Benya Krik (russian: Беня Крик) is a fictional character from '' The Odesa Tales'', a collection of short stories by

Isaac Babel Isaac Emmanuilovich Babel (russian: Исаак Эммануилович Бабель, p=ˈbabʲɪlʲ; – 27 January 1940) was a Russian writer, journalist, playwright, and literary translator. He is best known as the author of ''Red Cavalry'' ...

, the derived works and "

fan fiction Fan fiction or fanfiction (also abbreviated to fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF) is fictional writing written in an amateur capacity by fans, unauthorized by, but based on an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settin ...

". These stories primarily deal with the

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

underworld of

Moldavanka Moldavanka is a historical part of Odesa in the Odesa Oblast (province) of southern Ukraine, located jointly in Malynovskyi and Prymorskyi city districts. Before 1820 it was a settlement just outside Odesa, which later engulfed it. Until the 20t ...

, a

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...

Odesa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative ...

, and the mob leader, Benya Krik, known as the King, a romanticized " gallant thug". His character was loosely based on the real gangster,

Mishka Yaponchik Mishka Yaponchik (born Moisei Wolfovich Vinnitsky; 30 October 1891 – 29 July 1919) was an Odesa gangster, Jewish revolutionary, and a Soviet military leader. Early years Moisey Volfovich Vinnitsky was born into the family of a Jewish wa ...

. These stories were the base of the 1927 silent film ''

Benya Krik Benya Krik (russian: Беня Крик) is a fictional character from '' The Odesa Tales'', a collection of short stories by Isaac Babel, the derived works and "fan fiction". These stories primarily deal with the Jewish underworld of Moldavanka, ...

''. The screenplay was published in 1926 in a book form titled ''Беня Крик (кино-повесть)'' ("Benya Krik (Cinema-Novel)"). In 1926-1928 Babel wrote a play ''

Sunset Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spring ...

'' loosely based on the story with the same name from ''The Odesa Tales''. In 1990 a film ' was shot based on the same story.Закат
''Encyclopedia of National Cinema'' The focus of the three works is not Benya himself, but his family. A film

The Art of Living in Odesa ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

was released in 1989, directed by

Georgi Yungvald-Khilkevich Georgi Emilyevich Yungvald-Khilkevich (russian: Георгий Эмильевич Юнгвальд-Хилькевич; 22 October 1934 – 11 November 2015) was a Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, theatre direc ...

and based on ''The Odesa Tales''. A

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

titled ''

The Drayman and the King ''The Drayman and the King'' (russian: Биндюжник и Король) is a 1989 Soviet comedy film directed by Vladimir Alenikov. Plot The film takes place in the legendary Moldavanka. The film tells the story of the attractive bandit Beny ...

'' was directed by , based on ''The Odesa Tales'' and the play ''Sunset''. It was shot in 1989 and premiered in 1990. ('Drayman' refers to Mendel Krik, the father of Benya Krik).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krik, Benya Fictional Russian Jews Odesa in fiction Fictional gangsters Isaac Babel ru:Беня Крик

See also

References