Аннотация: MMMCDLVI. Talent and luckiness. A literary note concerning three biographical books: about Sasha Cherny, George Bothezat, Igor Sikorsky. - March 5, 2024.
Talent and luckiness. A literary note concerning three biographical books: about Sasha Cherny, George Bothezat, Igor Sikorsky.
During few days, I got acquainted with books-biographies about Sasha Cherny, George Bothezat, Igor Sikorsky.
They finished up with post-revolutionary Russia and sought to apply their abilities in Western Europe and the United States.
George Bothezat seems to be the most successful, in the generally accepted sense. He had acquaintances everywhere - both in the Bolshevik elite (they helped him, moderately, with his departure), and in Western Europe, and in the USA.
George Bothezat, - unlike Sasha Cherny and Igor Sikorsky, - received a multilateral (technical) education, including abroad. It seems that he left more or less calmly, with a noticeable amount of money (he managed to sell off his property), with personal belongings, with a library.
In pre-revolutionary Russia, George Bothezat proved himself both as a talented specialist in the field of aviation technology, as a teacher, and as a statesman in the field of organizing the military industry.
He brought the habit of versatility to the USA as well. But government agencies had a different attitude towards him than in pre-revolutionary Russia. The rules and habits were different. As a talented and self-centered person, George Bothezat wished to be treated in a special way. Somewhere good luck was waiting for him, and somewhere disappointment. After George Bothezat created a private company for the production of fans, and fans are needed in many "inhabited" and "uninhabited" technical devices, he received orders from US government agencies.
Sasha Cherny had a huge potential of luckiness. His life was full of all sorts of twists and turns. But somehow everything was settled and arranged. If George Bothezat had a "habit" of cooperating with government agencies, then Sasha Cherny had a kind of "habit" of cooperating with editorial offices and publishing houses. Attempts at independent "business" - independent performances in front of audiences and joint participation with his wife in the upbringing of children of wealthy parents from Russia - were carried out with varying success.
There were dreams of moving to Australia to do something like farming, but these dreams have remained dreams. Like George Bothezat, Sasha Cherny was distinguished by a huge number of close and distant connections. Sometimes he was recognized by people completely unfamiliar to him and helped him. Sasha Cherny did not graduate from gymnasium (secondary school) (full course); he did not really need her - with his talent and luckiness.
He visited several countries and had money.
An interesting detail - like Valery Bryusov - Sasha Cherny wrote works in the first person (for example, Micky the Fox Terrier's Diary). One of his stories (written at the highest level) I heard on the radio and about six months later I downloaded his biography from the Internet library and got acquainted with this book.
Igor Sikorsky does not look like a lucky man - in the conventional sense. He interrupted his higher education in connection with the creation of samples of aviation equipment.
A prosperous period of work in pre-revolutionary Russia (a wealthy family helped him) was replaced by departure abroad, where no one was particularly waiting for him.
He had experience working with government agencies, but Igor Sikorsky was focused on working with aviation equipment, not with government agencies.
In the USA, he works as a mathematics teacher, with very moderate financial success, he lectures on the development of technology.
He can't boast of special luck. But he has a place to live, he has the food, he is passionate about his occupation - creating samples of aviation equipment, he has a "charm of talent" that creates faith in him from other people who are ready to work with him without salary (until success is achieved). There is, nearby, a landfill where you can find all sorts of useful parts that are used to create a technical sample.
In a critical situation, when money absolutely run out, a specific luck appears. He gets a large sum of money in debt. He paid off this debt with interest.
He is not in the habit of working in government agencies or cooperating with them (or with other funding organizations). He has great technical intuition and is ready to work non-stop on creating samples of aviation equipment.
If I understood correctly, he sold one of the first workable (functioning) samples to a private person (but not to a government agency).
Gradually, the American state pays attention to him, and he receives orders.
The technical samples created by Igor Sikorsky are of interest to the general public, private companies, and military authorities.
Unlike George Bothezat, Igor Sikorsky is a systemic person. Sometimes his firm or is being absorbed or being singled out. Sikorsky is constantly working on technical samples. Organizational problems are important, but of secondary importance in its activities.
In the book about Igor Sikorsky, I did not see any mention of Edison's letters he received (as was the case with George Bothezat, in the book about whom there is a photo of one of Edison's letters to Bothezat). (Sasha Cherny also received welcome addresses (letters)). Maybe there just wasn't time for correspondence. But there is another option: Sikorsky is an "Edison" himself.
The more he works on technical samples, the more he presents them to different audiences - the better and better he "presents himself". Judging by the photos, his appearance merges with the social environment surrounding him, he becomes indistinguishable from representatives of technical, scientific, and business circles.
The moment comes, Igor Sikorsky resigns. His case continues without him, but under his "supervision", with his consultations. The quality of "systemacy" is working.
Sasha Cherny, George Bothezat, Igor Sikorsky had great abilities. They can be called people of luckiness. But the luckiness of each of them manifested itself in different ways.
(I saw all three books in electronic editions:
Victoria Dmitrievna Milenko. Sasha Cherny: The Sad Knight of Laughter. Moscow, 2014.
Translation from Russian into English: March 05, 2024 11:32
Владимир Владимирович Залесский ' Талант и удачливость. Литературная заметка о трёх книгах-биографиях: Саши Чёрного, Георгия Ботезата, Игоря Сикорского '.
{3485. Талант и удачливость. Литературная заметка о трёх книгах-биографиях: Саши Чёрного, Георгия Ботезата, Игоря Сикорского. - 5 марта 2024 г.
MMMCDLVI. Talent and luckiness. A literary note concerning three biographical books: about Sasha Cherny, George Bothezat, Igor Sikorsky. - March 5, 2024.
Vladimir Zalessky Internet-bibliotheca. Интернет-библиотека Владимира Залесского. }