According to the Hamburg account expression. The meaning of the phraseological unit Hamburg account in various fields

The Hamburg account is the name of a collection of literary critical articles by Viktor Shklovsky, published in 1928. In a brief programmatic article that opens the collection, the author himself explains the meaning of the title of the book in the following way: The Hamburg account is extremely important concept. All wrestlers, when wrestling, cheat and lie down on the shoulder blades at the order of the entrepreneur. Once a year wrestlers gather in a Hamburg tavern. They fight behind closed doors and curtained windows. Long, ugly and hard. Here the true classes of fighters are established - so as not to cheat. According to A.P. Chudakov, commentator modern edition books, real basis this plot became for Shklovsky oral story circus wrestler Ivan Poddubny. However, it is much more likely that the authorship of the expression Hamburg account belongs to Shklovsky himself. Immediately became a catchphrase, especially fashionable in literary environment, the expression Hamburg account is the equivalent of an impartial assessment of something without discounts and concessions, with the utmost exactingness. It is possible that no less popular phraseological unit is by and large-, which has the same meaning, is nothing more than a transformation of Shklovsky's invention. For the first time in literature, the phrase - by and large - is found in the novel Fulfillment of Desires (1935), created by Veniamin Kaverin, a writer close to Shklovsky's circle.

What would that mean?

According to the Hamburg score, the Hamburg score - to evaluate something based on fundamental considerations, to consider the results of the case according to the criteria of its importance and usefulness, when discussing something, not to pay attention to trifles and details, a professional approach without tricks and ambiguities, the real state of affairs , genuine value system

“The expression “Hamburg account” came to me like this.
The Union of Writers in its old composition, as one of the writers' organizations, was located in the Herzen House on Tverskoy boulevard. It was summer. A large awning opened directly onto the garden on the first floor: there was a restaurant under the awning, and the entire first floor was also a restaurant. The cook of the restaurant was a man whose name I have forgotten; I know that in his former profession he was a circus wrestler. Large, no longer young people came to him, they sat heavily on chairs and, as I remember, sometimes they broke them on purpose. The chef was preparing a vinaigrette for his friends; portions were served in large, specially purchased washing basins. After such a snack, people ate lunch. Once a man came, less heavy than others, but larger than all. A retinue immediately formed around him, arranged in ranks: it was Ivan Poddubny. He came from wrestling: they fought in the Chapiteau circus. It was then Poddubny 70 years old. He was asked to perform wrestling. He spoke calmly about it:
“It’s impossible to fight at seventy,” said Poddubny, “but you can show how they fight.” Yes, and everyone knew that I could not be put in my rank. It’s not good to suddenly take a man at seventy and put him on his shoulder blades.
(I am retelling all this 40 years later, so you don’t treat quotes as quoting documents on my desk. I continue to tell.)
- I show a roll and suddenly I feel that my young partner wants to pin me down, instead of letting me show the classic bridge.
Then I tell exactly: “You can’t fight at seventy, but for two minutes or one minute I can be stronger than another wrestler as much as I like. But I never pushed. If we were pushing, there would be no survivors. Then I pushed him; it was carried away on the board. Then the chef said calmly:
“Let him remember the Hamburg score!”
I asked what the Hamburg score was, and they explained to me that it was an account without conventions, without a tune. In the old days, it was installed in Hamburg at closed competitions - without an audience.
When I was publishing a book, I wrote about the Hamburg account. I was advised to put this title on the cover. It was in 1924"
(memoirs of V. Shklovsky in the retelling of the writer V. Konetsky)

"Hamburg account" - a collection of articles, memoirs, essays, published by Shklovsky in 1928

— The modernism of Pilnyak's form is purely external, very convenient for copying, while he himself is not a thick, saturated writer.
The elementality of the main technique makes Pilnyak easily copied, which probably explains his contagiousness for young writers..
— About K. Fedin's novel "Cities and Years". “There is interesting newspaper material in the novel, but it is clumsily connected, and all the characters walk in a troupe from Germany to the Mordovians. The novel is quotative, the descriptions consist of enumerations, the characters are not needed, there is no plot, and therefore the plot difficulty is replaced by a temporary rearrangement.
— About Babel. “A foreigner from Paris, one Paris without London, Babel saw Russia the way a French writer seconded to Napoleon's army could see it. The meaning of Babel's reception is that he speaks with one voice about both the stars and the gonorrhea.
— About V. Kataev. The "squanderers" are the fish in the mirror. You can't dive into this shiny surface."
— ABOUT " wax person» Tynyanov - that even the Peter the Great era “does not consist of nothing but amazing things” and is not “only a cabinet of curiosities in alcohol”

