The Neighbors (Chekhov)

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Anton Chekhov

The Neighbors ( Russian Соседи , Sossedi) is a story by the Russian writer Anton Chekhov , which appeared in the monthly literary supplement 7/1892 of the St. Petersburg weekly Nedelja .

John Josephsohn translated the text into German in 1911.

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In the countryside in Russia: 41-year-old skinny Grigori Vlassitsch and 28-year-old corpulent Pyotr Michailych Ivashin are neighbors. Pyotr's sister, the 22-year-old pampered and elegant Sinaida Mikhailovna - called Sina - moved to live with Vlasich, a married man.

One week after she left, Sina had a letter delivered to her mother Anna Nikolayevna Ivaschina. Pyotr intercepts the messenger, recognizes the sender by the handwriting, tears up the unopened mail and rides straight to his neighbor. First he wants to slap the villain Grigori, who kidnapped and seduced his sister, and then challenge them to a duel. He wants to tell the seducer cheeky things and chastise him with a riding whip in Sina's presence.

When he arrived at the neighboring estate, the pent-up anger had already evaporated when Grigori was greeted. Pyotr says half aloud and panting from the brisk ride: "Grigori, you know, I loved you and couldn't wish my sister a better husband, but what happened is terrible!"

Friend Vlassitsch is not aware of any guilt. He adore Sina. Pyotr advises marriage. That is an impossibility. Grigori's wife, who hangs out with men in town, demands seventy-five thousand rubles for her consent to the separation. Grigori has run down his estate and is in debt.

In the speech duel, Pyotr does not come up against Vlassitsch. Anton Chekhov writes: "Pyotr ... loved Vlassitsch in spite of everything, he felt some kind of strength in him, and strangely enough, he never had the courage to contradict him."

Pyotr asks the sister to apologize to the mother. Sina doesn't know what for.

When the two pedestrians in love accompany the rider for a part of his way home, the rider says that these two at his side are unhappy about their irreparable error. In parting, Pyotr says to the sister: “You are right, Sina. You acted well. ”While Grigori and Sina have long since turned around, the timid Pyotr scolds himself faint-hearted and weak when riding home. He tells himself that he set out to solve a problem, but made it complicated. Pyotr imagines Sina's pregnancy and is afraid of her mother. How will mom solve this problem? Anna Nikolajewna Ivaschina will soon die of grief.

Self-testimony

Anton Chekhov on June 4, 1892 on the creation of the text: "I write with pleasure and find satisfaction in the process of writing itself, which, however, is slow and laborious."

reception

The painter Ilya Repin , who is a friend of the author, has praised the anthology of stories and novels with the text in it.

German-language editions

Used edition

  • The neighbours. Translated from the Russian by Ada Knipper and Gerhard Dick , pp. 103–124 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 Неделя - The week
  2. ↑ Gerhard Dick (Ed.) In the edition used, p. 562, 3rd Zvu as well as Russian entry at fantlab.ru
  3. ↑ Gerhard Dick (Ed.) In the edition used, p. 563, 18. Zvo
  4. ↑ Edition used, p. 111, 15. Zvu
  5. ↑ Edition used, p. 117, 6. Zvo
  6. ↑ Edition used, p. 123, 14. Zvu
  7. ^ Anton Chekhov quoted in Gerhard Dick (ed.) In the edition used, p. 563, 8th Zvo
  8. ↑ Gerhard Dick (Ed.) In the edition used, p. 563, 14. Zvo