Stirlitz is not according to legend. Who was Stirlitz's prototype in real life? Linden for samurai

And some other countries.

The all-Union fame of the image of Stirlitz was brought by the serial television film “Seventeen Moments of Spring” based on the novel of the same name, where his role was played by Vyacheslav Tikhonov. This character became the most famous image of an intelligence officer in Soviet and post-Soviet culture, comparable to James Bond in Western culture.

Biography

Contrary to popular belief, Stirlitz’s real name is not Maxim Maksimovich Isaev, as may be assumed from “ Seventeen moments of spring", and Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov. The surname “Isaev” was presented by Yulian Semyonov as the operational pseudonym of Vsevolod Vladimirov already in the first novel about him - “Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.”

Isaev-Stirlitz - Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov - born October 8, 1900 (“ Expansion-2") in Transbaikalia, where his parents were in political exile.

From the party description of von Stirlitz, a member of the NSDAP since 1933, SS Standartenführer (VI Department of the RSHA): “A true Aryan. Character - Nordic, seasoned. Supports workmates good relationship. Fulfills his official duty impeccably. Merciless towards the enemies of the Reich. Excellent Athlete: Berlin Tennis Champion. Single; he was not noticed in any connections that discredited him. Recognized with awards from the Fuhrer and commendations from the Reichsfuhrer SS..."

Works where he participates

Jokes

Stirlitz is a character in one of the largest cycles of Soviet jokes, usually they parody the voice “from the author” constantly commenting on Stirlitz’s thoughts or the events of the film. In the series “Seventeen Moments of Spring” this was the voice of Leningrad BDT actor Efim Kopelyan:

Stirlitz insisted on his own. The tincture turned out to be very bitter

Stirlitz bent over the map - he was uncontrollably vomiting for his homeland.

Stirlitz was walking through the forest and saw eyes in a hollow.
“Woodpecker,” thought Stirlitz.
- You yourself are a woodpecker! - thought Muller.

Stirlitz walked with Kat through the forest. Suddenly shots rang out and Kat fell, bleeding profusely. “They’re shooting,” thought Stirlitz.

Stirlitz was walking along the corridor of the Reich Chancellery, suddenly Muller and his guards ran towards him. Stirlitz tensed, and his hand involuntarily reached for the pistol, but Muller ran past.
“It’s gone,” thought Stirlitz.
- You would have been so carried away! - thought Muller.

Subsequently, the anecdotes were compiled into works of art Assisted by Pavel and Begemotov Nestor (“Stirlitz, or How Hedgehogs Reproduce”), Boris Leontyev (cycle of works “The Adventures of SS Standartenführer von Stirlitz”), Andrei Shcherbakov (“Leaders of the Fourth Reich”, “Operation Hedgehogs No. 2”, “Adventures Stirlitz and other adventures of Borman”, etc.) and Sergei Chumichev (“How Koloboks multiply, or Stirlitz against the Super Spy”).

Stirlitz began to suspect that he was going crazy. It seemed to him that some calm, impartial voice was constantly commenting on every action. He went to the mirror and looked into it carefully. No, it seemed. Never before has the film crew of “Seventeen Moments of Spring” been so close to failure.

Many of these jokes are based on wordplay:

Stirlitz shot blindly... The blind woman fell...

Stirlitz beat for sure. He probably shot at point blank range. The emphasis fell backwards. The driver ran away. Utek began to defend himself.

Stirlitz sat upright. The car immediately started up and drove off.

Stirlitz was skipping and was in a hurry - the jump closed in half an hour.

Stirlitz came out of the sea and lay down on the pebbles. Svetka was offended and left.

Stirlitz arrived drunk. He left the fun at Muller's house.

Muller shot Stirlitz in the head. “Explosive,” Stirlitz thought.

Stirlitz fell from the balcony and miraculously caught on the cornice. The next day the miracle was swollen and made it difficult to walk. Stirlitz decided to go to the doctor, got into the car and told the driver: “Touch it!” The driver touched it and said: “Wow!”

Stirlitz saw how the SS men parked the car. “Poor Pastor Schlag!” - thought Stirlitz.

Muller ordered to block all exits in Stirlitz's house. Stirlitz had to leave through the entrance.

The personal details of the actors who played in the TV series “Seventeen Moments of Spring” are often played out:

Or situations from the film itself are played out:

Holtoff, would you like some cognac?
- No, it hits the head too much.