Synonyms of the phraseological unit "Hamburg account"

• no fools
• exactingly
• seriously
• without going into details
• strictly
• demanding
• by and large

Application of the expression in literature

— « The very existence of such a company, where frank conversations about literature and politics, conversations on Hamburg account, the conversations we called — "Frank Marxism", could have ended badly at that time"(David Samoilov" General diary ")
— « In our fatherland in those years, criticism turned into journalism - gouging or promoting, - yearning for textual analysis, for the Hamburg account"(Andrey Voznesensky" On the virtual wind ")
— « Play" is still too early, but who will read it Gogol's text- this is an application for the competition "on the Hamburg score"(Sergey Yursky" Flashes ")
— « So, not according to his official position, titles and awards, but according to the Hamburg account, Nikolai Nikolaevich Urvantsev was a great polar explorer and traveler "(Vladimir Sanin "Don't tell the Arctic - goodbye")
— « Yes, to be honest, according to the Hamburg account, why should he drag this hundred from a poor student?"(Yu. V. Trifonov "Time and Place")

What is a Hamburg account? If you don't know real history appearance of this catchphrase in Russian, then you can put forward as many different versions as you like, and none of them will be correct. Meanwhile, the verbal turnover, firmly established in our speech, was born relatively recently. This is the rare case when we are able to name the exact date the emergence of phraseology.

The origin of phraseology

The expression "Hamburg account" entered everyday use thanks to Soviet writer and publicist Viktor Borisovich Shklovsky. In 1928, a collection of essays and notes was published, where the author, on the rights literary critic analyzes creative activity his contemporaries - fellow writers. The writer evaluates the works of Yu. Olesha, M. Gorky, Vs. Ivanov, V. Khlebnikov, M. Zoshchenko, O. Mandelstam, M. Bulgakov, S. Yesenin, A. Tolstoy, V. Mayakovsky and many others.

In Shklovsky's book "Hamburg Account" there is a parable about Russian athletes who competed at circus arena. In order to please the public, the fights in classical or, as it was also called, French wrestling were short and planned in advance, were more demonstrative and artistic than sporting in nature. But once a year, athletes traveled to German Hamburg, where competitions were held in one of the taverns closed to spectators in order to identify the real champion. Obviously, the meaning of the phraseological unit "Hamburg account" corresponds to such synonyms as "a fair alignment" or "unadorned reality".

Artistic allegory

Modern researchers suggest that historical fact, described by Shklovsky, did not exist in reality, and this author's fiction was created in order to become a platform for playful ranking of writers of the first half of the 20th century. Shklovsky, subtly owning literary word and possessing an inexhaustible sense of humor, with a certain amount of sarcasm, continued the story of identifying the winners among the wrestlers: "The Hamburg account is necessary in literature."

Further, the writer arranges his colleagues on the imaginary steps of the literary Olympus, which, in his opinion, they deserve. The championship title goes to Velimir Khlebnikov, and Bulgakov turns out to be the red-haired clown at the carpet. It will probably be interesting for current school graduates to reveal the topic Hamburg account in an essay on the exam. Moreover, the story invented by Shklovsky is distinguished not only by beauty and conciseness. She got some interesting facts. It was said that Mikhail Bulgakov was offended by this critical attack and for some time did not shake hands with its author. However, the phrase instantly gained popularity among writers, and then went beyond the writing environment.

Meaning and examples of the use of the idiom

Hamburg account ... We have already figured out what this short phrase means. Its meaning is interpreted quite simply: the true alignment, the real state of affairs, a truthful assessment. Often this expression is used in various areas of life. For example, you watched a movie that, with outward brilliance, does not carry any artistic value Or you just didn't like it. Here it is possible to syronize: "By and large, the Hamburg account, that is, to be honest, this motion picture is not worth a penny." And it does not matter whether this opinion is strictly objective or based on one's own, individual vision. This expression has long lost its fundamental meaning and is used with a touch of light, gentle humor.

Doubt in competence and well-deserved approval

Phraseologism is applicable to assess professional or personal characteristics man: "He is, of course, a good guy, but judging by the Hamburg account, he cannot be trusted with a serious matter." Most often, uttering this phrase, they try to reveal some shortcomings of an animate or inanimate object, event, phenomenon. Less often, praise can sound here: “The work was done excellently, even according to the Hamburg bill.” The value invested in this verbal turnover serves as a kind of measure of the quality of the highest standard on the endless scale of universal human values.

