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''Living Hat'' by Nikolai Nosov: text options. Nikolay Nosov

I know of three versions of the text. They differ from each other in the beginning and end of the story.

Here is the beginning of the story in the 1969 edition of the book:

And Volodya and Vadik were sitting in the room. They were coloring the pictures and didn’t see how Vaska got under the hat. They only heard something plop behind them and fall to the floor."

And here is the beginning of the book, published in 1976:
“The hat was lying on the chest of drawers, the kitten Vaska was sitting on the floor near the chest of drawers, and Vovka and Vadik were sitting at the table and coloring pictures. Suddenly something flopped behind them and fell to the floor. They turned around and saw a hat on the floor near the chest of drawers.”
Please note that instead of Volodya there is Vovka.

And the beginning in the book of the 1984 edition:
"The kitten Vaska was sitting on the floor near the chest of drawers and caught flies. And on the chest of drawers, on the very edge, lay a hat. And then Vaska saw that one fly had landed on the hat. He jumped up and grabbed the hat with his claws. The hat slipped off the chest of drawers, Vaska fell and flew to the floor! And the hat - boom! - and covered him from above.
And Volodya and Vadik were sitting in the room. They were coloring the pictures and didn’t see how Vaska got under the hat. They just heard something fall behind them."

Now let's compare the finals. 1969 book:
“They returned to the kitchen, picked up potatoes from the basket and began throwing them at the hat. They threw them, they threw them, and finally Vladik hit him. The hat jumped up!
- Meow! - something shouted.
Lo and behold, a gray tail stuck out from under the hat, then a paw, and then the kitten itself jumped out.
- Vaska! - the guys were happy.

1976:
“They returned to the kitchen, picked up potatoes from the basket and began throwing them at the hat. They threw them, they threw them, and finally Vadik hit him. The hat jumped up!
- Meow! - something shouted. Lo and behold, a gray tail stuck out from under the hat, then a paw, and then the kitten itself jumped out."
In addition, instead of a poker, a hockey stick appears in the text.

1984:
“They picked up potatoes from a basket and began throwing them at the hat. Suddenly Vladik hit him. The hat jumped up and screamed:
- Meow!
Lo and behold, a gray tail poked out from under the hat.
- Vaska! - the guys shouted.
“He was probably sitting on the floor, and his hat fell on him from the chest of drawers,” Volodya guessed.
Vadik grabbed Vaska and let’s hug him:
- Vaska, my dear, how did you get under the hat?
But Vaska did not answer anything. He just snorted and squinted from the light."

The text of the Melik-Pashayeva edition coincides with the text of the 1984 edition.

The text of the “Swallowtail” edition coincides with the text of the 1976 edition, with the exception that in the 1976 edition there is a hockey stick, and in the 2013 edition there is a poker, which is familiar under the other two versions of the text.

The text of the 1969 edition is the most voluminous.

Who changed the text and why has not been clarified. It is quite possible that there are other variants of the texts; I have not conducted a global investigation. The years 1969, 1976, 1984 are not the only ones. 1967 coincides with 1969, 1984 coincides with 1987... Rather, we are talking about the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

P.S. Nikolai Nosov died in 1976.

The kitten Vaska was sitting on the floor near the chest of drawers and catching flies. And on the chest of drawers, on the very edge, lay a hat. And then Vaska saw that one fly had landed on his hat. He jumped up and grabbed his hat with his claws. The hat slipped off the chest of drawers, Vaska fell off and fell to the floor! And the hat - boom! - and covered it from above.

And Volodya and Vadik were sitting in the room. They were coloring the pictures and didn’t see how Vaska got under the hat. They only heard something plop behind them and fall to the floor.

Volodya turned around and saw a hat on the floor near the chest of drawers. He came up, bent down, wanted to pick up his hat, and suddenly shouted:

Ah ah ah! - and run to the side.

What are you? - asks Vadik. - She's alive, alive!

Who's alive?

Hats-hat-hat.

What you! Are there real hats?

See for yourself.

Vadik came closer and began to look at the hat.

Suddenly the hat crawled straight towards him. He will shout:

Ai! - and jumped onto the sofa. Volodya follows him.

The hat climbed out into the middle of the room and stopped. The guys look at her and shake with fear. Then the hat turned and crawled towards the sofa.

Ai! Oh! - the guys shouted. They jumped off the sofa and ran out of the room. They ran into the kitchen and closed the door behind them.

I'm hoo-ho-walking! - says Volodya.

I'll go to my home.

I'm bo-bo-afraid of hats. This is the first time I have seen a hat walking around the room.

Or maybe someone is pulling her string?

Well, go take a look.

Let's go together. I'll take the poker. If she comes at us, I'll crack her with a poker.