Müller, would you like to take a walk along the lake?
- No, we have already seen this movie.

What is two and two? - asked Muller. Stirlitz thought about it. He, of course, knew how much two and two would be, he was recently informed about this from the center, but he did not know whether Muller knew this. And if he knows, who told him? Maybe Kaltenbrunner? Then negotiations with Dulles reached a dead end.

Many jokes mock Stirlitz’s ability to get out of difficult situations:

There is a meeting with Hitler. Suddenly a man enters the room with a tray of oranges, puts the tray on the table, takes a secret card from the table and leaves. Everyone is dumbfounded.
- Who was it? - asks Hitler.
- Yes, this is Stirlitz from Schellenberg’s management. He really Soviet intelligence officer Isaev,” replies Muller.
- So why don’t you arrest him?!
- It's useless. He’ll get out of it anyway and say that he brought oranges.

Sometimes interethnic relations are played out:

Muller:
- Stirlitz, are you a Jew?
- No! I am Russian!
- And I am German.

Here is an example that Stirlitz is a fictional character:

Stirlitz wakes up in a prison cell, not remembering how he got there. He figures out how to get out of the situation: “If a Gestapo man comes in, I’ll say that I am SS Standartenführer Stirlitz, and if an NKVDist comes in, I’ll say that I’m Colonel Isaev.” A Soviet policeman enters: “Well, you got drunk yesterday, Comrade Tikhonov!”

Another technique is to reduce a dramatic situation to the point of absurdity:

Anecdotes about Stirlitz went beyond the cultural space of the Soviet Union:

Late in the evening, Stirlitz enters his house, immersed in darkness. A voice is heard:
- No need to turn on the light.
- Is it Shabbat already? - Stirlitz was surprised.

Some jokes combined an international aspect, new trends and wordplay at the same time:

Muller and Stirlitz are sitting in Muller's office - Muller at the table, Stirlitz in a chair by the window - and look intensely at each other. Muller looks from Stirlitz to the open window, back to Stirlitz, to the window, to Stirlitz... Suddenly he says sharply:
- Stirlitz, close the window, it’s blowing!
Stirlitz in response:
- Do it yourself, motherfucker!

Prototypes

Film incarnations

In addition to Tikhonov, who, of course, is the main “film face” of Stirlitz, this character was played by other actors. In total, four novels featuring Stirlitz (or Maxim Isaev) have been filmed. The role of Stirlitz in them was performed by:

• Vladimir Ivashov (“Diamonds for the dictatorship of the proletariat”)
• Uldis Dumpis ("Spanish version")
• Vsevolod Safonov (“The Life and Death of Ferdinand Luce”)

In the fall of 2009, the Rossiya TV channel plans to show the television series “Isaev”, where the role of the young Soviet intelligence officer Maxim Isaev is played by Daniil Strakhov.

See also

• Stirlitz is one of the sociotypes in socionics.

Notes

Links

• Stirlitz, or How Hedgehogs Reproduce - a parody novel of “Seventeen Moments of Spring”

The name Stirlitz is on everyone's lips. Who is he? Is this a fictional character or real person? When did he live? Why are they talking about him now? You will find answers to these questions in the article.

So who is Stirlitz? This is the most famous. Any representative of the older generation in the CIS will answer without hesitation that this is a famous character in the novels of Yulian Semenov. An experienced and inveterate spy from "17 Moments of Spring", talentedly played in the movie by Vyacheslav Tikhonov. Expressions from this legendary film They have long become winged and known to almost everyone. And you can find many anecdotes about the famous SS Standartenführer.

Max Otto von Stirlitz, also known as Maxim Maksimovich Isaev, appears in more than one of Semenov’s works. Gradually, they reveal his origins, interests and how young Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov becomes first Maxim Isaev, and then Stirlitz.

Spy biography

The parents of the outstanding intelligence officer met in Transbaikalia, where they were exiled for their political views. Vsevolod was born on October 8, 1900. After 5 years, his mother could not cope with consumption and died.

The young intelligence officer began working under the pseudonym Isaev already in 1920. During this period, he acted as an employee of the press service. A year later, Vladimirov worked as deputy chief foreign department Cheka. Then, in 1921, he was sent to Estonia.

The underground activity of the young security officer is rapidly gaining momentum; in 1922, infiltrated into the White Guard troops, he ends up in Manchuria. For the next 30 years, he has been collecting intelligence for the benefit of the Motherland far beyond its borders.

