Who goes to battle every day. “Only he is worthy of life and freedom who goes to battle for them every day” German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Faust”, 19th century Unified State Exam social studies

About the early stories of A. Ch.

(from full meeting works in 30 volumes)

The first collection of Chekhov's stories was prepared for publication in mid-1882. It included the stories: “Wives of Artists”, “Daddy”, “Peter’s Day”, “You chase two hares, but you won’t catch either”, “Confession, or Olya, Zhenya, Zoya”, “Sinner from Toledo”, “Temperaments ", "Flying Islands", "Before the Wedding", "Letter to a Learned Neighbor", "In the Car", "A Thousand and One Passions, or the Terrible Night".
This collection was not published. Two incomplete copies of it have survived - without covers, title pages, last pages and table of contents (Moscow House-Museum of A.P. Chekhov - 112 and 96 pages). One copy is marked: “Author's edition 188-”; in the other there is an instruction from I.P. Chekhov: “The surviving pages of the first collection of stories by A.P., which was not published. (Early 80s, before “Tales of Melpomene”). I. Chekhov. March 31, 1913"; "Drawings of the late brother Nikolai."
M.P. Chekhov wrote about this book very carefully: “It was already printed, bound, and only the cover was missing... I don’t know why exactly it was not published and in general what its future fate was” (Around Chekhov, p. 137).
A.P. Chekhov himself did not leave any information about his first collection.
By tradition, this book was associated with a rough sketch of the cover, preserved by M. M. Dyukovsky (transferred to the Moscow A. P. Chekhov Museum in 1965): “At leisure. Antoshi Chekhonte. Rice. N.P. Chekhov."
The collection was still dated to 1883 on the grounds that the chronologically later parody “Flying Islands” in it was published in the magazine “Alarm Clock” in May 1883.
During the preparation of the volume, the files of the Moscow censorship stored in the Central State were examined. archive of Moscow. Among the papers of 1882, documents were discovered that explained the fate of Chekhov's first book.
On June 19, 1882, the Moscow printing house of N. Cody, which published, in particular, the magazine “Spectator,” appealed to the censorship committee with a request to issue it “a ticket to present in the proof sheets a book entitled “Sloppy and Complacent. Almanac by Antoshi Chekhonte with drawings by Chekhov,” which will contain 7 printed sheets"(f. 31, op. 3, storage unit 2251, l. 95). The censorship committee met on the same day, but the request was refused “due to the lack of a law to resolve this petition” (ibid., item 2173, l. 125 vol.). On June 30, 1882, the printing house again appealed to the censorship committee, asking “to issue it a ticket to present in the proof sheets the book “Prank” by A. Chekhonte, with drawings by N. P. Chekhov, a book that includes articles that have already been published at different times in censored publications." “Articles,” said this petition, written in the hand of Chekhov himself, “that have not yet been published will be delivered in manuscript. The book will consist of 5–7 printed sheets” (ibid., item 2251, l. 155). This time the request was granted, and the printing house received a “ticket” - the right to present the book to the censor. The censor was the actual state councilor V. Ya. Fedorov, very influential official, soon appointed chairman of the Moscow Censorship Committee.
The discovered materials made it possible to establish the date of the collection - 1882 (the parody "Flying Islands" therefore also dates to 1882), its title - "Prank" - and the full volume (7 printed sheets).
Further fate Chekhov's first book was not reflected in the surviving documents of the censorship archive. But, starting negotiations with N.A. Leikin about “Motley Stories,” Chekhov wrote: “There are publishers and printers in Moscow, but the censorship of the book will not allow the book in Moscow, because all my selected stories, according to Moscow concepts, undermine the foundations” (1 April 1885).
