A drama in Livonia
A drama in Livonia is a novel by the French author Jules Verne . The novel was first published in 1904 by the Pierre-Jules Hetzel publishing house under the French title Un drame en Livonie . The first German-language edition appeared in 1905 under the title Ein Drama in Livland .
action
The action of the novel takes place in Livonia , a historical landscape in the Baltic States , on whose territory today's Estonia and Latvia lie. At the time of the plot, the area was part of the Russian Empire. The background to the story is formed by the clashes between the German-born residents and the Estonians and Latvians (referred to in the novel as Slavs), who in turn are allied with the Tsar and his administration. The Germans have radicalized themselves and formed secret societies .
Vladimir Yanof belongs to an underground group against the rule of the Tsar. He was deported to Siberia and was able to escape from there. He has now made his way across Russia to the border with Livonia. He barely escapes being captured by a Russian border patrol. With the help of his cunning and the support of other people of German origin, he can cross the border. He is staying in a country inn. However, he is pursued by Brigadier Eck and his henchmen.
The math and physics teacher Dimitri Nicolef lives in Riga with his beautiful 24-year-old daughter Ilka and his son Jean. Jean studies in Dorpat . Dimitri Nicolef lives from private lessons. However, he only earns the necessary money with it. His father had lost his fortune in bad business. After the death of his father, Dimitri Nicolef had wanted to pay the debts from his modest fortune in order to preserve the family's reputation. Because of this, he is now heavily in debt himself. Dimitri Nicolef is the chairman of the Slavic Party, which unites Russians and Latvians against the political influence of the Germans. Before his exile to Siberia, Vladimir Yanof intended to marry Nicolef's daughter Ilka.
The conflicts between the various parties increase. Nicolef's son Jean and the banker's son Karl, who both study in Dorpat, are enemies too. When Jean finally challenges Karl to a duel , Karl refuses. Karl refuses to fight the son of a murderer.
The reason for this is the previous murder of the bank clerk Poch. Poch had the task of bringing a large amount of money to a customer. There was also a hooded figure in the carriage that Bote Poch was traveling in. After spending the night in the inn “Zum umbruchen Kreuze” run by the innkeeper Kroff, Poch was found dead the next morning. The unknown traveler was suspected of having committed the robbery of Poch. A manhunt for him has started. Despite his disguise, the hooded figure was identified as the teacher Dimitri Nicolef.
During the interrogation that followed, Nicolef refused to say what he was doing incognito that night in the carriage and in the inn. His opponent and political rival Johausen is pushing the investigation against Nicolef. The owner of the Kroff hostel had a perfect alibi. Nicolef's debts were seen as a possible motive, as he could not pay the next installment. He is also burdened by the fact that he does not want to justify his presence at the crime scene. He cannot admit that that night he met his exiled future son-in-law, Vladimir Yanof, in the inn. Nicolef wanted to give Yanof a sum of money that he had kept for him.
Nicolef commits suicide after being arrested and prosecuting him. This is viewed by the investigators as an admission of guilt. The result is a miscarriage of justice with a political background. Surprisingly, Nicolef's innocence can still be proven. Kroff is exposed as the real killer. Now, however, only the name Nicolefs can be rehabilitated.
filming
- The novel was filmed in 1973 in the Soviet Union under the title The adventures of the balloon pilot J. A (original title: Сломанная подкова; Slomannaja Podkowa ). The director was Semjon Aramowitsch (Семен Аранович). The actors were Sergei Jurski as Michel Ardan, Marina Nejelowa as Leyda, Wladimir Rasumovski as Jakowlew, Witautas Paukschen as Dr. Peterson, Bronius Babkauskas as banker Schmidt, Jaan Tooming as Karl, Lembit Eelmäe as Grimm and other actors.
literature
- Heinrich Pleticha (ed.): Jules Verne manual . Deutscher Bücherbund / Bertelsmann, Stuttgart and Munich 1992.
- Volker Dehs and Ralf Junkerjürgen: Jules Verne . Voices and interpretations of his work. Fantastic Library Wetzlar, Wetzlar 2005.
- Volker Dehs: Jules Verne . A critical biography. Artemis & Winkler, Düsseldorf 2005. ISBN 3-538-07208-6
Web links
- "A Drama in Livonia" as an e-book in HTML on zeno.org
- A drama in Livonia in Andreas Fehrmann's Jules Verne Collection