The appearance of Stirlitz

Who is Stirlitz? This is the same young intelligence officer Maxim Isaev. In 1927, he was transferred from Europe to troubled Germany, where the Nazi Party was gaining strength. It was then that a representative of the German aristocracy, Max Otto von Stirlitz, appeared.

During World War II, Colonel Isaev works in the main department of imperial security. For his numerous and undeniable services to the Fatherland, Vsevolod Vladimirov received the title of Hero. But despite this, in 1947 Stirlitz ended up in a Soviet prison, where he played his own game.

Personal life

Unlike his literary and film colleagues, Stirlitz is extremely cold and indifferent to the opposite sex. This is not explained by the intelligence officer’s insensitivity and callousness, but by the fact that there is no free space in his heart. The spy carried his love for Alexandra Nikolaevna Gavrilina, who remained in her homeland, throughout his life. Despite the long separation, this woman answered him in kind and even gave birth to a child from him in 1923, which Maxim Maksimovich learns about only in 1941.

Unfortunately, Yulian Semenov did not provide for a happy life for his hero. family life, by order of Stirlitz and his son will be shot in 1947.

To know everything about Stirlitz, you will have to read 14 novels about this hero.

Character, interests and passions of Stirlitz

How was Stirlitz's youth? What was he really like? While in Bern with his father during emigration, young Vsevolod worked part-time at a newspaper. Largely thanks to this, the future spy acquired an interest and love for literature.

Vladimirov has all the qualities necessary for a scout. He is smart, calculating and cold-blooded. Able to quickly analyze, evaluate and navigate any situation.

Vsevolod would never have turned into Maxim Isaev, much less Stirlitz, if he had not been a good actor and psychologist. These skills helped him to so skillfully infiltrate any enemy team and create the appearance of good relations with forced colleagues.

Among alcoholic drinks, Stirlitz prefers noble cognac. Although sometimes he can afford a glass of cold light beer.

Stirlitz prototypes

There are many assumptions about who could be the prototype of this intelligence officer, famous throughout the post-Soviet space. One can only guess whose traits Semenov endowed his hero with.

What did Stirlitz look like? You see a photo of a person in the article. This is how the creator of the image saw him. It is known for certain that the author found inspiration by scrupulously studying the archives of the special services. Behind every story about Stirlitz there are hidden real events and people. Those whose names were hidden by pseudonyms and spy legends, and were declassified only many years later.

Of course, the literary hero did not do without artistic exaggerations. For example, Stirlitz is characterized not just as a good tennis player, but as the champion of Berlin in this sport. IN real life it would hardly have been possible to combine intense intelligence work with constant training and competitions.

Who is Stirlitz? Film "17 moments of spring"

The famous film has become legendary over more than 40 years. The premiere of this cult film was watched by 200,000,000 people.

Today it is simply impossible to imagine Stirlitz performed by another actor. But there were candidates besides Tikhonov, who, in general, ended up being involved in the film by accident.

Archil Gomiashvili auditioned for this role, but he did not fit the criteria set by Yulian Semyonov. But I couldn’t leave my native theater for such for a long time(filming lasted 3 years).

Before the auditions, Vyacheslav Tikhonov was made up and given a lush mustache. This external image of the scout shocked him. But after some modifications and the actor’s willingness to devote himself entirely to this film, due to the lack of other work, he was approved for the role.

On-screen Maxim Isaev brought the actor, in addition to national recognition, fame and love of women, also an order.

Tikhonov harmoniously complemented the picture not only with his acting, but also offered the director a scene with his wife, who initially did not exist in the script. This was prompted by a friend’s story about a meeting between his colleagues from the secret services and their wives while they were working abroad.

Some inconsistencies and facts

Stirlitz is a man full of secrets and riddles. Here are some inconsistencies and facts that are puzzling:

1. In reality, there is no surname like that of the famous intelligence officer. Although there is a similar sounding one by Stieglitz. In addition, there was a real historical character, Vice Admiral of the German Navy Ernst Stieglitz.
2. Despite his outstanding espionage skills, Maxim Isaev would hardly have been able to infiltrate such high ranks. The Nazis checked the SS officers too meticulously. He would have to take the place of an existing German with an impeccable reputation for several generations, and not just provide real documents.
3. Even lower-ranking colleagues do not use the prefix “von” when addressing Stirlitz. This is allowed, but in those years it was still rare. Moreover, according to legend, Stirlitz has a noble origin.
4. In all units of the NSDAP, smoking was strictly prohibited. Police officers were not allowed to smoke in working hours. Isaev easily breaks this rule.
5. The beer hall in which the intelligence officer liked to spend time - "Rough Gottlieb" is actually the "Last Resort" restaurant in Berlin.
6. And the hero’s favorite restaurant, where Stirlitz meets his wife, is not in Germany at all, but in the Czech Republic.

