The work of art (Chekhov)
The work of art ( Russian Произведение искусства , Proiswedenije iskusstwa ) is a short story by the Russian writer Anton Chekhov , which appeared on December 13, 1886 in the weekly Oskolki .
content
The doctor cured old Smirnova and her only son Sascha from a dangerous illness. Instead of the fee, the doctor receives an old bronze from the two healers. A nice piece, says the doctor, but out of consideration for certain patients he has to give the candlestick to his friend, the lawyer. The latter has the same moral problem as his friend. Patients and clients - for example women with children - could be deterred or even driven away by the “two female figures in eva costumes”. The lawyer gives the bronze to the comedian Schaschkin. Immediately after the donation, the recipient of the gift has a crowd of men in his artist's cloakroom. Their roar is reminiscent of horses rolling in. When Schaschkin sometimes has to turn away women knocking on the cloakroom door, he doesn't know what to do next. His hairdresser advises him to sell the candlestick to old Smirnova. Everyone in the suburbs knows them and buys such bronzes.
The day after next, Smirnova's only son named above enters the doctor's office with the work of art. Sascha exclaims: “Imagine my joy! Fortunately for us, we managed to find a counterpart for your chandelier! "
filming
- 1959 Mosfilm , Soviet Union : The work of art . Short film by Mark Kowaljow with Yevgeny Leonow as Sascha.
Used edition
- Gerhard Dick (Hrsg.), Wolf Düwel (Hrsg.): Anton Chekhov: Collected works in individual volumes : The work of art. P. 602–607 in: Gerhard Dick (Ed.): Anton Chekhov: From the rain to the eaves. Short stories. Translated from Russian by Ada Knipper and Gerhard Dick. With a foreword by Wolf Düwel. 630 pages. Rütten & Loening, Berlin 1964 (1st edition)
Web links
- The text
- online in the Gutenberg-DE project (translated by Alexander Eliasberg )
- Wikisource Произведение искусства (Чехов) (Russian)
- online at Lib.ru (Russian)
- online in FEB (Russian)
- Chekhov Bibliography, Entry Stories No. 294 (Russian)
- Notice of first publication in the Labor der Fantastik (Russian)
- Entries in WorldCat
- Elisabeth Flickenschildt reads Anton Chekhov - The Work of Art