The Tenant (1886)
The tenant ( Russian Жилец , Schilez ) is a short story by the Russian writer Anton Chekhov , which appeared on November 1, 1886 in No. 44 of the humorous weekly Oskolki .
At midnight the bald young man Brykowitsch, formerly a lawyer, hit the doors of the boarding house “Tunis” in a rage. Once again his wife, the owner of the pension, had irritated him to the point of white heat. A drain valve can be found quickly. The tenant Chaljawkin, a violinist , comes home. When the drunken musician unlocks his room 31, Brykowitsch wants to take the rent that has long been due from him. Chaljawkin has an excuse ready even when he is drunk: the owner of the pension is, as everyone knows, the “wife to be admired”. He, Herr Brykowitsch, was nothing more than a tenant, like everyone else here. Brykowitsch is excited about the insolence. The musician admits that Brykowitsch took the pension as a dowry. He brings the "landlord" even more angry.
But as a trained lawyer, Brykowitsch has a sharp mind who works hard even in the middle of the night. The result of the thought is - the tenant Chaljawkin must be approved. Brykowitsch gets along with the musician. In room 31 you drink vodka together.
Once in the next few nights, the two tenants in room 31 strengthen their new friendship with that alcohol.
Used edition
- Gerhard Dick (Hrsg.), Wolf Düwel (Hrsg.): Anton Chekhov: Collected works in individual volumes : The tenant. S. 587–593 in: Gerhard Dick (Ed.): Anton Chekhov: From rain to 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
- Wikisource: Жилец (Чехов) (Russian)
- online at Lib.ru (Russian)
- online in FEB (Russian)
- Chekhov Bibliography, Entry Stories No. 436 (Russian)
- Notice of first publication in the Labor der Fantastik (Russian)