Who is Stirlitz? This is a man of mystery, about whom it is difficult to say anything unambiguously. Whether this person actually lived or not is difficult to answer. Everyone has their own opinion on this matter. But in any case, the image is quite interesting. Isn't it?

Dear friends, I am opening a new section on my blog, “Literary Detective”. Here I will publish my materials about the history of creation literary works and real prototypes of famous literary heroes. My first material is dedicated to the legendary and cult character Stirlitz. I would be grateful for reasonable criticism and corrections, if any. I warn you that these materials are my personal version, which may differ from other, more accepted and popular versions.

So, meet Max Otto von Stirlitz

The most iconic character of the Soviet era, Soviet intelligence officer Max Otto von Stirlitz, created by the talented pen of Yulian Semenov, has always caused a lot of discussion. General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev believed in the reality of Stirlitz so much after watching the serial film “Seventeen Moments of Spring” that he even awarded him the star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, with great difficulty it was necessary to persuade him that such a scout did not exist in real life and actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov had to, who played Stirlitz in the film, be given a Hero of Socialist Labor.

Who was this mythical Stirlitz and did he have a real prototype? I immediately want to dispel the main myth - Stirlitz did not have any real prototype.

Let's start with the fact that Stirlitz's real name is not Maxim Maksimovich Isaev, as one might assume from “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” but Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov. The surname Isaev was taken by Yulian Semenov as the operational pseudonym of Vsevolod Vladimirovich Vladimirov already in the first novel about him - “Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.”

In the novel “Expansion II” we learn that Vsevolod Vladimirov was born on October 8, 1900 in Transbaikalia, where his parents were in political exile. The father is Russian, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Vladimirov, “a professor of law at St. Petersburg University, dismissed for free-thinking and closeness to social democratic circles.” Brought into revolutionary movement Georgy Plekhanov. His Ukrainian mother, Olesya Ostapovna Prokopchuk, died of consumption when her son was five years old.

The parents met and got married in exile. At the end of their exile, father and son returned to St. Petersburg, and then spent some time in exile, in Switzerland, in the cities of Zurich and Bern. Here Vsevolod Vladimirovich showed his love for literary work. In Bern he worked part-time at a newspaper. Father and son returned to their homeland in 1917.

It is known that in 1911, Vladimirov Sr. and the Bolsheviks diverged. After the revolution, in 1921 - while his son was in Estonia - Vladimir Vladimirov was sent on a business trip to Eastern Siberia and there he tragically died at the hands of the White Guards. This is the background story of the famous intelligence officer.

I will not analyze absolutely all the legends regarding who was Isaev’s prototype. I will focus on the most plausible versions, which are directly or indirectly confirmed by Semenov himself.

Birth of Maxim Isaev

The image of Maxim Isaev (Vsevolod Vladimirov) was born from a secret dispatch from Dzerzhinsky, who forwarded it to Far East a talented young man who loved horses and painting and had a sharp mind and erudition. This is how Maxim Isaev was born. Semenov himself spoke about it this way: “There are different rumors about me: that Yulian Semenov has access to folders marked “top secret”, to the most untouchable archives... I use sources that are quite accessible - even to high school students, if they so desire. information. I do not and never have had any authority to get into secret archives. I also have no experience in “secret” work, as I already said. I simply buy in a bookstore, accessible to everyone, for example, correspondence of the heads of three states who were in an alliance against Hitler during the war. There I find a passage from a letter from one chapter to the head of another allied state about the people who informed our Supreme Command. You can go to any city library and read what I wrote. Of course, there is no mention anywhere that there was such a Soviet intelligence officer Isaev. I “invented” him because there were similar people, remember - Sorge, Abel... Of course, I work in archives, but this is not forbidden to anyone.”

