Russian Short Stories 03/03/22
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No, this is not about the war in Ukraine. It's about an actual book.
I bought a small paperback a couple months ago at a used book store.
The ramshackle shop smelled of plumbing issues, the very antithesis of
what one would hope for when perusing dusty old books. But before my
nose gave out, I did stumble on something that looked promising; "15
Great Russian Short Stories" by John W. Strahan, 1965.
Foolishly, I read one of the stories to the kids. I think the casual
irony of "Death of a Government Clerk" was lost on them. The book sat
on the shelf for a bit, as I focused on other things.
Today, it stood out to me. Russia is very present right now, even in
casual conversation. Overnight, it has become quite popular (again) in
the western world, for everyone to hate Russia. It's been alarmingly
popular and swift. I'm not comfortable with how agile people's anger
and emotions are in the public square. One moment they're livid about
one thing, and the next moment they've forgotten what it was they were
angry about in favor of some new spectre.
In any case, I picked up the little paperback and flipped through it.
For better or for worse, I flipped to an introduction of Maxim Gorky.
I'll quote the whole thing here for you (with credit to John W
Strahan, of course):
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"Alexei Maximovich Peshkov(1868-1936), better known by his psuedonym,
Maxim Gorky, meaning bitter, was born in Nizhni Novgorod (now Gorky)
on the Volga. Early orphaned, he left his poverty-stricken home at the
age of twelve for a life of vagabondage with the tramps of Southern
Russia. He worked as a "casual" in the seaports of the Black Sea, in
the summer joining the barefoot brigades which tramped from Odessa to
the Crimea and from the Crimea to the prairies of the Norther Caucasus
where they were welcomed at harvest time.
"He returned to Russia in 1928 to be royally welcomed. He was a friend
of both Lenin and Stalin.
"He died in 1936 and the cause of his death may still remain a
mystery. As he suffered from tuberculosis all his life, it may well be
that he died of natural causes. However, in 1936, his death triggered
one of Stalin's most spectacular purges of the Treason Trials when the
attending physicians, labeled Troskyite-Fascits, were executed for
having plotted to poison Gorky.
"In an early letter to Chekhov, he wrote:
"'From age of ten, I have had to stand on my own feet. I had no time
to study. I could only gulp life and work, and life warmed me with
blows of the fists, and stoked me with everything good and bad,
finally got me warmed up, got me started.'
"He also gulped books of all sorts, greedily devouring them wherever
and whenever he could lay hands on them.
"He was fortunate in his friendships with Korolenko, the novelist, and
Checkhove, both of whom were of great assistance to him in his initial
literary efforts.
"He began writing in 1892, and by 1898 had won fame in Russia with his
collected tales and, abroad in 1902, with his play The Lower Depths.
"His early stories were romantic tales of tramps and gypsies; he
abandoned these for socialist realism, for stories and plays of
depressing lives described with Defoe-like accuracy and, finally, for
exposing capitalist society in a Marxist fashion (Mother, Clim
Samgin).
"Before making any definitive evaluation of Gorky, the man, the
artist, and the political figure, it is to be hoped that there will be
found, as Gleb Struve says, "someone to strip his true face of
artificial hagiographic varnish."
"'Chelkash' was written in 1894 and published in 1895 in a journal for
young folks, Russkoe Bogatsvo, No. 6 (Russian Treasures). It was
included in Volume I of Sketches and Stories, 1898. Both in the
journal and in the 1898 edition, it was simply entitled "Episode."
Korolenko was instrumental in its publication in the journal.
The essence of the story was given Gorky by a barefoot hobo, a former
grenadier soldier who was in the next bed to his in the hospital at
Kiolaev.
"In the first edition there was a scene in which Chelkash observes the
games of street urchins. This was later omitted on Korolenko's advice.
"The background is authentic, for Gorky had known and worked with such
'ex-people,' as he himself called them, as Chelkash.
"The men he describes are not heroes, but the most ordinary of
human beings, whom he vividly characterizes against a background of
nature--a calm sea or turbulent waves.
"Men who have broken with regular society, never accepting the
yoke of permanent work--miserably poor but never whining--with a
devil-may-care attitude and a dream of some day 'making it'--alienated
and rootless but with a fierce pride and self-respect and an
unswerving loyalty to freedom--such a man is the thief and hobo
Chelkash.
"In contrast is the peasant Gavrily--also poor, but lacking that
spark. A prisoner of his own proper little world, somewhat of
a hypocrite--fiercely greedy--he will demean himself, lose his
self-respect, even commit murder for money, and yet remain chained to
his poor little plot of land, whining and trying to stand in well with
God for good of his eternal soul.
"For the Gavrilas, Gorky has understanding mingled with impatient
contempt, but for the Chelkashes of this world, because of their dream
and their free spirit, Gorky has both sypathy and empathy."
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Notwithstanding the fact that people around me seem to feel like now
is the time to hate all things Russian, I'm inclined to find John W
Strathan's description of 'Chelkash' quite fascinating. Rather than
burn the book in solidarity with the Ukraine, I think I'll read
'Chelkash' and see what it has to offer.
As a bonus, there's an old receipt from 4 Feb 1966 in here, which I'll
use as a bookmark.
