Kornej Wasiljew

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Lev Tolstoy

Kornej Wasiljew ( Russian Корней Васильев Kornei Wassiljew ) is a short story by Lev Tolstoy , the writing of which the author began in February 1905 and which appeared in 1906 after thirteen revisions in his reading circle . Tolstoy had the material from Vasily Shchegolyonok. In 1983 the text came out in vol. 14 of the 22-volume Tolstoy edition in Moscow .

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In his mid-thirties, Kornej Wasiljew quit military service and is now a 54-year-old, vigorous man who is successful in the cattle trade. Usually he drives a herd from Cherkasy to Moscow. After the last deal, he has around three thousand rubles in his pocket. With the money he wants to get into the wood business. There is a forest for sale near his village of Gaji. On the occasion, Kornej would like to see that everything is right at home. On the carriage ride from the train station to Gaji, the coachman chats that Kornej's young wife Marfa is hanging out with her servant Yevstignej Belyj. Kornej knows. Marfa's former lover Evstignej comes from Kamenka, his wife's home village.

After Kornej handed out presents he had brought from Moscow - his son Fedka a picture book, his mother a woolen cloth and his wife clothes - he confronts the latter. Marfa admits that the little daughter Agafja is not his. Kornej beats up Marfa - breaks two ribs and throws little Agafja through the bedroom. He broke the child's arm and is running away. Kornej is too late to buy the forest. In the subsequent cattle trade he makes losses, in the end only has a few rubles and works as a drover. He's steadily going downhill. 17 years after his crime at home in the bedroom - Kornej is now 71 years old - he returns home as a ragged beggar because he wants to die.

Suddenly Kornej no longer feels the old strong disgust for his wife Marfa, who had broken up the marriage. Marfa, who recognizes her husband, shows the hated rascal the door. Agafja, who married into a rich family in the village of Andreyevka, four versts from Gaji, is the home of her father.

Marfa goes inside and wants to take Kornej back. With him she wants to atone for her and his sin. Too late - Kornej died in Agafja's house. Shortly before his death, he had asked his once abused daughter for forgiveness. Agafja had replied: "God will forgive you."

German-language editions

  • Kornej Wasiljew. German by Arthur Luther . P. 98–119 in: Gisela Drohla (Ed.): Leo N. Tolstoj. All the stories. Eighth volume. Insel, Frankfurt am Main 1961 (2nd edition of the edition in eight volumes 1982, edition used)

Web links

annotation

  1. ↑ The byline singer Vasily Petrovich Schtschegoljonok ( ru: Щеголёнок, Василий Петрович (1817–1894)), an illiterate person with a phenomenal memory, had hosted Tolstoy in Yasnaya Polyana in 1879 more than twenty of the fairy tales and legends. Later the author made a number of stories out of it - for example 1881 What People Live On , 1885 The Pilgrims and The Three Old Men , 1905 Kornej Wasiljew and Das Gebet (Russian Молитва, Molitwa ) and 1907 The Old Man in the Church (Russian Старик в церкви , Starik w zerkwi ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ru: Круг чтения, Krug Tschtenija
  2. ↑ Marietta Boiko : Commentary on the text (Russian)
  3. ↑ Vol. 14 of the 1983 Tolstoy edition (Russian)
  4. ↑ Edition used, p. 118, 3. Zvo