In the photo Yakov Grigorievich Blyumkin

And yet, the young Stirlitz had a real prototype, part of whose biography was absorbed by the literary character. This is Yakov Grigorievich Blumkin (real name - Simkha-Yankev Gershevich Blumkin). It is interesting that among his pseudonyms there are the names Vladimirov and Isaev. He and Stirlitz also have the same date of birth - October 8, 1900. Blumkin's biography is extremely entertaining. He was highly valued by Dzerzhinsky and Trotsky, he participated in the murder of the German ambassador Mirbach, was noted for the assassination attempt on Hetman Skoropadsky and German field marshal Eichhorn, “expropriated” the assets of the State Bank together with Mishka Yaponchik, worked on the overthrow of the Persian head Kuchek Khan and created the Iranian Communist Party. One episode from Blumkin’s life almost completely became the basis for the plot of Semenov’s book “Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.” In the mid-twenties, Yakov graduated from the Academy of the General Staff of the Red Army and worked on the eastern question, traveled to China, Palestine, Mongolia, and lived in Shanghai. In the summer of 1929, Blumkin returned to the capital to report on his work, but was soon arrested for his old connections with Leon Trotsky. At the end of the same year, Blumkin was shot. In October 1921, Blyumkin, under the pseudonym Isaev (taken by his grandfather’s name), travels to Revel (Tallinn) under the guise of a jeweler and, acting as a provocateur, reveals the foreign connections of Gokhran workers. It was this episode in Blumkin’s activities that Yulian Semyonov used as the basis for the plot of the book “Diamonds for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.”

Another prototype of the young Isaev was Yulian Semenov’s relative by wife, Mikhail Mikhalkov. Yulian Semenov was married to Ekaterina, the daughter of Natalya Petrovna Konchalovskaya from her first marriage. Here are the facts of the biography of Mikhail Mikhalkov: at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War served in the special department of the Southwestern Front. In September 1941, he was captured, escaped and then continued to serve behind enemy lines as an illegal agent, supplying the Red Army intelligence agencies with important operational information. In 1945, during a battle in a German uniform, he crossed the front line and was detained by authorities military counterintelligence"SMERSH". On charges of collaborating with German intelligence, he served five years in prison, first in the Lefortovo prison, and later in one of the camps in the Far East.

Max Otto von Stirlitz

Pictured is Willy Lehman, photo from Gestapo archives

But Max Otto von Strielitz was born from the biography of another intelligence officer who worked for Soviet intelligence, but this time a German. Semyonov took this character from the memoirs of Walter Schellenberg, whom he made Stirlitz’s boss.

The service of SS Standartenführer von Stirlitz took place in Berlin on Prinz Albrechtstrasse, in the Main Office of Reich Security (“Reichszicherheitshauptamt”). The RSHA had 6 directorates, or general bureaus: legal, 2 investigative, “supporting the life of the Germans,” secret police (Gestapo), foreign intelligence. It was in the latter, the so-called Amt VI, that Stirlitz served. Judging by the previous novels in the series, the gallant Standartenführer often moved from one department to another. In the “Spanish Version” (set in 1936), Stirlitz is clearly an employee of Department VI E, which dealt with Italy and Spain. In 1941 (“Alternative”) he definitely serves in department VI D ( East Europe and Yugoslavia). And in 1945 (“Moments”) he most likely works in either VI A (general department) or VI B (special operations). The Soviet intelligence service, which contains Colonel Isaev’s work book, remains a mystery. Most likely, this is still the external intelligence of the NKVD under the leadership of General Pavel Fitin.

Stirlitz's chief, Brigadefuehrer Walter Schellenberg, is one of the most extraordinary personalities in the Reich. At just under thirty he became a manager German intelligence- thanks not only to his brilliant abilities, but also to the patronage of Lina Heydrich, the wife of the head of the RSHA, Reinhard Heydrich. Schellenberg, contrary to Semyonov, was not at all an unprincipled (from the point of view of Nazism) opportunist: he refused to cooperate with the allies and, shortly before his death at the age of only 44, wrote memoirs full of sincere grief for the lost greatness of National Socialism.

And here we come to the third prototype of Stirlitz - the main one for the German stage of life. His name was Willie Lehman. The name Willy Lehmann became known only recently. Meanwhile, this amazing man, who oversaw the defense industry and military construction in the Gestapo fascist Germany, for 12 years he transmitted invaluable information to Moscow about the scale of fascism’s preparations for the establishment of world domination.

The declassified documents are included in the published book “His Majesty’s Agent,” written by the famous historian and intelligence expert Theodor Gladkov. Only a small part of the documents in the Lehman case has been opened so far.

