdash;to what would eventually become the Durov image: a traditional whiteface clown costume, with sequin ornaments, a white collerette and a small shoulder cape, and practically no makeup. He would enter the ring with great ceremony, walking around and acknowledging his audience, and then he would launch into a monologue, after which he would play up the attitudes of his animals. Vladimir would adopt a very similar style.
-When, around 1884, their godfather saw the brothers perform, he suggested they resume their education&mdash;which Vladimir did: he graduated from a teachers’ college and audited the classes of neurophysiologist I.M. Sechenov, "the father of Russian physiology," who, with I.P. Pavlov, studied animal reflexes. In 1887, Vladimir returned to the circus, however, and made his debut as a full-fledged clown-satirist and animal trainer at [[The Circuses of Moscow|Circus Salamonsky]] in Moscow, Russia’s second most prestigious circus, after St. Petersburg’s [[Circus Ciniselli]].
+When, around 1884, their godfather saw the brothers perform, he suggested they resume their education&mdash;which Vladimir did: he graduated from a teachers’ college and audited the classes of neurophysiologist Ivam Mikhailovich Sechenov, "the father of Russian physiology," who, with Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, studied animal reflexes. In 1887, Vladimir returned to the circus, however, and made his debut as a full-fledged clown-satirist and animal trainer at [[The Circuses of Moscow|Circus Salamonsky]] in Moscow, Russia’s second most prestigious circus, after St. Petersburg’s [[Circus Ciniselli]].
 Vladimir, wittier and more creative than his brother, became in time the more successful of the two; his talent as an animal trainer was also a significant factor in his success. Anatoly's increased use of animals in his act was mostly an attempt to keep pace with his brother, and he was often criticized for promising more than he was capable of delivering: when he was performing at Circus Baranski, for instance, someone complained that instead of the troupe of animals he had advertised, he had “only a couple of rats and a pelican.” Unlike Vladimir, Anatoly used only a handful of animals (pigs, geese, and turkeys were his favorites), and what he did with them remained basic in terms of pure training. He would always be first and foremost a clown.

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 In 1890, Anatoly and his usual menagerie embarked on a successful Western European tour that took them to Austria-Hungary, Germany, Spain, Italy, and France. Durov’s old prejudices came out in Germany, a country that revived memories of his debut at Circus Truzzi and whose authoritarian regime rubbed him the wrong way. At [[Zirkus Renz]], in Berlin, Anatoly played with his usual porcine partner, whom he had named Will for the occasion. According to the clown [[Béby Frediani]], the pig wore a Prussian helmet (''Helm'', in German) in the ring, and tried desperately to get rid of it. In his feinted attempts to keep him in check, Anatoly shouted at his pig, “Will, Helm!”  Wilhelm, of course, was the name of the Kaiser. Durov was arrested and not-so-politely asked to leave Berlin immediately.
-Back in Russia, Anatoly began gradually to lose his appeal. His critical attitude toward the powers that be was purely negative. He appears to have been, by disposition, a disgruntled man who took pleasure in insulting those who made his life difficult&mdash;whether that be the mayor of a city or a simple policeman. But when the political landscape began to shift in ways one would think he would have approved of, he didn’t know what to make of them. He was by no means a revolutionary, just a grouch and a rebel. Anatoly Durov was actually quite conservative in his tastes. When Max Reinhardt presented his spectacular, avant-garde production of ''Oedipus Rex'' in Moscow and St. Petersburg in 1911, Anatoly deemed it decadent. He then went on to perform a heavy-handed parody of Reinhardt’s spectacle: it was a huge flop, and a sign that Durov had lost touch with his public.
+Back in Russia, Anatoly began gradually to lose his appeal. His critical attitude toward the powers that be was purely negative. He appears to have been, by disposition, a disgruntled man who took pleasure in insulting those who made his life difficult&mdash;whether that be the mayor of a city or a simple policeman. But when the political landscape began to shift in ways one would think he would have approved of, he didn’t know what to make of it. He was by no means a revolutionary, just a grouch and a rebel. Anatoly Durov was actually quite conservative in his tastes. When Max Reinhardt presented his spectacular, avant-garde production of ''Oedipus Rex'' in Moscow and St. Petersburg in 1911, Anatoly deemed it decadent. He then went on to perform a heavy-handed parody of Reinhardt’s spectacle: it was a huge flop, and a sign that Durov had lost touch with his public.
 ===The Final Years===