Fixed exchange rate

Let's try to figure out whether this phrase existed outside of Shklovsky's work, does the writer own the palm in its creation? In the financial and credit sphere, there is such a thing as "banko", denoting the established rate at which the purchase and sale of securities is carried out. According to " encyclopedic dictionary Brockhaus and Efron", for the first time this term was introduced by the Hamburg Bank at the beginning of the 18th century. As you know, until the 19th century, Germany was an imperial union of many sovereign states, each of which had its own currency. Not only did gold thalers wear out with long use, they lost their original weight, but they were not always accepted for settlements in neighboring lands.

Only in the bank of Hamburg could one deposit the currency of any of the German states. One conditional coin (banko mark) had a denomination of 528 as of pure gold. From 1763, the Hamburg account was adopted financial institutions many countries of the world. Coins were minted in England, Denmark, Sweden, Prussia, accepted in Dutch, Italian, German and other banks. With the introduction of the metric system, such a settlement mechanism gradually began to lose its position, and in the territory of united Germany it was abolished in 1873.

The most accurate way to bank payments

Phraseologism "Hamburg account", according to historians, most likely originated in the accounting field and was known to a narrow circle of professionals. At a time when there was no sophisticated computer technology, and all mathematical calculations were made manually, the so-called Hamburg method was in use, which made it possible to obtain the most accurate results.

This method of bringing together bank balance sheets was considered laborious, therefore it was used only in special occasions. It must be assumed that in the 20s of the last century, when Shklovsky created the now famous note, the main tool of the financial worker was an abacus with wooden knuckles. Information about a special ultra-precise technique could be heard.

How legends are born

It is likely that Viktor Shklovsky could have known both about the existence of the Hamburg settlement system and about the universal currency of European banks. But, you see, the legend that tells about wrestling competitions looks much more romantic and attractive to readers than plunging into the wilds of financial office work. Apparently, Shklovsky was guided by these considerations when creating his note.

If the writer had not clothed this expression in an artistic shell, it would hardly have become known a wide range reading public and went out to the people. An indisputable fact: many proverbs and sayings that are considered folk are actually lines from author's works. Suffice it to recall the phrase "stay with nothing", which came out of Pushkin's fairy tale "About the Goldfish", or the wonderful expression "happy hours are not watched", presented to us by A. S. Griboyedov. Today, catchphrases enter our speech thanks to the extraordinary work of filmmakers, the skill of actors, the ingenuity of colloquial artists, the talent of songwriters, and even the not always coherent speeches of some politicians.

A term adopted in social psychology

Interestingly, the phrase "Hamburg account" is now a semi-official term used in social psychology to determine the true status of the individual in society. The real position of the individual, according to the findings of individual studies, often does not correspond to her formal position on the step of the social ladder assigned to her. To find out the actual status of a particular subject, experts resort to a method conventionally called the Hamburg account. This verbal expression is present in the professional slang of practicing psychologists and is even used in thematic reports and publications. Allowing myself to joke a little, let's say that Viktor Shklovsky not only enriched his native speech with a beautiful catchphrase, but also made a contribution to modern science.

Film by German filmmakers

Many times I have heard the statement that the phraseological unit “Hamburg account” exists only in Russian. But in 1999 came out Feature Film produced in Germany, in the title of which this verbal turnover appears. What does it mean? Did the director Sönke Wortmann, who filmed the story of the events of Friday night in one of the areas of the port city, know our idiom?

The issue is resolved quite simply. original name film - "Night in St. Pauli" (St. Pauli Nacht). And the film was renamed “Hamburg Account” for Russian distribution according to the plan of domestic translators, since the plot develops precisely in Hamburg. It certainly turned out well. In any case, capacious and recognizable. But, unfortunately, this film has nothing to do with the works of Viktor Shklovsky, the work of Russian writers and the legend of athletes.

"The Hamburg Account" is the title of a collection of literary-critical articles by Viktor Shklovsky, published in 1928. In a brief programmatic article that opens the collection, the author himself explains the meaning of the title of the book in the following way: " The Hamburg score is an extremely important concept. All wrestlers, when wrestling, cheat and lie down on the shoulder blades at the order of the entrepreneur. Once a year wrestlers gather in a Hamburg tavern. They fight behind closed doors and curtained windows. Long, ugly and hard. Here the true classes of fighters are established - so as not to cheat". According to A.P. Chudakov, a commentator on the modern edition of the book, the real basis of this plot was for Shklovsky the oral story of the circus wrestler Ivan Poddubny. However, it is much more likely that the authorship of the expression "Hamburg account" belongs to Shklovsky himself. Immediately became a catchphrase, especially fashionable in the literary environment, the expression " hamburg bill " serves as the equivalent of an impartial assessment of something without discounts and concessions, with the utmost exactingness. It is possible that no less popular phraseological unit " by and large", which has the same meaning, is nothing more than a transformation of Shklovsky's idea. For the first time in literature, the phrase "by and large" is found in the novel "Fulfillment of Desires" (1935), created by Veniamin Kaverin, a writer close to Shklovsky's circle. And Today, more and more often in our speech the expression " according to the Hamburg account"- a contamination of two phraseological units invented by writers.