There is a version that Leman was simply recruited for money. The German, a passionate horse racing gambler, was recruited in 1936 by Soviet intelligence, whose employee lent him money after losing, and then offered to supply secret information for a good fee. He bore the operational pseudonym “Breitenbach”. At the RSHA he was involved in countering Soviet industrial espionage.

However, this version is contradicted by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, which declassified part of the documents in the Breitenbach case. According to the SVR representative, unlike some Soviet intelligence agents, Leman was not recruited. He proactively approached the Soviet station and selflessly offered his services in the fight against Nazism.

On June 19, 1941, the intelligence officer informed the Soviet leadership about the German attack planned three days later. Wilhelm Lehmann, who, like Stirlitz, was a Gestapo officer and SS Hauptsturmführer. Lehman's desire to work for the USSR was dictated by his intransigence to the basic ideals of fascism. The good-natured and friendly person that Lehman was was called “Uncle Willy” by many at work (in the IV department of the Gestapo RSHA). No one, including his wife, could even imagine that this bald, good-natured fellow, suffering from renal colic and diabetes, was a Soviet agent. Before the war, he conveyed information about the timing and volume of production of self-propelled guns and armored personnel carriers, the development of new nerve agents and synthetic gasoline, the beginning of testing liquid fuel missiles, the structure and personnel of the German intelligence services, counterintelligence operations of the Gestapo and much more. Documents confirming the fact of an impending attack on Soviet Union, Lehman sewed it into the lining of his hat, which he then quietly replaced with the same headdress when meeting with a Soviet representative in a cafe.

It was not known until now that it was Lehmann who handed over to Moscow the key to the Gestapo codes used in telegraph “Funkshpruch” and radio “Fernshpruch” messages for communication with his territorial and overseas employees. Thus, at Lubyanka they had the opportunity to read Gestapo official correspondence.

In 1942, the Germans managed to declassify the brave intelligence officer. Willy Lehman failed under circumstances close to those described by Yulian Semenov: his radio operator Bart, an anti-fascist, during a surgical operation, under anesthesia, began to talk about codes and connections with Moscow, and the doctors signaled to the Gestapo. In December 1942, Willy Lehman was arrested and executed a few months later. The fact of the SS officer's betrayal was hidden - even Willy Lehmann's wife was told that her husband had died after being hit by a train. The story of Willy Lehmann is told in the memoirs of Walter Schellenberg, from which Yulian Semyonov apparently borrowed it.

Himmler was simply shocked by this fact. The employee, who worked in the Gestapo for thirteen years, constantly supplied information to the USSR and was never even suspected of espionage. The very fact of his activities was so shameful for the SS that Lehmann’s file was completely and completely destroyed before it could reach the Fuhrer, and the intelligence officer himself was hastily shot shortly after his arrest. Even the agent's wife didn't know about it for a long time. true reasons death of a spouse. His name was included in the list of those killed for the Third Reich. Of all the Soviet intelligence officers, it was Lehmann who occupied a position similar to Stirlitz, a high-ranking SS officer, surrounded by the arbiters of Germany’s destinies and entering the very heart of the Reich.

This is how we got our first literary detective story, fascinating and interesting. How could it be boring to read about such a character as Maxim Isaev-Stirlitz?!

To be continued?

Instructions

The hero of 14 works by Yulian Semenov was born thanks to the writer’s acquaintance with Rudolf Abel, who became one of the prototypes literary hero. But Stirlitz is a collective image. His prototypes were Willy Lehman, shot by the Nazis in 1942, and Isaiah Isaevich Borovoi, and a whole series of other fighters from the invisible front.

The literary character became famous thanks to the twelve-episode television film “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” based on the novel of the same name from the “Position” trilogy by director Tamara Lioznova in 1973.

The character played by Vyacheslav Tikhonov forever merged with his performer, and, subsequently, for many years the artist had to break the stereotype that had developed about himself. Which, however, he always succeeded brilliantly. But, meanwhile, visual image the hero created by Yulian Semyonov will forever be assigned to the appearance of Vyacheslav Tikhonov.

In the film "Seventeen Moments of Spring" Stirlitz is shown in recent months World War II, when one of its main tasks set by the Soviet command was to disrupt Operation Sunrise / Crossword: negotiations between representatives of the intelligence services of Nazi Germany and the United States on the surrender of part of the German troops, and to conclude a separate peace bypassing the USSR.