Since the publication of “Tales of Melpomene” did not encounter censorship obstacles, Chekhov’s remark can only be attributed to his first collection.
From the collection “Tales of Melpomene. Six stories by A. Chekhonte”, M., 1884, this volume includes: “He and She”, “Baron”, “Revenge”, “Two Scandals”, “Wives of Artists” (story 1883 “The Tragedian” see . in volume II).
The appearance of "Tales of Melpomene" - the first book by Chekhov to see the light - caused a number of responses in the press. In particular, P. A. Sergeenko wrote: “... the stories of A. Chekhonte were torn alive from the artistic world. They are all small, read easily, freely and with an involuntary smile. Written with Dickensian humor... There is humor everywhere, humor without effort, and Chekhonte handles it very carefully, as it should. Otherwise for Lately It’s terrible how everyone has fallen into humor... we only laugh when the boss makes a joke and we can’t help but giggle, or when we skin our neighbor. We don’t have a trace of a healthy, cheerful, good laugh” (Iago. Flying Notes. - Novorossiysk Telegraph, 1884, No. 2931, December 1).
The weekly newspaper “Theatrical World” (published under the editorship of A. A. Pleshcheev) included a bibliographic note about the collection: “All six stories are written in a lively, lively language and are read with interest. The author has undeniable humor” (“Theatrical World”, 1884, No. 25).
A. D. Kurepin, who signed his name with the initial K, began his “Moscow feuilleton” in “New Time” with a review of the collection. “It was in vain that Antosha Chekhonte became carried away by the whisperings of Melpomene. It would be better for him to turn to life itself and draw from it a handful of materials for all kinds of stories, both funny and sad” (“New Time”, 1884, No. 3022, July 28).
The Observer magazine (1885, no. 4, pp. 68–68) also published a sympathetic review. Here it was said about “Tales of Melpomene”: “The author of these stories gave them an inappropriate name: they are all taken from the world of theater, but have nothing to do with the muse of tragedy; they could rather have been conveyed by the muse of comedy, the cheerful Thalia, since the comic or humorous element predominates in them. These stories are well written and easy to read; their content and the types derived in them are close to real life.”
In 1883, it was published in Moscow humorous collection“Crow. Cheerful and funny stories, stories and poems" - ed. The King of Clubs (L.I. Palmina), where two Chekhov stories were reprinted from the magazines “Alarm Clock” and “Moscow”, without the participation of the author: “Life in Questions and Exclamations” and “Forgot!!”
In 1900, the editors of the St. Petersburg magazine “Dragonfly” published as “ main prize magazine" collection "In the world of laughter and jokes", which included some stories, poems, humoresques, caricatures that were published on the pages of "Dragonfly". These include the following stories and humoresques by Chekhov dating back to 1880: “American Style”, “Daddy”, “Before the Wedding”, “For the Apples”, “What is most often found in novels, stories, etc.? " As a comparison of the texts shows, this was a simple reprint (the story “Daddy,” corrected by Chekhov in 1882, was reproduced here from the magazine text of 1880). Thus, the collections “Kukareku” and “In the World of Laughter and Jokes” cannot be considered sources of the text.
Stories and humoresques from his early years, not published during Chekhov’s lifetime and preserved in manuscripts, are collected in the section “Unpublished. Unfinished." Here, in particular, the humoresque “Advertising and Announcements” was placed in its entirety for the first time. It was also found out that the parody “novel” “The Secrets of One Hundred and Forty-Four Catastrophes, or Russian Rocambole,” dated 1884 in previous editions, actually dates back to 1882.

