VAMBA’S NOVEL “THE PRINCE AND HIS ANTS” IN A LITERARY CONTEXT

This article deals with the novel “The Prince and his Ants” (1893) by Luigi Bertelli (1860–1920), who wrote under pseudonym of Vamba, was one founders classical Italian children’s literature, whose work is little known in Russia. The plot about adventures a lazy boy turned into an ant compared other books insects. pretexts are works Alfred Brehm, Jean Henri Fabre, Frances Hubert, Carlo Emery, popular science articles magazines, Adventures Cricket” (1877) Ernest Candez. Traditionally ants were portrayed either sympathetically or antipathically role social moral allegories (Bible, Virgil, Ovid, Aesop fabulists, Fransis Bacon, others). Vamba’s innovation that educational, instructive entertaining principles inseparable from each equal importance. Although there no direct evidence acquaintance Russian writers novel, comparison texts suggests this possible famous insects: Adventure Ant” (1935) Vitaly Bianki, Extraordinary Karik Valya” (1937) Jan Larri “Barankin, be (hu)man” (1962) Valery Medvedev. While differing their views on place man among animals, these typologically close to creative principles.