The Short Story of the seventeenth number from Pus

The Short Story of the seventeenth number "from Pushkin”


Anton Pavlovich Chekhov comes to Maxim Gorky's cafe-library.

Readers of library were delighted to his arrival and have begun to ask him:

- Anton Pavlovich, we heard the opinion that Gogol had a presentiment of the Crimean war (1853-1856) and its results, and You - of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) and its consequences. Of course, we are talking about a very generalized foreboding, in an art form, in an art representation. In this sense, someone may call Gogol predecessor of Chekhov. But what about Pushkin?

- Pushkin – our everything!

- It is clear. But some people say, what Pushkin after the events of December 25, 1825 and after the call to the tsar read  to Nicholas I a fragments of "Boris Godunov". "Boris Godunov" - the work ingenious. But the interconnection of "Boris Godunov" with events of February-March, 1917, with overthrow of a dynasty of Romanov, and, in general, with falling of the monarchy in Russia, - this interconnection seems a little artificial.

- Pushkin – the Sun of the Russian literature!

- We agree. But we read "Ward No. 6", we meet her characters. How do characters of "Ward No. 6" correspond to characters of "Boris Godunov"?

- And a fool for Christ (yurodivy, Holy Fool), - he  whether isn't a person, somewhat not quite normal from a point of view of some people?

- Of course, the element of truth in such point of view is presented. But a distance between the "Holy Fool", one of characters of "Boris Godunov", and patients of "Ward No. 6" nevertheless extremely big.

- Pushkin is the founder of modern Russian literature!

- We understand it and we support. But it would be desirable to understand how Pushkin and his creativity influenced you when writing "Ward No. 6".

"I have come into library", - Chekhov has thought, - "I wanted to remember with Gorky the honorariums, restaurants, the Crimea, The Art Theater …" ""well, well... A nice".

Chekhov has sighed and said to readers:

- The Pushkin's works need to be read and known!

- We read! We read!

- Here and perfectly! And whom was Germann, the main character of "The Queen of Spades" by Pushkin?

- He was an engineer! Engineering military officer!

- And what this engineering officer has constructed? What has he created?

Readers have in embarrassment become silent.

- By what way this Germann, the engineer, engineering military officer, has decided to be approved in life? He was shuffling a decks of cards, a playing cards? Rewrote love letters from the German novel? Attempted to find out mysterious three cards? "Three, seven, ace!" He was staking in a card game? And what was the end of this, so-called, engineer??

Readers continued to be silent in embarrassment.

- It seems, he has gone crazy and he has appeared in hospital, - someone from readers has spoken.

- And in what "number" [room] he has appeared?

Readers again remained silent.

- How many will 7 minus 1? - Chekhov joked.

- 17! His "number" was 17, - Anton Pavlovich explained.

Taking advantage of the silence of readers, Chekhov repeated:

- Read Pushkin, gentlemen!

And, thanking the readers of the library for their attention, Chekhov went toward Maxim Gorky - to remember together the honorariums, restaurants, Crimea, The Art Theatre…


September 26, 2018 20:54


Translation from Russian into English: September 27, 2018 19:53.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский “Рассказ о семнадцатом нумере “из Пушкина””.