All the stories and humoresques collected in the first volume appeared in magazines and newspapers of 1880–1882 under pseudonyms or without a signature. The first reliably known signature of Chekhov in print - “... in” - was under the “Letter to a learned neighbor.” Then widely used famous pseudonym“Antosha Chekhonte” and its variants: Antosha, Chekhonte, An. Ch., Antosha Ch., Antosha Ch***, A. Chekhonte, Don Antonio Chekhonte. Some of the texts were signed: Man without a spleen, Prose poet, G. Baldastov.
While preparing the first collection of his works for the publishing house of A. F. Marx, Chekhov was unable to find everything that he had published over twenty years literary work, - their “children scattered all over the world.” A number of stories and humoresques, published under undisclosed pseudonyms or anonymously, were lost on the pages of magazines and newspapers in the late 70s and early 80s and have not been collected to this day.
In preparing this volume, the following editions from 1877–1883 ​​were examined.
Magazines: “Dragonfly”, “Alarm Clock”, “Shards”, “Illustrated Demon”, “Spectator”, “Light and Shadows”, “Worldly Talk”, “Moscow”, “Entertainment”, “Russian satirical leaflet”, “Bell” ", "Painter", "Jester", "Phalanx" (Tiflis), "Gusli" (Tiflis), "Mayak" (Odessa), "Bee" (Odessa), "Kind Man", "Echo", "Rebus", “Nuvellist”, “Niva”, “Neva”, “Illustrated World”, “Ogonyok”, “Nature and Hunting”, “Russia”, “Krugozor”, “Children’s Holidays”, “Spring”.
Newspapers: “Moscow leaflet”, “Minute”, “Petersburg leaflet”, “Newspaper of A. Gatsuk”, “Prompter”, “Theater”, “Azovsky vestnik”, “Azov rumors”, “Taganrog bulletin”, “Russian courier” , “Moscow Week”, “Russia”, “Russian Newspaper”, “Don Bee”, “Southern Region”, “Beehive”, “Order”, “Light”, “Light”, “Echoes”, “Glasnost”, “ Dawn".
Almanacs and collections: “Forget-me-not”, M., 1878; "Strelok", M., 1878; "Komar", M., 1878; "Yula", M., 1878; “The Cheerful Pun Player”, M., 1879; “Living Strings”, St. Petersburg, 1879; “The Fun Man”, St. Petersburg, 1879; “Our laughers” (“Amusing Library”), St. Petersburg, 1879; "Rainbow", M., 1879; “Repertoire of fun, fun and laughter”, M., 1879; “Cricket”, Odessa, 1879; Almanacs of the Alarm Clock for 1879–1882; “Cricket”, M., 1880; "Crow in peacock feathers", M., 1880; “Skomorokh”, M., 1880; “Laughter, or Pea Jesters”, St. Petersburg, 1880; “The Pea Jester”, Odessa, 1881; "Humorist", M., 1881; “The Cheerful Fellow Traveler”, St. Petersburg, 1881; “Bouquet”, St. Petersburg, 1881; “Miracles of the Moscow Exhibition”, St. Petersburg, 1882; “Hey, she, I’ll die of laughter,” St. Petersburg, 1882; “Art almanac of the magazine “Light and Shadows””, M., 1882; “Wreckage”, St. Petersburg, 1882; “The stimulant of the pleasures of life, fun, love and happiness,” M., 1883; “Kukareku”, M., 1883; “Living String”, St. Petersburg, 1883; “Fly”, St. Petersburg, 1883; “Veselchak”, St. Petersburg, 1883; “Zabubennye little heads”, St. Petersburg, 1883; “Mother’s Sons”, St. Petersburg, 1883; “Copper foreheads”, St. Petersburg, 1883; “Flashlight”, St. Petersburg, 1883; “Zuboskal”, St. Petersburg, 1883; “Moth”, Kyiv, 1883.
During the examination, the following were checked: evidence of Chekhov’s first appearance in print; assumptions about Chekhov's authorship in controversial texts; publications attributed to Chekhov. It was possible to discover stories, humoresques and poems that probably belonged to Chekhov (placed in the “Dubia” section of volume XVIII). Volume XVIII also includes 12 lines from No. 30 of the Dragonfly magazine for 1880 (“Mosquitoes and Flies”), presumably isolated from the entire 35-line publication.
A. Pazukhin remembered Chekhov’s participation in the anthology “The Illustrated Demon” (see A. Izmailov. Chekhov. M., 1916, pp. 84–85). In the only issue that saw the light of day (M., 1880; a copy is kept in the State public library them. M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, Leningrad) engraved drawings by N. P. Chekhov were reproduced; the accompanying text is not signed. According to documents from the archive of the Moscow Censorship Committee, the author of the poems and feuilletons of “The Illustrated Demon” was identified as Alexandra Urvanovna Sokolova, who worked in the small press under the pseudonym “Blue Domino” (petition of A. U. Sokolova dated May 13, 1881, TsGAM, f. 31, op. 3, item 2250, sheet 41).
Central State the archive of literature and art (Moscow) acquired proofs preserved in the papers of the book publishing house of A. F. Marx - material for additional volumes posthumous publication of Chekhov's works. Eighteen large sheets contain prints of stories, humoresques and feuilletons from 1881–1886. Among them are those included in this volume“Both this and that (Letters and telegrams)”, “Salon de variety show”, “Temperaments”, “In the carriage”, “Wedding season”, “Philosophical definitions of life”, “Meeting of spring”. Here, from the magazine “Alarm Clock” for 1882, three humoresques were reprinted: “The most offensive of foreign ducks”, “On the history of advertising”, “ Woman suit in Paris". The first was published in "Alarm Clock" with A.'s signature, the other two - without a signature. An analysis of the content and style of these humoresques leads to the conclusion that they do not belong to Chekhov.

