A busy man's morning
A Busy Man's Morning ( Russian Утро делового человека , Utro delowowo tscheloweka ) is a comedy by the Russian writer Nikolai Gogol , written in the 1830s and published in April 1836 in the very first issue of Pushkin's Sovremennik in Saint Petersburg .
action
The civil servant Alexander Ivanovich has five years more under his belt than his colleague Ivan Petrovich Barssukov. The latter, the busy man, has visited the former at home in his St. Petersburg study. Because Alexander Ivanovich was recently invited to an audience with His High Excellency. Barssukov would like to know whether His Excellency said anything about him on the occasion. Alexander Ivanovich answered in the affirmative. And what? Barssukov is almost bursting with curiosity. Alexander Ivanovich thinks about it and adds: Actually nothing. Barssukov does not give up. Alexander Ivanovich has to think again and comes to the conclusion that His Excellency has said something like "hm" and "this is an official".
Barssukov comes out with the language. He wants to be observed by the authorities; wants a medal on my neck. At the next audience, Alexander Ivanovich could tell His Excellency - quite unintentionally, of course - that order or the like prevailed in Barssukov's office.
Alexander Ivanovich agrees and decides that Barssukov will not receive a medal, because he can hardly stand this fat idiot.
reception
- In 1836 in the literary magazine Molwa, Belinski praised the piece's "extraordinary originality and astonishing loyalty".
Used edition
- A busy man's morning. German by Johannes von Guenther . S. 276–285 in Johannes von Guenther (Ed.): Nikolai Gogol: Gesammelte Werke. Volume V . Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin 1952
Web links
- The text
- Wikisource: Утро делового человека (Гоголь) (Russian)
- online in Lib.ru (Russian)
- online in FEB (Russian)
- online in the Komarow library (Russian)
- online at RVB.ru (Russian)
- Gogol bibliography, entry Утро делового человека (Russian)
- Reference in the laboratory of fantasy (Russian)