Krokodil

Soviet and Russian satirical magazine (1922–2008)

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IPA: [krəkɐˈdʲil] ^ⓘ, lit. 'crocodile') was a satirical magazine published in the Soviet Union. The first issue was published on 27 August 1922 ^[1] as the satirical supplement to the Workers' Gazette (called simply «Приложения» [Supplement]).^[2]^[3] When it became a separate publication, the name Crocodile was chosen at an editorial meeting from among a list of suggested animal names.^[4] At that time, many satirical magazines existed, such as Zanoza and Prozhektor. Nearly all of them eventually disappeared.

History

Krokodil was founded in 1922, first as a supplement to Rabochaya Gazeta ('Workers' Newspaper'), and was published once a week. Although political satire was dangerous during much of the Soviet period,^{[citation needed]} Krokodil was given considerable license to lampoon political figures and events. Typical and safe topics for lampooning in the Soviet era were the lack of initiative and imagination promoted by the style of an average Soviet middle-bureaucrat and the problems produced by drinking on the job by Soviet workers. Krokodil also ridiculed capitalist countries and attacked various political, ethnic and religious groups that allegedly opposed the Soviet system.

Many notable persons contributed to the magazine, including Vladimir Mayakovsky, Mikhail Zoshchenko, Kukriniksy, and Yuliy Ganf.

Similar magazines existed in all the Union republics, and in several ASSRs and in other states of the Soviet bloc, e.g. Starshel ("Wasp") in Bulgaria, Eulenspiegel in East Germany, Urzica ("The Nettle") in Romania, Dikobraz ("Porcupine") in Czechoslovakia, and Szpilki ("Pins") in Poland.

Supplements to the *Workers' newspaper*, 1924

Among the vocal compositions of Dmitri Shostakovich, who is known for his satirical character, there are 5 Romances on texts from Krokodil Magazine (1965), taken from the section of the magazine where were published real-life nonsense texts.

Republic	Title	Translation
Ukrainian SSR	Перець	Pepper
Belarusian SSR	Вожык	Hedgehog
Uzbek SSR	Муштум	Fist
Kazakh SSR	Ара	Bumblebee
Georgian SSR	ნიანგი	Crocodile
Azerbaijani SSR	Кирпи	Hedgehog
Lithuanian SSR	Šluota	Broom
Moldavian SSR	Кипэруш	Pepper
Latvian SSR	Dadzis	Bur
Kyrgyz SSR	Чалкан	Nettle
Tajik SSR	Хорпуштак	Hedgehog
Armenian SSR	Ոզնի	Hedgehog
Turkmen SSR	Токмак	Mallet
Estonian SSR	Pikker	Pikker
Bashkir ASSR	Хэнэк	Pitchfork
Chuvash ASSR	Капкан	Trap
Komi ASSR	Чушканзі	Wasp
Mari ASSR	Пачемыш	Wasp
Tatar ASSR	Чаян	Scorpion
Udmurt ASSR	Шӧкыч	Hornet

Reinstatement

After the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union the magazine was discontinued (2000). It was reinstated in 2005 in Russia, issued monthly, headquartered in Moscow, and with editor-in-chief Sergei Mostovshchikov. The reinstated version, deliberately printed on old Soviet-style paper, ceased publication in 2008.

Editors-in-chief

Konstantin Eremeev (1922–23)
Nikolay Smirnov (1924–27)
Konstantin Maltsev (1927–28)
Felix Kohn (1928–30)
Nikolay Ivanov-Gramen (1928–30)
Mikhail Manuilsky [ru] (1930–34)
Mikhail Koltsov (1934–38)
Yakov Rovinsky (1938–41)
Lazar Lagin (1938–41)
Grigory Ryklin (1941–48)
Dmitry Belyaev (1948–53)
Sergei Shvetsov (1953–58)
Manuil Semyonov (1958–75)
Evgeny Dubrovin (1975–85)
Alexey Pyanov (1986–2000)
Emil Bondarenko (since 2017)

References

^ "20 Kopecks Buys You Satire Soviet Style", by Dan Fisher, Los Angeles Times, July 31, 1977, p.I-12 ("As it approaches its 55th birthday Aug. 27, the magazine Krokodil is, indeed, among the Soviet Union's most popular publications.")
^ Behind The Smile On Krokodil, June 7, 1964, The New York Times
^ Adams, James. "15 Incredible Soviet Era Magazine Covers". Cartridge Save. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
^ Boris Efimov, Десять десятилетий, ch. 6: "Тогда пошли в ход всевозможные жалящие и кусающие представители животного мира: оса, еж, шмель, ерш, ястреб, волкодав, скорпион и даже… крокодил."