A story written with extraordinary touching about how a 9-year-old boy, sent from the village to study with a Moscow shoemaker, wrote a letter home to his grandfather. Vanka tearfully complained that in his new place he was being offended by his masters and apprentices, and asked to be taken home from Moscow. Having sealed the envelope and written the address: “To the village of grandfather, Konstantin Makarych,” Vanka took it to Mailbox and went to bed, seeing in his dreams his native village, his grandfather and his dog Vyuna.

Chekhov “Vanka” - summary of the full text of this story.

Chekhov, story “The Lady with the Dog” - briefly

Muscovite Dmitry Dmitrich Gurov had a lot love affairs. He was accustomed to looking somewhat down on women, as unstable and pliable creatures. Starting another one on vacation in Yalta short novel, he did not expect that a sincere and defenseless lady with a dog, Anna Sergeevna, would seriously captivate him.

The stay in Yalta quickly ended in separation. Returning to Moscow, Gurov hoped that he would quickly forget Anna Sergeevna, as he had forgotten many others before. But thoughts about her haunted him relentlessly. Dmitry Dmitrievich went to the city of S., where a lady lived with a dog, and found her there. Anna Sergeevna admitted: she also thought about him all the time.

She began to come to Gurov in Moscow, staying at a hotel. He was married and she was married, so they had to meet secretly. The tragic split between secret and open life weighed heavily on both. The two of them were looking for a way out of the sad impasse...

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “The Lady with the Dog” - a summary of the chapters. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “House with a Mezzanine” - briefly

The artist, who came to the village on vacation, met the inhabitants of the neighboring estate, where there was a house with a mezzanine. These were the elderly noblewoman Ekaterina Pavlovna and her two unmarried daughters, the eldest Lydia and younger Zhenya. Imperious, strict and dry Lydia held “advanced” views and with such persistence gave herself to “ social activities”, that she neglected her own happiness, at the same time paying little attention to the personal concerns of her relatives. Young Zhenya, nicknamed Misyus, was not at all like her sister. Very kind, sincere and sincere, she treated her surroundings with trusting openness and heartfelt participation.

Unbeknownst to himself, the artist fell in love with Misya. But hostility was constantly growing between him and Lydia, who ruled the house with a mezzanine like a family tyrant. Noticing that the artist treated her ironically, Lida opposed the rapprochement between him and Misyus and did not think about dooming them both to loneliness.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “House with a Mezzanine” - a summary of the chapters. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “Darling” - briefly

The plump and kind daughter of a minor official, Olenka, has been imbued with the desire to love someone from her youth - and so passionately that she belongs to her loved one without a trace. For the bright, happy smile that never leaves Olenka’s face when she is in love, her friends call her Darling.

Darling's personal life is not going very well. She turns her love to the nervous, hapless theater owner Kukin, but he soon dies. Darling marries the sedate, respectable clerk Pustovalov, but after six years he, too, leaves for another world. Communication with the military veterinarian Smirnin ceases when his regiment goes somewhere far away. Darling is left alone and almost dies without love. But Smirnin returns to the city with his wife and young son Sasha, and Olenka transfers all her unfulfilled passion to this 9-year-old boy, who is not cared for by his own mother.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “Darling” - summary. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “The Intruder” - briefly

The peasants of one village near the railway unscrewed the nuts that fastened the sleepers to the rails, and then made weights for fishing rods out of them. Due to their lack of education, they did not understand that such unscrewing could cause a train crash. One such “attacker,” Denis Grigoriev, was caught by a track guard. During the interrogation, the forensic investigator could not explain to Denis that the absence of nuts on the rails could lead to the death of people. Dark Denis only insisted that he had never thought about killing himself, and the nut fits well with the sinker - it’s heavy, and there’s a hole. And only fools catch fish without weights...

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “The Intruder” - summary. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Film based on the story by A.P. Chekhov “The Intruder”

Chekhov, story “Ionych” - briefly

IN provincial town S. ordinary people led a worthless existence. The Turkin family was considered the most educated and gifted here, where the father poured out the same set of artificial, boring witticisms and florid phrases year after year, the mother wrote bad novels, and the daughter Ekaterina (Kotik) played the piano, paying no more attention. on the soul of the music, but on the complexity of the passages.