Having gone through many difficult moments, with the help of a cleverly invented intrigue, being under the constant threat of exposure, Stirlitz fulfills the task and saves the people who have become close to him.

Stirlitz is a hero of two times: the one during which the book hero lives and acts and the time when the film was created. The book hero, by the will of the author, was more free in his actions and decisions, mistakes and miscalculations.

The hero of the film was born in an era of ossified stagnation. So he's like real person, could not be wrong in principle. If it weren’t for the saving talent of Vyacheslav Tikhonov, with his ability to remain silent in the frame and play thoughts for long film seconds - by the way, this skill is now completely lost among modern artists - then the “Stirlitz” meme might not have been born.

A hero who is “one warrior in the field,” a man who makes decisions independently and does his hard work, not out of loyalty to the party and government, but only because such are his convictions, could not help but evoke the subconscious admiration of the masses whose life was regulated to the limit.

The thought process of the cinematic Stirlitz, not interrupted for a second, caused a storm of quiet delight. To see how a person reflects, analyzes, thinks intensely, constantly, and the action moves solely following his thought process - it was unexpectedly beautiful and exciting. It is not without reason that in the science of socionics the name “Stirlitz” is assigned to one of the psychotypes characterized as a logical-sensory extrovert.

And some other countries.

The television series “Seventeen Moments of Spring” based on the work of the same name, where his role was played by Vyacheslav Tikhonov, brought All-Union fame to the image of Stirlitz. This character became the most famous image of an intelligence officer in Soviet and post-Soviet culture, comparable to James Bond in Western culture.

Biography

Contrary to popular belief, Stirlitz’s real name is not Maxim Maksimovich Isaev, as may be assumed from “ Seventeen moments of spring", A...

From the party description of a member of the NSDAP from the year von Stirlitz, Standartenführer of the SS (VI Department of the RSHA): “A true Aryan. Character - Nordic, seasoned. Maintains good relationships with workmates. Fulfills his official duty impeccably. Merciless towards the enemies of the Reich. Excellent Athlete: Berlin Tennis Champion. Single; he was not noticed in any connections that discredited him. Recognized with awards from the Fuhrer and commendations from the Reichsfuhrer SS..."

Works where he participates

Interesting facts

• In reality there is no German surname Sti(e)rlitz; the closest similar one is Stieglitz, also known in Russia.
• As an impostor, Stirlitz could not actually serve in such a high position in the SS, since the Nazi security services verified the identity of each candidate for several generations. To pass such a check, Stirlitz had to not only have genuine identification documents, but also replace the real German Max Stirlitz, who actually lived in Germany and looked like him in appearance. Although such substitutions are practiced by the intelligence services when introducing illegal agents, in reality all sources of Soviet intelligence in the highest echelons of the Reich that are now known were recruited by Germans or anti-fascist Germans.
• During the auditions for the film, Tikhonov (Stirlitz) actually filmed on a luxurious 1935 Horch-853, which belonged to the famous Moscow collector A.A. Lomakov. And these films should be in the Mosfilm archives! But the start of filming itself was delayed for several months. And the owner of the car signed an agreement with another film group for the filming of the same Horch-853 in the famous Soviet action film “Velvet Season” in Sukhumi. So Stirlitz began to drive a much cheaper 1938 Mercedes-Benz 230 in the film.

Prototypes

• One of the prototypes for Stirlitz was the Soviet intelligence officer Richard Sorge.
• Another real prototype of Stirlitz is Willy Lehmann, who served in the sixth directorate of the RSHA under the leadership of Walter Schellenberg. A German, a passionate horse racing gambler, he was recruited in 1936 by Soviet intelligence, whose employee lent him money after losing, and then offered to supply secret information for a good fee (according to another version, Lehman independently contacted Soviet intelligence, guided by ideological considerations). He had the nickname "Breitenbach". At the RSHA he was involved in countering Soviet industrial espionage.
  Leman failed in the year, under circumstances close to those described by Semyonov: his radio operator Bart, an anti-fascist, during a surgical operation, under anesthesia, began to talk about codes and communications with Moscow, and the doctors signaled to the Gestapo. In December 1942, Lehmann was arrested and a few months later he was shot. The fact of the betrayal of such a high-ranking SS officer was hidden - even Lehmann’s wife was told that her husband had died after being hit by a train. Lehmann's story is told in Schellenberg's memoirs, from which Semyonov apparently borrowed it.