Two plus two equals five, and other secrets of famous books

Their secrets have even known works of literature.
We believe that virtually every good book there is a mystery, "double bottom" or secret history, which wants to reveal. Today, we share a few of them.

1. The first translation of "Hamlet" in Russian writer Alexander Sumarokov completed and titled it "Omelette, Prince of Denmark».

2. If you think that reading a detective - a useless occupation, history of the novel by Agatha Christie "Villa" White horse "" will prove you otherwise. The above description of the action in the story a dangerous poison thallium repeatedly saved lives. In 1977, in a hospital in London received a girl stricken with a mysterious illness. One nurse, read a book, I realized that this is a typical case of thallium poisoning. The girl was rescued.





3 The name of the novel "Fahrenheit 451" was chosen because supposedly at this temperature paper ignites. In fact, paper ignites spontaneously at temperatures slightly above 450 degrees Celsius. As acknowledged by Bradbury, the error was caused by the fact that in choosing the name he consulted with a specialist from the Fire Department, which has confused and temperature scales.

4, the famous formula of "two plus two equals five," for which George Orwell repeatedly emphasized in the novel-dystopia "1984", came to him when he heard the Soviet slogan "Five-Year Plan - four years!».

5 In 1965, "The Hobbit" Dzh.R.Tolkina first published in the US in paperback. Cover illustrator Barbara Remington did not read the text. The result appeared on the cover of the book The Lion, the two emus and strange trees with bulbous pink fruit.

6, Leo Tolstoy was skeptical about his novel "War and Peace". In January 1871, he sent a letter to Athanasius Fet: "How happy I am ... what to write rubbish verbose like" War "I'll never be more».

7 In the XIX century the actress refused to play in Sofia "Woe from Wit" with the words: "I am a decent woman and in such scenes do not play!" They thought of the scene the night conversation with Molchalin that has not been the husband of the heroine.

8, the name of the fictional island of Duma Key, from the words of the author, correctly pronounced "Duma Key". When translating the novel into Russian publisher was afraid of association with the State Duma and used distorted name ("Dyuma Ki»).

9, his first book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by JK Rowling finished in 1995. Literary agent, who agreed to represent her, and sent the manuscript to 12 publishers, but everywhere it was rejected. Only a year later the manuscript was accepted small London publishing house Bloomsbury, although its editor in chief, even after the approval of the book was sure that Rowling does not earn much on children's books, and advised her to find a permanent job.

10, Victor Hugo in 1862, while on vacation, wanted to know about the reaction of readers to the newly published novel "Les Miserables" and sent a telegram to his publisher of one symbol: "?". He sent back a telegram also from one sign "!". It was probably the shortest correspondence in history.

11 In the famous song from the novel of Stevenson's "Treasure Island" is sung: "Dead Man's Chest. Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum! "It is logical to assume that the" Yo Ho Ho "- is the laughter of pirates, but it's not. Such an exclamation used by English sailors when they had to make efforts together simultaneously in any work - in Russian corresponds phrase "One, two, took!»

12, watching the birds in Jamaica, Ian Fleming met with book ornithologist named James Bond. This name seemed very appropriate for the future hero of the novel "Casino" Royal "" Short, unromantic and maximum ordinary. This fact is captured in the film "Die Another Day", when James Bond penetrates under the guise of an ornithologist in Cuba, having your book this James Bond.

13, Mark Twain claimed that his book "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" was the first literary work, the manuscript of which was printed on a typewriter. However, researchers argue that the first such book became his "Life on the Mississippi».

14, "Eugene Onegin" can meet the line: "He's in the room in a rustic old-timer // // Where forty years housekeeper Bran // In the window watching the flies and crushed." The word "fly" is used here not in the literal sense, but as a metaphor of the green serpent. Known also another metaphor screwy man - "under the weather", where the word "fly" is used in the same sense.

15, "Tales of 1000 and 1 nights" Aladdin was originally Chinese.

16, Krylov's fable "Ant and the Grasshopper" is the line: "The Grasshopper red dragonfly summer sang." However, it is known that a dragonfly makes no noise. The fact is that while the word "Dragonfly" served generalized name for several insect species. A hero of the fable is actually a grasshopper.

17 In the story of Poe's "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" is an episode in 1838 when a ship enters into a storm and rescued four sailors on a raft. Lacking food, they decide to eat one of them by lot - and this victim was Richard Parker. In 1884, the yacht sank real, and just survived four people on one boat. They are unlikely to have read the story, but eventually ate the cabin boy, whose name was Richard Parker.

18, the granddaughter of the writer Valentin Kataeva told how her friend at school were asked to write an essay about what exactly Kataev invested in the image of Vani story "Son of the Regiment." Girlfriend came to visit Kataev and asked about it the writer took his words as a basis for their work. As a result, for the essay she received D- with the comment that Kataev thought about something else.

19, Jane Austen began work on the novel "Pride and Prejudice", when she was barely 21 years old. Publishers rejected the manuscript, and she lay under wraps for more than 15 years. Only after the success of the novel "Sense and Sensibility", released in 1811, Jane Austen was able to finally publish and their first child.

20. The best-selling book in the UK of all time - "50 shades of gray»
taken here
PS: know the facts of 3, 6, 10, 15, 16, 17,

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