In old age (Chekhov)
In old age ( Russian Старость , Starost ) is a story by the Russian writer Anton Chekhov , which appeared on November 23, 1885 in the weekly Oskolki . During the author's lifetime the text was translated into German, Finnish, Romanian, Serbo-Croatian and Hungarian.
The architect State Councilor Boris Petrovich Uselkow travels to his hometown by train. An order for the restoration of the cemetery church beckons. Upon arrival, Uselkow first seeks out his old friend Shapkin. The lawyer, who has since become a notary, does not immediately recognize the visitor after almost twenty years of absence. The joy of reunion is all the greater. Schapkin likes to accompany his friend to the cemetery and wants to introduce him to the church governor.
Schapkin remembers precisely that bygone time when Uselkow was a client in a divorce case. The now deceased wife Sofja Mikhailovna had caused difficulties at the time. In order to obtain the consent of the proud merchant's daughter in the separation, Schapkin had to call in an intermediary. Uselkow had paid his wife a large amount of money. The lawyer kept a third of it for himself - a forgivable, statute-barred sin, says the now rather aged friend. The architect had earned very well in the city back then; Schapkin recalls that he married out of youthful arrogance and divorced out of the same arrogance. Uselkow, who had left the city at the time and did not take care of his divorced wife, does not give up the questions. Schapkin is of course very well informed about what will happen afterwards. In her grief, Sofja had been hanging around the city with officers, surrendering to the drink and finally had nervous attacks. The woman had thrown the paper money in the face of the lawyer and asked for it back soon after. Schapkin had fobbed off Sofja with an alms.
Uselkow, who had entered into a second marriage at the time, cannot understand his indifference at the time. While Schapkin is talking to the clergyman in the cemetery, Uselkow stops at Sofja's grave and wants to cry. The hated age! Your throat will not constrict, nor will the tears flow.
German-language editions
Used edition
- In old age . P. 85–92 in AP Chekhov: Master narratives. German by Reinhold Trautmann . 431 pages. Dieterich'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung , Leipzig 1953 (7th edition 1983, 27 pages foreword by JF and RM), without ISBN
Web links
- The text
- Wikisource: Старость (Чехов) (Russian)
- online at Lib.ru (Russian)
- online in FEB (Russian)
- Chekhov Bibliography, Entry Stories No. 333 (Russian)
- Reference to first appearance in the Laboratory of Fantastics (Russian)