The literature teacher

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Anton Chekhov

The literature teacher ( Russian Учитель словесности , Utschitel slowesnosti) is a story by the Russian writer Anton Chekhov , the first chapter of which appeared on October 28, 1889 in the St. Petersburg newspaper Novoje wremja . The second chapter was written a few years later and published in the Moscow Russian newspaper on July 10, 1894 .

In 1911 the text appeared on the German-speaking market. The first chapter was translated into Hungarian in 1890 ( Kisvárosiak ). The whole story was published in Czech in 1895 ( Professor literatury ).

content

In an unspecified Russian city: 18-year-old Mascha Schelestowa, called Manjussja, daughter of the wealthy widower Schelestow, is adored by 26-year-old Sergei Vasilyich Nikitin, a high school teacher for literature. The high school students don't respect Nikitin and the women want to dance with him. At an evening party at the Shelestovs, Nikitin is led onto ice by an older literature lover. It turns out that the young literature teacher has not even familiarized himself with the Hamburg dramaturgy . Nikitin is inadequately paid. He teaches rich people's children privately after school.

Nikitin goes all out. He kisses Manjussja on the lips. When he asks old Shelestov for Manjussja's hand, the widower advises against it. The girl and the literature teacher are too young. Nevertheless, the connection is made. Manjussja brings a two-story house and around twenty thousand rubles into the marriage. Nikitin, the orphan who grew up in poverty, sees himself as a winner.

Before his wedding, Nikitin had shared the modest apartment with a colleague, the also single history and geography teacher Ippolit Ippolitych Ryshizki. When the colleague falls ill with a facial rose and dies, Nikitin realizes that he is actually not completely happy. It's not because of the disturbing dogs and cats his wife brought into the marriage. Rather, he longs for the other world; wants to "work in a factory ..., speak from a chair, write essays, publish, attract attention, get tired, suffer ..." He doesn't want to know anything more about the Shelestovs, locks himself in his room and writes in his diary: “Nothing is ... more boring than banality. Just flee, flee from here today, otherwise I'll go crazy! "

Self-testimony

Anton Chekhov on November 12th, 1889: “I planned to end it [the story] in such a way that no good thread remained on my heroes, but the devil rode me to read it to my relatives and everyone begged me: Take it easy her, spare her! I spared my heroes, which is why the narrative is so unsatisfactory. "

German-language editions

Used edition

  • The literature teacher. Translated from the Russian by Ada Knipper and Gerhard Dick , pp. 411–437 in: Anton Chekhov: Weiberwirtschaft . Master stories , volume from: Gerhard Dick (Ed.), Wolf Düwel (Ed.): Anton Chekhov: Collected works in individual volumes. 582 pages. Rütten & Loening, Berlin 1966 (1st edition)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Russian Русские ведомости
  2. ↑ Gerhard Dick (Ed.) In the edition used, p. 569, 9. Zvo and Russian entry at fantlab.ru
  3. ↑ Gerhard Dick (Ed.) In the edition used, p. 569, 8th Zvu
  4. ↑ Russian references to translations
  5. ^ Anton Chekhov quoted in Gerhard Dick (ed.) In the edition used, p. 569, 13. Zvo
  6. ↑ Daniela Loisl on the audio book