The doctor Dmitry Ionych Startsev, an intelligent man with good inclinations, found himself in such an environment. The environment immediately began to strongly influence him in a bad way, lowering him to a general flat level. At first, it was as if a ghost had caught fire in Dmitry Ionych strong feeling. He fell in love with a young, attractive Kitty. But his emotional impulse was quickly cooled by the coldness of the narrow-minded girl: she declared that she dreams of great fame as an artist and does not want to commit herself to family life.

Kitty went to study in Moscow, and Startseva was completely sucked into the city routine. Not finding highest goal, he began to think only about money, over the years he became more and more fat in his body, became coarser in his soul, and became callous towards people.

Kotik's career in the capital was not successful. Returning from there, she tried to charm Dmitry Ionych again, but he had completely lost the ability to be passionate. The lives of both of them degenerated into a painful emptiness, which nothing significant could now fill.

Chekhov "Ionych" - summary and Chekhov "Ionych" - summary by chapter. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “Kashtanka” - briefly

A young dog, Kashtanka, who lived in the family of a drunken carpenter, Luka, and his son, who abused her, once got lost on the street. She was picked up by a kind clown who performed in a circus with animals. New owner treated Kashtanka well, fed her deliciously and began teaching her artistic tricks. At his house, Kashtanka met a trained cat, a goose and a pig - Fyodor Timofeich, Ivan Ivanovich and Khavronya Ivanovna.

When the goose unexpectedly died after being stepped on by a horse, the clown decided to take Kashtanka to the show instead. The dog saw the bright circus arena for the first time. Kashtanka’s performance on it started very successfully, but suddenly the screams of her old owners were heard from the audience. Luka and the boy Fedyushka were here and called Kashtanka. Out of dog loyalty, she rushed from the arena through all the rows to these rude, cruel people, forgetting the kindness of the clown, his care and delicious dinners.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “Kashtanka” - a summary of the chapters. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “Gooseberry” - briefly

The official Nikolai Ivanovich, who spent his entire life in the city office, dreamed of buying himself a village estate, with beautiful nature, green grass, a river - and always with gooseberry bushes in the garden. For the sake of this dream, he saved on everything, ate and dressed poorly, and put his salary in the bank. For the same purpose, Nikolai Ivanovich married an old, ugly, but rich widow and then kept her in such poverty that she quickly died. After retiring, the official bought himself an estate. There his brother soon visited him.

The brother saw a rather poor estate, standing in an inconvenient place, where two neighboring factories clogged the river so much that the water in it was the color of coffee. When the estate was purchased, there were no gooseberries, but Nikolai Ivanovich ordered 120 bushes for himself and planted them himself. During my brother’s visit, they had just produced their first harvest. When the cook brought a plate of gooseberries to the table, Nikolai Ivanovich began to eat it almost with tears in his eyes, saying: “How delicious!” The brother, having tasted the berries, felt that they were sour and hard. But in front of him sat a happy man, to whom it seemed that his cherished dream, and he was now glad to deceive himself.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “Gooseberry” - summary. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “The Horse's Name” - briefly

Retired Major General Buldeev had a toothache. No means helped relieve the pain, and the general did not want to remove the tooth. Buldeev’s clerk, Ivan Evseich, said that his friend Yakov Vasilich, who lives in Saratov, treats teeth well with a spell. You can give him a telegram there, and he will read his plot “from a distance.”

But to send a telegram it was necessary to know the name of Yakov Vasilich. Ivan Evseich forgot it - he only remembered that it was “horse”: it comes from a word associated with horses. The general promised to give five rubles to the one who guessed the horse's name, and all his servants ran after the clerk all day, asking: “Stallions? Kopytin? Troykin? Merinov? Trotter?

The clerk himself wrinkled his forehead in vain thoughts for many hours. Only the next day did he remember the horse’s name: Ovsov. But the general, unable to bear the pain, had already pulled out the doctor’s tooth and did not give him five rubles.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “Horse Surname” - summary. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “The Bride” - briefly

A young girl, Nadya Shumina, lives richly in the provinces and is preparing to get married. However, in last days Before the wedding, the soul of this bride is filled with emptiness. Influenced by conversations with " eternal student“With Sasha, Nadya’s desire to “turn her life around,” to rush into the distance towards a beautiful dream, grows.

