Аннотация: The Fantastic Biographical Short Story about Chekhov
The Fantastic Biographical Short Story about Chekhov
During a break in the Gorky cafe-library gathered Chekhov, Gorky and Bunin.
Bunin told the interlocutors:
- I wrote a biographical essay about Maxim Gorky.
Bunin read several sentences from his essay:
"Surprisingly, so far no one has an accurate representation about the biography of Gorky. Who knows his biography authentically? ... The fate of this person is fantastic in general... Everyone repeats: "the hobo, has risen from a bottom of the national depths, from people's bottom..." but nobody knows quite significant lines printed in the dictionary of Brockhaus: "Gorky - Peshkov Alexei Maximovich. Born in 69 year, in the environment of quite bourgeois: the father is the managing director of big steamship office; mother - the daughter of the rich merchant - the dyer ..." Further - no one knows exactly, an interested persons are basing only on the Gorky's autobiography. His autobiography is a very suspicious even on the very style ..."
Bunin took a sip of coffee.
Gorky has smiled.
- Well-well, - Gorky has spoken. - I of course not Jules Verne, I am not inclined to a fantasy ... So ... One of Teutonic knights went across the Czech territory. He have stopped in a tavern. He was unwell slightly. The local notable person goes at this time. Have seen the knight, and have invited the knight to the notable person's estate. Time went, the knight was treated. He had liked the owner's daughter. The doctor, eventually, speaks to the knight: "The state of your health doesn't allow you to be involved in military operations. In general - to lead a camp life, or - to live under a someone's command!"
The knight protested, at first. Then sighed and made the daughter of the owner the proposal.
There have passed several centuries. The descendant of the knight has graduated from the university. A military unit of The Great Army of Napoleon has come into descendant's settlement. I won't go into detail. One of Napoleonic officers has been killed on a duel by the knight's descendant. The commander of military unit has brought together court-martial. The court has sentenced the participant of a duel to capital punishment. Before execution the commander, Alsatian, has suggested the convict to replace capital punishment by compulsory service in Great Army - in his unit: "We are going to Russia! Chances to survive during this campaign are approximately equal to probability to survive after the execution!"
The convict agreed. I'm not going into details again. A detachment of Russian peasants-partisans captured the frostbitten former duelist. He was delivered to the manor house. The clothes on him weren't similar to a military uniform. He attempted to be warmed by all available means, probably. The captured person didn't know the Russian language, but he pronounced often the word "Czech", 'the Czech land' [Чехия] . A semi-family life began. But the duellist quickly died from diseases. His descendants were serfs with a surname "Chekhov" [Чехов, Чеховы]. One landowner sold them to another. The memory about the deceased person, who was uttering the word "Czech", has been erased. And if this memory not faded completely, there was no a reason about this word to remember. Just a family of serfs. But the peasants with a surname "Chekhov" turned out to be some unusual. And from bondage were redeemed by own efforts in twenty years prior to cancellation of the serfdom. "When reforms will come? It is unknown!"
Chekhovs sought for activity with rather high share of an intellectuality. Were engaged in trade. Psalms, spiritual chants sang. They sought for education.
Gorky has taken the sheet of paper and has read an extract from the biographic book by A. Kuzicheva [А. Кузичева] about Anton Chekhov: "The younger brother, Mikhail, has painted a picture of the passed with other paints, in other manner, deliberately softly: "A day was beginning and coming to an end with a work. All in the house got up early. Boys went to a gymnasium, came back home, learned lessons; as soon as free hour appeared, each of them was engaged in to what he had ability: the senior, Alexander, researched electric batteries, Nikolay drew, Ivan bound books, and future writer - composed ... The father came in the evening from our shop, and singing by chorus began: the father liked to sing, using a notes, and teached to such singing and children. Besides, together with the son Nikolay he played the duets on a violin, and the little sister Masha accompanied on a piano. ... The Frenchwoman, madam Shope, was teaching us to languages... The father and mother attached special significance to languages ... Later the music teacher was arriving with visits... and life flowed as it had to flow in an average family of that time , a family, which was seeking to become better she was actually.
The love to singing, the public service and Churches attendance took too much of our father's time. He was sending instead of himself in our little shop of one of us, for the function of a "master's eye", but, replacing his father, we were not deprived of such pleasures, which did not dream of many of our peers, city boys: we sometimes went to a sea shore for entire days to catch "bulls" fishes, played rounders, staged a home performances"".
Anton Chekov was looking at Gorky with the sad and ironic smile.
- So, one of the members of this family became the world-famous writer by the name of "Chekhov", - Gorky continued.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov with an ironic smile continued to look at Gorky.
Gorky continued:
- However, other members of the family were also prone to intellectual activities to varying degrees. Well, maybe not all, not 100 percent, but many.
It was hard to live the novice writer Anton Chekhov, but he had some special firmness of spirit...
And he didn't agree "to be dissolved, diluted", in any way ...
In full I won't tell the biography. Anton Chekhov married Olga Knipper. Her father was a citizen of Prussia.
Gorky has taken other sheet of paper and has read: "The name "Prussia" was originally used for designation of the territory of the state of the Teutonic Order ..."
Gorky laid aside the sheet of paper and continued:
- After finding of literary popularity Anton Chekhov traveled around Europe and Asia much.
When he has felt that he dies, he have gone to Germany. There he have died on hands of his wife ...
- If he has died, then I will go to write "The Man in the Case"! - Anton Pavlovich Chekhov has joked.
- Objection! - Gorky said. - We are waiting for "The Seagull" with Mr. Trigorin!
- At us in Taganrog in such situation spoke: "Neither to you, nor to us!" - Chekhov continued to joke. - Let's find the agreement in a separate question - what we expect from you, Alexei Maximovich. We expect from you "Falcon". In an extreme case - "Petrel".
The writers laughed. The break ended. Chekhov and Bunin thanked Gorky for his short story and headed for the exit.
October 4, 2018 02:45
Translation from Russian into English: October 4, 2018 21:06.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Фантастический биографический рассказ о Чехове'.