Wait, I'll take the poker too.

Yes, we don’t have any other poker.

Well, I'll take a ski pole.

They took a poker and a ski pole, opened the door and looked into the room.

Where is she? - asks Vadik.

Over there, near the table.

Now I’ll crack it with a poker! - says Vadik. - Just let him crawl closer.

But the hat lay near the table and did not move.

Yeah, I was scared! - the guys were delighted. - He’s afraid to come near us.

“Now I’ll scare her away,” said Vadik.

He began banging on the floor with a poker and shouting:

Hey you, hat!

But the hat didn't move.

“Let’s pick up some potatoes and shoot them with potatoes,” Volodya suggested.

They returned to the kitchen, picked up potatoes from the basket and began throwing them into the hat. They tossed and tossed, and finally Vadik hit him. The hat will jump up!

Meow! - something shouted.

Lo and behold, a gray tail stuck out from under the hat, then a paw, and then the kitten itself jumped out.

Vaska! - the guys were happy.

He was probably sitting on the floor, and his hat fell on him from the chest of drawers,” Volodya guessed.

Vadik grabbed Vaska and let’s hug him:

Vaska, my dear, how did you get under the hat?

But Vaska didn’t answer. He just snorted and squinted from the light.

Fairy tale by Valentin Kataev - Flower - seven flowers.

The hat was lying on the chest of drawers, the kitten Vaska was sitting on the floor near the chest of drawers, and Vovka and Vadik were sitting at the table and coloring pictures. Suddenly something plopped behind them and fell to the floor. They turned around and saw a hat on the floor near the chest of drawers.

Vovka walked up to the chest of drawers, bent down, wanted to pick up his hat, and suddenly he shouted:

─ Ay-ay-ay! - and run to the side.

─What are you doing? ─ asks Vadik.

─ She's alive, alive!

─Who is alive?

─ Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa.

─ What are you doing! Are there real hats?

─ Look for yourself!

Vadik came closer and began to look at the hat. Suddenly the hat crawled straight towards him. He will shout:

─ Ay! ─ and jumped onto the sofa. Vovka is behind him.

The hat climbed out into the middle of the room and stopped. The guys look at her and shake with fear. Then the hat turned and crawled towards the sofa.

─ Ay! Oh! ─ the guys shouted.

They jumped off the sofa and ran out of the room. They ran into the kitchen and closed the door behind them.

─ I'm hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! ─ says Vovka.

─ I’ll go to my home.

─ Why?

─ I'm afraid of hats! This is the first time I have seen a hat walking around the room.

─ Or maybe someone is pulling her string?

─ Well, go take a look.

─ Let's go together. I'll take the putter. If she comes at us, I'll hit her with my stick.

─ Wait, I’ll take the hockey stick too.

─ Yes, we don’t have any other stick.

─ Well, I'll take a ski pole.

They took a hockey stick and a ski pole, opened the door and looked into the room.

─Where is she? ─ asks Vadik.

─ Over there, near the table.

─ Now I’m going to hit her with a stick! ─ says Vadik. ─ Just let him get closer, such a tramp!

But the hat lay near the table and did not move.

─ Yeah, I was scared! ─ the guys were happy. ─ He’s afraid to come near us.

“Now I’ll scare her away,” said Vadik.

He started hitting the floor with his hockey stick and shouting:

─ Hey, hat!

But the hat didn't move.

“Let’s pick up some potatoes and shoot them with potatoes,” Vovka suggested.

They returned to the kitchen, picked up potatoes from the basket and began throwing them at the hat.” They threw and threw, and finally Vadik hit. The hat will jump up!

─ Meow! ─ something screamed. Lo and behold, a gray tail poked out from under the hat, then a paw, and then the kitten itself jumped out.

─ Vaska! ─ the guys were happy.

“He was probably sitting on the floor, and his hat fell on him from the chest of drawers,” Vovka guessed.

Vadik grabbed Vaska and let's hug him!

─ Vaska, dear, how did you get under the hat?

But Vaska didn’t answer anything, he just snorted and squinted from the light.

One day a glazier was sealing the frames for the winter, and Kostya and Shurik stood nearby and watched. When the glazier left, they picked up the putty from the windows and began to sculpt animals from it. Only they didn’t get the animals. Read...

Mishka and I had a wonderful life at the dacha! This is where the freedom was! Do what you want, go wherever you want. You can go to the forest to pick mushrooms or pick berries, or swim in the river, but if you don’t want to swim, just go fishing and no one will say a word to you.

Living hat

And Volodya and Vadik were sitting in the room. They were coloring the pictures and didn’t see how Vaska got under the hat. They only heard something fall behind them.