The bride leaves her fiancé Andrei and, with Sasha’s help, runs away from home, from her grandmother and mother - to go to study in St. Petersburg. Nadya and Sasha believe: a miraculous transformation of all earthly existence will soon take place and driving force of this great revolution will become enlightened, educated people.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “The Bride” - a summary of the chapters. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “About Love” - briefly

The landowner Alekhin strikes up a close friendship with the family of Judge Luganovich and falls in love with his young wife, Anna Alekseevna. She is also interested in Alekhine, but both of them do not dare to directly admit their passion to each other. Alyokhin does not want to ruin the happiness of the Luganovich family, where the husband and children treat him well. Anna also does not dare to change her life. Several years pass between the two of them in mutual silent and sad sympathy, until, due to Luganovich’s new official assignment, the family has to leave for a remote province. Sobbing as they parted forever, Anna Alekseevna and Alekhin finally realize how stupid and petty everything was that had hitherto prevented them from uniting.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “On Love” - summary. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov “Ward number 6” - briefly

Doctor Andrei Efimych Ragin, the head of a hospital in a small town, is smart and cultural personality, but without a bright, persistent will. Considering himself powerless to overcome the surrounding vices, Ragin washes his hands and satisfies his spiritual interests only by reading books on humanitarian topics. To justify himself, Andrei Efimych develops a special philosophy, like the stoic ideas of indifference to the vicissitudes of fate.

But the aimlessness of existence gradually weighs on Ragin. There are no people among urban society who can understand him. One day, the doctor accidentally enters ward No. 6 - a hospital outbuilding for the insane - and talks with Ivan Dmitrich Gromov, who suffers from persecution mania. Once a very educated man, Ivan Dmitrich ridicules Ragin’s philosophy, arguing that living feeling and empathy must be developed in oneself, and not suppressed.

The doctor initially tries to argue, but the instinct of justice forces him to admit that the madman is right. The collapse of the previous comfortable worldview leads Andrei Efimich to a mental crisis. The doctor’s behavior so amazes the vulgar, indifferent city society that he himself is locked in ward No. 6.

For more details, see separate articles: Chekhov “Ward No. 6” – summary and Chekhov “Ward No. 6” – summary by chapter. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “Letter to a learned neighbor” - briefly

Retired sergeant of the Don Army Vasily Semi-Bulatov from the village of Bliny-Sedeny writes an illiterate letter to his neighbor, a famous scientist who recently arrived from St. Petersburg. In the lines of the letter, Semi-Bulatov expresses admiration for science, but rebels against “implausible” theories about the origin of man from apes and the possibility of life on the Moon. The constable sets out and important discovery which he himself did: the day in winter is short because it shrinks from the cold, and the night lengthens from the warmth of burning lamps and lanterns.

For more details, see Chekhov’s separate article “Letter to a Learned Neighbor” - summary. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “The Jumper” - briefly

The frivolous young lady Olga Ivanovna loves to surround herself with artists, performers, musicians and she herself strives slightly in different types arts By chance, she marries Doctor Dymov, whom she considers not a wonderful person. Dreaming of someday turning the head of an outstanding genius, Olga Ivanovna leads a large life with weekly receptions, picnics, and field trips. She only allows Dymov to work and earn money.

Out of love for his wife, the doctor behaves in family life unpretentious. He fulfills all the whims of Olga Ivanovna and even puts up with her obvious betrayal. Only after Dymov dies from contracting diphtheria does Olga suddenly realize: most of her friends from art are small, wretched nonentities, and her modest, shy husband was the truly major figure she had been looking for for so long.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “The Jumper” - a summary of the chapters. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “Rothschild’s Violin” - briefly

The undertaker Jacob, nicknamed “Bronze,” was a rude, grumpy man. He constantly beat his wife, quarreled with his acquaintances, and due to poverty, all his life he thought only about money. Knowing how to play the violin, Bronze often played music at weddings with a local Jewish orchestra for the sake of extra money and felt a strong dislike for a flutist named Rothschild, a Jew of a plaintive disposition with a haggard face.

