The Kruhljany Bridge

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Wassil Bykau in 1944

The Kruhljany Bridge ( Belarusian Круглянскі мост, Russian Круглянский мост Kruglyanski most ) is a novel by the Belarusian writer Vasil Bykau from 1968, which the author translated into Russian in 1980 .

content

Around Easter 1942 in occupied Belarus : four partisans from the Hrynewitsk Forest are marching towards the town of Kruhljany with a can of petrol. The local, rather long wooden bridge over the Kruhljanka river is to be burned down, according to orders. The Red Army soldier Maslakau leads the squad. 18-year-old Szjopka Taukatsch is hauling the canister. The former company commander Brytwin and the elderly local Danila Schpak are part of the party. Szjopka displeased Brytwin's constant righteousness. Maslakau appeased - the former company commander had heads.

The bridge is guarded. Because rainy weather is coming, Maslakau and Szjopka get to work in daylight. The commander is discovered by the bridge watch and shot. The seriously wounded Maslakau can be brought to safety. Brytwin, who poses as the new commander without prior consultation, sends Szjopka for a team of horses to transport the ambulance. When Szjopka returned with the 15-year-old police officer Mizja and his two-year-old horse Koslik, the commander Maslakau had already succumbed to his wounding.

The local Danila procures explosives. Mizja wants to become a partisan, but has to go back because he drives Roslik milk cans across the bridge to Kruhljany every day. Brytwin instructs Mizja that anyone who has passed a test of courage becomes a partisan. Mizja agrees to take a milk cart that Brytwin has come up with. One of the three milk cans is filled with the explosives.

Mizja ignites the fuse just before the bridge and is stopped seconds later by the guard. Brytwin shoots the horse from his hiding place at a safe distance. Roslik goes through. Mizja, who wants to stop his horse, runs after him and is hit by the detonation in the middle of the bridge together with Roslik.

When Brytwin and Danila in the forest hiding place - shortly before the march back to the Hrynewizker forest - celebrate the "successful" action with a sip from the bottle, Szjopka protests. When he is supposed to give Brytwin the MPi , he calls the "Commander" Lump and shoots him a sheaf of three rounds in the body.

Scouts of the Hrynewitsk partisans discover their three people. Brytwin is transported away for emergency surgery. Szjopka, held prisoner in a pit and guarded, is waiting to be interrogated by the inspector. Szjopka is not afraid. He will tell the Commissioner the truth.

reception

In May 1975 Lola Debüser wrote that Wassil Bykau's novella had divided the Soviet literary critics after its publication. While some took the side of Brytwin, although he had safely sent Mizja to certain death with his shot at the horse, A. Adamowitsch , A. Botscharow, P. Nikolajew, A. Ovtscharenko and M. Tank had the artistic achievement of the author who condemned, approved and defended Brytwin's shot.

filming

  • 1989 Soviet Union , Belarus film: The Kruhljany Bridge , a film by Alexander Moros.

literature

German-language editions

  • The Kruhljany Bridge. Translated from the Russian by Monika Tantzscher . S. 387-490 in Wassil Bykau: Novellen. Volume 1. Verlag Volk und Welt. Berlin 1976 (1st edition, edition used)

Secondary literature

  • Wassil Bykau: Novellas. Volume 2. Verlag Volk und Welt. Berlin 1976 (1st edition)

Web links

annotation

  1. ↑ Police : In Wassil Bykaus' Belarusian partisan stories from around 1942, the partisans act as the arm of Soviet power . Partisans are usually communists or fighters close to the communists. The main enemy of the partisans - alongside the German occupiers - is the police. The latter is recruited from Belarusians; more precisely, from enemies of Soviet communism . For example, in the noose such policemen torture one of the captured partisans.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Russian Гриневичский лес
  2. ↑ ru: Кругляны
  3. ↑ ru: Круглянка (река)
  4. ↑ Debüser in the afterword by Wassil Bykau: Novellen. Volume 2. , p. 580, 10. Zvu
  5. ↑ Russian А. Бочаров
  6. ↑ ru: Николаев, Пётр Алексеевич
  7. ↑ ru: Овчаренко, Александр Иванович
  8. ↑ ru: Беларусьфильм
  9. ↑ ru: Круглянский мост (фильм)
  10. ↑ ru: Александр Мороз