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Vladimir DeryabkinClown, trainer, poet, writer, bard
Country:
 Russia |
Content:
- Vladimir Deryabkin: The Multifaceted Artist
- A Life on the Road
- A Unique Haven
- A Cossack Retreat
- The Medved Theater
Vladimir Deryabkin: The Multifaceted Artist
Vladimir Deryabkin is widely recognized as a clown and animal trainer in the circus world. In literary journals in St. Petersburg, he is celebrated as a poet and writer. For radio listeners, he is known as a bard, while historians consider him a "mad" collector who established the only gramophone museum in Russia.
A Life on the Road
With his bear theater, Vladimir has traveled across half the world, performing alongside renowned clown Oleg Popov. However, he rarely reminisces about those days as he is currently engrossed in his work. In the hamlet of Hobotok in the Kamensk District, he is constructing a tower and courtyard in honor of the famous Cossack poet Nikolai Turoverov. This forgotten village on the banks of the Sever Donets River has only a dozen residents and several empty houses. Nevertheless, it has gained fame throughout the region. When people ask for directions to Hobotok at the Kamensk train station, they are often told, "Go to where the clown lives."
A Unique Haven
Vladimir Deryabkin purchased an abandoned plot of land in Hobotok about ten years ago. He built a summer house in the Cossack style using clay and later began constructing a tower on the same site. Due to his limited visits to Hobotok, the construction of the tower has taken several years. When not in Hobotok, Vladimir resides and works in St. Petersburg.
Upon arriving at the riverbank, one feels as if they have entered a museum. The fence surrounding Vladimir's property is made of stones, and clay pots are scattered on stumps. An antique samovar emits fragrant steam on a summer table. Suddenly, the tower door opens, and Vladimir appears in a wide Cossack-style shirt. "Don't be surprised," he says. "I dress like this in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and even when I'm abroad because I take pride in my heritage."
A Cossack Retreat
Vladimir Deryabkin's Cossack roots are evident in the interior of the tower he built. The bed is stylized as a cart, and there are gramophones, kerosene lamps, and a trunk serving as a table. The whitewashed walls are adorned with vintage photographs. Vladimir picks up a guitar, puts on his pince-nez glasses, and, sitting on the cart-bed, reminisces.
Since childhood, Vladimir had a challenging temperament. He struggled to complete five grades of school and was often expelled for misbehavior. He recalls, "I felt confined at my desk. At 14 years old, I climbed onto the roof of the school through the rain gutter, causing a major scandal. They transferred me to another school, but there, I brought gunpowder to class, intending to create a small explosion during a test. When the teacher called me a fool, I fled to the train station and left Kamensk for Rostov."
At the age of 16, armed with a certificate of completing five grades, Vladimir left for Leningrad to join his older brother. His mother, a choir singer in Kamensk, had pushed him to leave in hopes that he would find his calling in Leningrad. Eventually, he did find his way, but not until he had drifted from one circus troupe to another. He discovered his true vocation in clowning, and his hard work paid off when Oleg Popov praised his acts and invited him to work together.
The Medved Theater
Vladimir Deryabkin went on to train ten bears and established the first Miniature Bear Theater in Russia. He traveled with the bears to Japan and, upon returning, learned that Oleg Popov's clown troupe had been invited to tour Yugoslavia. Hoping to join them, Vladimir was disappointed when Oleg Konstantinovich did not include him. However, when he discovered that the Yugoslavs had invited him as well, he took matters into his own hands. Vladimir sneaked into Popov's dressing room and informed him that they were going together. This news did not please Popov, as he was the star of the show, but eventually, they reconciled. By then, however, Oleg Popov had already left Russia, and Vladimir had decided to end his career as a clown. He does not regret this decision and instead focuses on his tower in Hobotok, reflecting on its purpose in the solitude of the Sever Donets landscape.