But when Jacob's wife, Martha, suddenly died, he felt great sadness. Before, he had never thought about his life, but now he realized how ugly and stupidly he had wasted it on trifles. Soon Bronze himself fell mortally ill. In his dying repentance, he bequeathed to give his violin to Rothschild, whom he had often offended before.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “Rothschild’s Violin” - summary e. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “The Death of an Official” - briefly

A minor official, Ivan Dmitrich Chervyakov, sneezed in the theater and accidentally splashed General Brizzhalov, who was sitting in front of him. Although Brizzhalov was not his boss, Chervyakov obsequiously approached him with an apology. The next day he went to apologize to the office, which was in charge of the general, and was so annoying that he finally told him to get out. From shock, the official barely made it home, and there he lay down on the sofa and died.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “The Death of an Official” - summary. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “Thick and Thin” - briefly

Two former high school classmates - fat Mikhail and thin Porfiry - met by chance many years later at the railway station and began to tell each other about their lives. Their conversation began in a completely friendly manner, but the thin sycophant, having learned that his fat comrade had risen to a high official rank, began to address him as “Your Excellency” and fell in line.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “Thick and Thin” - summary. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “Tosca” - briefly

St. Petersburg cab driver Iona Potapov, whose son died this week, involuntarily went out to carry riders due to lack of money. The whole day he drove in melancholy and grief in the middle of falling thick snow, suffering from the reproaches of demanding passengers. Wanting to ease his soul, Jonah tried to tell almost all of them his sadness, but found no sympathy in anyone. Arriving at the carriage house, out of despair he began to talk about the death of the son of his own horse, chewing hay.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “Tosca” - summary. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “Unter Prishibeev” - briefly

Prishibeev, a former army non-commissioned officer (a rank like sergeant or sergeant major), suffered from a mania for establishing order everywhere and, on his own initiative, even intervened in matters that did not concern him at all. Having retired from military service, he began to oppress his own fellow villagers: he forbade them to gather in crowds, sing songs, and burn fires. One day Prishibeev attacked a local police officer with his fists, deciding that he was performing his duties without proper zeal. The court sentenced the non-commissioned officer to a month of arrest for this, and Prishibeev greeted this sentence with great amazement.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “Unter Prishibeev” - summary. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “Chameleon” - briefly

The quarterly overseer Ochumelov, walking through the city, saw how goldsmith Khryukin caught a greyhound puppy that had bitten his finger. Ochumelov immediately came to investigate, threatened to “exterminate” the dog and fine its owner, but someone from the gathered crowd said that the puppy belonged to General Zhigalov. Not wanting to quarrel with the general, Ochumelov immediately changed his mind and began to say that Khryukin himself teased the dog, and picked his finger with a nail. Meanwhile, some in the crowd insisted: the dog was a general’s, and others: no. Each time the warden adapted to one version or another, just as a chameleon lizard changes color to match the color of the surrounding vegetation.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “Chameleon” - summary. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

A.P. Chekhov. "Chameleon". Read by I. Ilyinsky

Chekhov, story “Surgery” - briefly

The church sexton Vonmiglasov came to the hospital to pull a tooth to paramedic Kuryatin. But dental surgery was not easy. At first, Kuryatin, under the cries of the sexton, pulled the aching tooth out of his mouth for a long time, and then broke it off. During this procedure, the initially polite paramedic and the patient completely quarreled and began cursing each other with the last words.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “Surgery” - summary. You can read the full text of this story on our website.

Chekhov, story “The Man in a Case” - briefly

The gymnasium teacher of the ancient Greek language Belikov was strange man, who was afraid of the outside world and tried to separate himself from it with an artificial shell, a case. All his things: an umbrella, a watch, a knife for sharpening pencils were in their cases, and he himself, even in good weather, left the house in galoshes, with an umbrella and in a warm coat. At teacher councils, the suspicious Belikov demanded that other teachers strictly follow the prohibitory circulars and oppressed everyone with his tedious whining.

To everyone's surprise, the man in the case almost got married. He was charmed by Varenka, the sister of teacher Mikhail Kovalenko. However, Belikov experienced a terrible shock when he once saw Varenka riding a bicycle. The next day he went to her brother to explain that such riding was indecent for a woman. Kovalenko called Belikov a fiscal and threw him down the stairs. Belikov’s fall from the steps was accidentally seen by Varenka, who entered the house, and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

The man in the case silently went home, went to bed and soon died. At his funeral, all his fellow teachers felt great relief.

For more details, see the separate article Chekhov “The Man in a Case” - summary. On our website you can read and

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The letter published below was written by E. Thälmann in January 1944, shortly before his villainous murder by fascist executioners ( E. Thälmann was killed in August 1944.). The letter testifies to the unbending will, enormous courage and boundless faith of German communists in the inevitability of victory over fascism and a bright future German people.

