Defamation (Chekhov)
The defamation ( Russian Клевета , Kleweta ) is a short story by the Russian writer Anton Chekhov , which appeared on November 12, 1883 in the magazine Oskolki . A reviewer of the Odessa newspaper discussed the text on October 4, 1900 together with the death of the official and remarked that the author presented everyday matters in a way that made it difficult for the reader to look away. The little story was translated into Bulgarian, German, Serbo-Croatian, Slovak, Czech and Hungarian during Chekhov's lifetime.
content
The calligraphy teacher Sergei Kapitonych Achinejew married his daughter Natalja to the history and geography teacher Loschadinych. The celebration is in full swing. Neighbors, who are socially significantly below the almost completely invited teaching staff, watch from outside through the windows of the ballroom. Achineev is enjoying the event; checks in the kitchen that everything is OK. How the sturgeon smells under the oil paper! In a foretaste of the exquisite fish dish, teacher Achineev smacks his lips gorgeously. Class teacher assistant Wankin, who sneaks past curiously, throws in tipsy tones, the married calligraphy teacher kisses the cook Marfa. Achineev does not understand such fun and vigorously denies the allegation.
The calligrapher, again present in the hall as a prudent host, watches to his mild horror as assistant Wankin whispers to the inspector's sister-in-law at the piano. When the woman laughs, Achineev has to do something about the rumor. Within the next hour, all of the guests know it from his mouth. He didn't even kiss the cook.
One week after the wedding celebration, the calligrapher is removed from the job by his school principal and asked not to make his relationship with this cook public any longer. Because the pedagogue, himself a calligraphy teacher, must remain a moral role model at all times.
The rumor has long since reached Achineev's wife. At home, the “lover” receives a resounding slap in the face from the couple during lunch.
At the next opportunity, the “slandered” confronts the “slanderer” Wankin. Anton Chekhov has Wankin assert that he was as silent on the matter as the grave.
Now who has clapped? There is only one left.
Used edition
- Gerhard Dick (Hrsg.), Wolf Düwel (Hrsg.): Anton Chekhov: Collected Works in Individual Volumes : Die Verleumdung. S. 155–159 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
- online in the Gutenberg-DE project . Translator Wladimir Czumikow , Munich 1901
- Wikisource: Клевета (Чехов) (Russian)
- online in Lib.ru (Russian)
- online in FEB (Russian)
- Chekhov Bibliography, Entry Stories No. 158 (Russian)
- Reference to first appearance in the Laboratory of Fantastics (Russian)