Children's writer, TV presenter, author of fascinating scripts. All this is about Gregory Oster. At school, he sought to write poetry for adults. But he quickly realized that the most grateful reading audience was the children. That is why Oster devoted his many years of creative career to children and girls, having earned their love and gratitude.
From the biography of Grigory Bentsionovich Oster
The future writer was born on November 27, 1947 in Odessa. Then the family moved to Yalta. The boy’s mother worked as a librarian - it was she who instilled in him a love of books and reading. In high school, Gregory became interested in poetry and even wrote poetry.
After graduating from school, Oster went to serve in the army. The service took place in the Northern Fleet. Having retired, Gregory entered the correspondence department of the drama department of the Literary Institute. Oster combined his studies with work. He worked as a night watchman.
Grigory Oster: the path to literature
Oster began his career with a collection of poems that were written by him at the age of 16 years. The works were intended for an adult audience and had the status of solid lyrics. Oster’s book of poems was published in 1974, when he still served in the army. However, the editors conscientiously worked on the collection and removed many poems from it. Such editing very upset the budding poet.
When the years of study at the university came to an end, Grigory Bentsionovich firmly decided for himself that he would not compose for an adult audience. He was oppressed by the need to weave communist propaganda into novels, novels and poems. Yes, and to get to the heights among writers "for adults" in those years was more difficult.
The writer later admitted that he turned to children's literature only for reasons of survival. But then he got involved. He liked such creativity.
Fame came to Oster when the world saw a collection for children entitled "How to give presents." In this book, the reader first met four funny characters: Boa constrictor, Parrot, Baby Elephant and Monkey. Subsequently, these heroes migrated to television screens: they could be seen in the animated films “38 Parrots” and “Grandma Boa”.
At the same time, Grigory Bentsionovich received recognition in the field of dramaturgy: in 1976, the play “The Man with the Tail” was held in the country's puppet theaters. A couple of years later, a kitten named Woof was born from Oster’s light hand. The tale was subsequently filmed.
Author of Bad Tips
However, the name of Gregory Oster is primarily associated with the public with "Bad Advice." They began only as a scattering of small poems that were being prepared for publication in magazines.
Oster's first bad advice was published in 1983. The idea really liked the little readers. But parents did not immediately understand the salt of the advice "on the contrary." It took time for adults to figure out what was the highlight. After some time, "Bad advice" became a separate literary genre. The author found many imitators and followers.
One of his best works, Grigory Oster, considers “A Tale with Details”. However, the potential publishers of this unusual novel obviously had a different opinion: the editors did not line up for this work.
An integral part of Oster's work was work in cinematography and animation. Since the beginning of the 80s, Grigory Bentsionovich began to create scripts for children's films. His first works on this literary bridgehead were “How the Gosling Was Lost”, as well as “Boy and Girl”. When creating animated films, Oster collaborated with many famous directors. Among them:
- Leo Atamanov;
- Vyacheslav Kotenochkin;
- Maya Miroshkina;
- Vladimir Baker.
Some of Oster’s short stories were the basis of the performances. For example, the School of the Modern Play organized a production based on Harmful Tips. More than once Oster had to compose scenarios for "Jumble".
The writer received his first significant award in 1996. It was the prize of the audience’s sympathy contest “Golden Key”. A few years later, Oster won the State Prize of the country in the field of literature and art. Then there was a literary prize named after Chukovsky. In 2007, Gregory Oster was awarded a high rank - he became an Honored Artist of Russia.
Grigory Bentsionovich is a member of the team that is developing a special state website for the younger generation. It is assumed that this resource in a simple and accessible form will tell students about how the authorities work. Oster does this work voluntarily and free of charge.
For two years, Grigory Oster, along with singer Glukoza, conducted a television program, "Children's Pranks." The main prize in this game project was the amount of money.
Oster wrote a series of humorous textbooks in mathematics and physics, calling them "beloved aids." The goal of this literary project is not only to teach children accountability and problem-solving skills, but also to develop their imagination and sense of humor. Here are some of the sciences that a cheerful writer came up with for children:
- “Nothing”;
- "Criteria";
- "Candy eating."
Heroes of Oster's works are able to parody the behavior of children. They very faithfully reflect the home environment and atmosphere of the school. Critics and readers find that the books of Gregory Oster are full of verbal finds, full of puzzles and interesting facts about the world. The writer's works are not so much taught as entertained, developed, taught to think, introduced children to creativity.
The language of the writer is rich in content. The abundance of invented words and entertaining characters do not let children get bored. Moreover, in his tales and poems, Oster always addresses important topics. He talks about a culture of behavior, about security, about relationships between people.
Oster believes that with a small reader you always need to be honest. An adult can be deceived, with a child this trick will not work. Children are very sensitive to falsehood. A talented children's writer knows this better than many other adults.