My dear comrade of socialist convictions, common destiny And for the revolutionary struggle!..

We are locked in a small world. From our ideas we create a picture of a big world in which we are deprived of the opportunity to live. I often think about how narrow life here is compared to the life of a person who enjoys golden freedom.

The loneliness of long-term imprisonment, the soul-killing prison environment, four bare walls, and many years of isolation make attacks sometimes inevitable. bad mood and cries of despair. When I remember everything that has already flashed through my prison existence, I involuntarily close my eyes.

It’s good that if you don’t lose your orientation here, you won’t become dead before physical death occurs. The walls of loneliness have a certain effect on any person, and therefore also on us. It is clear that complaints about loneliness are an expression of a passionate desire to get rid of it. How terrible such loneliness is, no one can tell about it better than a “specialist” who has directly experienced and experienced it for many years. Perhaps, with wild force, he is overcome with longing for his wife and children, for his mother, for his father, for a brother or sister, for a friend, for a cheerful joke in a cheerful society, for hours of shared leisure time with ideologically close people, in general for golden freedom! Many here can become dull, give in to a feeling of self-pity, and plunge into oblivion and sleep.

But if we both look into each other's eyes, listen to our inner voice If we measure the power of our spirit, then we will feel the power of clarity, the exciting power of spiritual greatness and especially the power of conviction that pulls us out of this oppressive, empty and almost hopeless prison atmosphere.

What a magical effect faith in one's cause has on a prisoner, restoring his vitality! It is this solid foundation that gives a person endurance, presence of mind, strength and firmness in all difficult turns of fate.

Who can measure how much we have suffered and suffered during these long years conclusions!

Who will understand the tragedy of fate, the blows of which we managed to withstand only thanks to the fact that we did not allow ourselves to be unsettled. Sometimes the prison situation completely exhausted our patience and caused all sorts of disappointments, but we remained firm, decisive and unshakable...

My destiny lies at the center of major world events, in the tense political atmosphere of the present time and in the current life of working humanity. But how many of our brave socialist comrades, enjoying precious freedom and fulfilling their revolutionary duty, are in immediate danger today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow? If they are caught in the midst of their revolutionary activity, a merciless blow will fall upon them. Revolutionary activities requires great sacrifices. This applies not only to you, but also to others.

But for what, in the name of what - this question interests millions of people who are now waging a cruel and merciless struggle - this important historical question, to one degree or another, worries almost all working humanity. My fate also lies within the scope of these historical questions.

I'm not a rootless person. I am a German with a lot of national and at the same time international experience. My people, to which I belong, which I love, are the German people, and my nation, of which I am proud, is the German nation, a brave, proud and resilient nation. I am blood of blood, flesh of flesh of the German working class. And therefore, as the son of the revolutionary class, I later became its revolutionary leader.

My life and work were aimed only for the benefit of the working German people, my knowledge, strength and experience, my activity - my whole being was given to the fight for the future of Germany, for the victory of socialism, for freedom, for a new flourishing of the German nation...

The martyrdom I took upon myself for the great ideals of socialism XX century, is not an isolated phenomenon, not isolated, not cut off from the German people: it is shared by many, many nameless prisoners (to which you belong, my dear comrade in fate) and finds a response in a powerful multimillion-strong movement that has embraced and inspired everything peoples of the socialist Soviet Union and found its ideological and organizational spread in many countries of the world...

The history of our life is harsh, so it requires the whole person. You, me and all our comrades-in-arms in the fight for our great cause - we all must be strong, persistent, fighting, confident in the future, for to be a soldier of the revolution means to remain unshakably faithful to the cause, such loyalty that is tested by life and death; it means showing unconditional loyalty, confidence, will to fight and energy in all situations.

The flame that illuminates our hearts and fills our spirit, like a bright torch, guides us through the battlefields of our lives. Firm and loyal in character, confident of victory, only by doing so will we be able to turn our destiny around and fulfill our revolutionary duty in the great historical mission entrusted to us, and achieve the final victory of true socialism.

(Goethe, Faust.)

With revolutionary greetings, your faithful comrade-in-arms in the struggle for socialism and a staunch comrade in our common destiny.

"Bolshevik", 1950, No. 21, pp. 35 - 36, 41 - 44.