Republic of Shkid

The adventure story "Republic of Shkid" about the life of homeless children in the Doste­evsky commune school (Shkid) was first published in 1927. Its authors, Grigory Belykh and Alexey Yeremeyev (who wrote under the pseudonym A. Panteleev), were well-acquainted with this theme. They themselves were homeless children in their childhood, so the story they wrote has a partly autobiographical character. The authors' fates turned out differently. Both became journalists, but Belykh died of tuberculosis in 1938, while Yeremeyev lived a long life, managing to write many stories and fairy tales for children. He often returned to the "Shkid" theme in his work. It would seem that the problem of homelessness, so relevant in the early years after the revolution, has long gone into the past; however, the reader's interest in "Republic of Shkid" remains undiminished. The secret of the story's success lies in the fact that it tells not only about a difficult childhood but also about human relationships, the problems of socialization, and the formation in the soul of a small person of such harsh concepts as "conscience," "responsibility," and "duty," about the behavior of a child who finds himself in a difficult life situation, and about his search for his place in the adult world. These themes are eternal; they do not lose their relevance even today. It is also important that the story is written cheerfully, with humor, and contains many mischievous adventures. It is no coincidence that "Republic of Shkid" has been republished and translated multiple times.