О “глотателях” в русской зрелищной культуре

The article discusses the history of one particular field of entertainment in Russia: sword swallowers, fire eaters, “human fountains”, conjurors and illusionists, as they performed in the balagan, in theatres and circuses. The author considers these phenomena from a cultural-philosophical and anthropological perspective, as she connects them with aspects of corporeality, food and ritual, emphasizing the dimensions of religion, magic and the supernatural. In addition, the author adduces a number of Russian literary texts and memoirs in which these phenomena occur.