Cain and Artyom

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Gorky in 1889

Kain und Artjom ( Russian Каин и Артём ) is a short story by the Russian writer Maxim Gorki , which - written in 1898 - appeared in the January issue of the following year in the St. Petersburg monthly Mir Boschi .

The translation into German appeared in 1900 in the Schreitersche Verlagbuchhandlung Berlin.

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The utterly frightened Jew Chaim , a married flying salesman and father of four children, is insultingly called Cain by the Russians in his city not named in the text . Cain is afraid of the Russians. Three young fellows who said “Gentlemen! Gentlemen! ”Implores him grossly intimidating him by taking away his daily income from selling his cum, matches and needles - but not all. Because you don't tear off the udder of a milking cow. Gorky writes about the impoverished, violent male Russian urban population at the scene of the action, the Shichan district , a poor area: “... but such people are always comfortable to offend their neighbor ... because that is their only possibility of revenge . And it was easy to insult Cain ... "

The 25-year-old Artjom, on the other hand - a stocky man from the Promsino pile, "a colossal fellow with a head full of black curls" - no longer has to work. The Adonis Artjom is the declared favorite of wealthy business women, especially when they are left alone for too long. Because Artyom cannot share, he has quite a few envious people.

The latter said one night that they had beaten the drunk and therefore defenseless Artjom to death and left him lying on the river bank. Artyom is still alive a little and is being nursed by Cain, who happens to be passing by. Artyom's gratitude is almost infinite. After the protracted convalescence, he no longer wants to have anything to do with his old cronies and acts as the protector of Cain in public. He explains to one of the Russians, who doesn't want to understand Artyom's change of heart, “... you don't like that I made friends with a Jew and chased you away ... But I'll tell you ... that he is better than you all ... because he has mercy and is good to people ... but you are not ... ”From now on the Jew is no longer harassed. Nobody dares take a kopeck from Cain .

Towards the end of the narrative, when Artyom has finally made the gang of thugs known man by man and is gradually seeking revenge, he abandons his strenuous humanitarian position. Cain can hardly believe his ears when the protector speaks: "I don't want to know you anymore ... I won't protect you anymore ... pity ... I don't have it in me ... I ... have pretended. .. I have no pity for you ... for nobody ... "

Quote

Artyom says: "You can only do what is important to you."

filming

1929 Soviet Union , silent film : Pawel Petrowitsch Petrow-Bytow filmed the story with Emil Michailowitsch Gal as Cain and Nikolai Konstantinowitsch Simonow as Artyom. The film was shown in German cinemas under the title Kain und Artem: Das Lied vom alten Markt .

German-language editions

  • Cain and Artem. Jemeljan Pilay . Schreitersche Verlagbuchhandlung, Berlin 1900.
  • Cain and Artem . Hugo Steinitz Verlag Berlin 1902 (2nd edition).
  • Cain and Artem and other short stories. German by Hans Schild. 109 pages. Norddeutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Charlottenburg around 1902.
  • Cain and Artem. German by C. Berger. With book decorations by FO Gehringer. 180 pages. J. Gnadenfeld & Co., Berlin 1903.
  • The story of a crime. Cain and Artem. Two stories. From the Russian by F. Bertuch and A. von Krusenstjerna. 78 pages. Reclam ( RUB 4445), Leipzig around 1920.
  • The Orlov couple and other stories (also contains: Cain and Artem. The red Vasa. Boredom. The stories of old Isergil . Jemeljan Piljaj. On the rafts. Once in autumn. The Khan and his son. The song of the petrel. Before the Face of life ). Translated from the Russian by Stefania Goldenring. 414 pages. Published by August Weichert (* 1854; † 1904), Berlin around 1925.
  • My companion and other stories (also contains: Cain and Artem. The friends. Kirilka. In the steppe. Once in autumn. Malva ). 165 pages. Goldmann Verlag (Goldmann's Yellow Pocket Books No. 670), Munich 1960.

Used edition

  • Cain and Artyom. German by Katharina Gilde. P. 419–452 in: Maxim Gorki: Erzählungen. Third volume. 535 pages. Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin 1954.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Edition used, p. 534, first entry
  2. ↑ Edition used, p. 419, 4th Zvu
  3. ↑ Volga navigation
  4. ↑ Russian Промзино village in Simbirsk Governorate (Russian Симбирская губерния )
  5. ↑ Edition used, p. 441, 11. Zvu
  6. ↑ Edition used, p. 446, 8. Zvo
  7. ↑ Edition used, p. 449, 17th Zvo to 4th Zvu
  8. ↑ Edition used, p. 451, 17. Zvo
  9. ↑ Russian Петров-Бытов, Павел Петрович
  10. ↑ Russian Галь, Эмиль Михайлович
  11. ↑ Russian Симонов, Николай Константинович
  12. ^ Cain and Artyom in the IMDb
  13. ^ Polish Cain i Artiom