Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov-Lenin was born on April 22, 1870. We are, of course, talking about Lenin the Man. Lenin as the idea and symbol of the revolution is still alive today, and this image obscures the real Lenin for us.
Chess and towns
Lenin played chess well. In the 1880s, he even conducted a correspondence game with the famous Samara chess player A. N. Kardin. After the revolution, Vladimir Ilyich spoke of chess as too tiring and preferred to play in small towns and walks in his free time.
Cats
Lenin was not indifferent to cats, he could leave the meeting and pick up a new pet on the way. One American journalist, interviewing Nadezhda Krupskaya, first asked: "Where are the thirteen cats of Mr. Lenin?"
Promotional video:
Hunting
Ilyich had his own huntsman - Mikhail Pleshakov. Together they hunted black grouse, great snipe and snipe. On the first joint hunt, Pleshakov, not knowing that Lenin was in front of him, scolded the newcomer for his sluggishness. Then, of course, he patiently explained all the subtleties of the case.
Children
Many people remember that Lenin willingly played with the children of his friends and acquaintances. He could portray a robber or a terrible beast, chase children around the house with a "growl", play hide and seek with them. Especially known is his friendship with Shklovsky's youngest daughter, for whom he often made a postscript in his letters: "Hello everyone, starting from Luda."
The most important of all arts
Lenin did not like to act in newsreels. Under any pretext, he tried to dissuade him from filming, postponed dates, appointed another meeting place, where, as a result, the operators were refused admission. His phrase, addressed to the “tenants”, has survived: “What, have you come to film me again? I'm not giving it.
Coffee and newspaper
According to recollections, Lenin ate little in the circle of his comrades, he could order beer, but he drank no more than one glass. The newspaper was an invariable attribute at the dinner table. When there was a serious discussion, debate or a game of chess, Ilyich ordered a cup of black coffee for himself.
Loneliness
In the early 1900s, while living abroad, Vladimir Ilyich asked fellow party members to protect him from too frequent visits. In London, he lived in solitude with Krupskaya.
Lenin said that he was unable to live in a commune and did not like to be in public all the time.