Critic Irina Rodnyanskaya in the article "Hamburg hedgehog in the fog" ( New World. - 2001. - No. 3), dedicated to the problems of literary strategies today, remarks: “Shklovsky could be pleased - almost like Dostoevsky, who was proud of the enrichment of the Russian language with the verb “shrink”. so long ago even the most colorful Duma deputy publicly threatened to judge someone "according to the big Hamburg score". They laughed at the deputy. But in vain. it lies somewhere nearby, but it has not seemed to him alone for so long.

"Hamburg account"(it has become customary to understand) - this is a big aesthetic account in literature, art. Revealing the first-second-last places on the scale of the genuine, real. "Big" - because it opposes "small" accounts conducted by officialdom, groupings, parties in the interests of their situational "Great" - because it refers to the "great time", in whose epochal contours the fog will dissipate, burst bubble and everything will fall into place. The connoisseur, who attracts the "Hamburg account", acts as a guesser, an oracle, listening to the noise of great time, checking the signals from there with his aesthetic instrument.

What do you think is the meaning of the phraseological unit Hamburg account? This cannot be guessed even by understanding each word separately. Trying to “translate a phrase into Russian” relying on intuition will not work either. "By the Hamburg account" is about the same as "by and large". But this pair of phraseological units cannot be called equivalent.

In order to freely use the "Hamburg account" in speech and not make a mistake with the place by using this lexical unit, you should know exactly the history of the phrase's origin.

Who came up with phraseology?

The origin of the phraseologism is associated with the name of the literary critic Viktor Shklovsky. his pen belongs to the book, in the title of which for the first time the catchphrase sounded. On the first pages of the publication, the critic tells an intriguing parable about wrestlers. Legend has it that at the beginning of the 20th century, fights staged for the public were staged. It was decided in advance which of the participants would win and what techniques each wrestler should use in order to make the fight as spectacular as possible.

However, once a year in Hamburg all the most famous athletes gathered for real competitions behind closed doors. The meeting place was a tavern where no strangers were allowed to enter. Curtained windows prevent outsiders from seeing what was going on inside. The battles that took place in the tavern showed the real state of affairs and revealed the strongest.

How true this story is is unknown. Therefore, it is assumed that Shklovsky illustrated his understanding of the state of affairs not through historical true fact, but using a beautiful legend.

Significance in literature

Shklovsky uses the phrase to describe what is happening in literature. He writes that many authors publish and receive titles "for good reason", and not because they have talent. The critic suggests weeding out such crooks. The use of unbiased assessments without concessions is the "Hamburg account" in literature. In his book, Shklovsky discusses what place his contemporaries occupy in the arena of art.

The meaning of the concept in economics

The economic sphere allows you to use phraseological units in a slightly different meaning. Here the phrase has the meaning of an honest open relationship. Treaties signed "according to the Hamburg account" are documents proclaiming equal conditions. At the same time, the parties are equal not only on paper, but this is the real state of affairs.

Use of catchphrase in art and science

The concept is quite broad. For example, an excellent scientist may not have a title and not write a single significant work, not take part in official solemn events. But if the followers, having worked through his ideas, achieve significant results, then, “according to the Hamburg account”, the scientist did not live his life in vain and should be among the recognized scientists.

The expression is applicable not only to people. If the book has become very popular, sold in millions of editions, a film has been made on it ... But in reality piece of art does not carry a semantic load, is in no way capable of influencing the minds or history - then his "Hamburg score" is equal to zero. It is also possible to evaluate the work visual arts, musical masterpiece, architecture.

Context of use: where appropriate and where not

Phraseologism "according to the Hamburg account" is approximately equal in meaning to the phrases "in reality", "in reality". But there is one caveat - to use this phrase is appropriate only in a conversation about something global and significant. So, let's say in a conversation about the weather or about everyday problems it is better to use the above synonyms. The sentence “By the Hamburg score, the weather is fine this year” sounds ridiculous. But if we are talking about the fate of a person (“According to the Hamburg account, he is a good specialist”) - here this phraseological unit is quite appropriate.