Поединок

by Aleksandr Kuprin, Александр Иванович Куприн

Her mourth was almost pressed against his, and her words were like quick, hurried kisses: "You must absolutely go through with the duel tomorrow."

This is an account of the final days of Czarist Russia. An absorbing saga about the brutalities of military life upon its own soldiers. Stranded at a distant outpost, young Romashov finds himself obliged to fight a duel — over something he realizes is meaningless. As the novel hurtles toward a startling conclusion, it reveals itself to be a luminous depiction of the end of an era.

Genres: Russia, Fiction, Classics, Russian Literature, Literature, 20th Century, Ebooks

285 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1905

About the author

Aleksandr Kuprin (Russian: Александр Иванович Куприн; 7 September 1870 in the village of Narovchat in the Penza Oblast - August 25, 1938 in Leningrad) was a Russian writer, pilot, explorer and adventurer who is perhaps best known for his story The Duel (1905). Other well-known works include Moloch (1896), Olesya (1898), Junior Captain Rybnikov (1906), Emerald (1907), and The Garnet Bracelet (1911) (which was made into a 1965 movie). Vladimir Nabokov styled him the Russian Kipling for his stories about pathetic adventure-seekers, who are often "neurotic and vulnerable."

Kuprin was a son of Ivan Ivanovich Kuprin, a minor government official who died of cholera during 1871 at the age of thirty-seven years. His mother, Liubov' Alekseevna Kuprina, Tatar princess (of the Kulunchakovs), like many other nobles in Russia, had lost most of her wealth during the 19th century. Kuprin attended the Razumovsky boarding school during 1876, and during 1880 finished his education in the Second Moscow Military High School (Cadet Corps) and Alexander Military School, spending a total of ten years in these elite military institutions. His first short story, The Last Debut, was published during 1889 in a satirical periodical. "In February 1902, Kuprin and Maria Karlovna Davydova were married, their daughter Lidia born in 1903." Kuprin's mother died during 1910.

Kuprin ended military service during 1894, after which he tried many types of job, including provincial journalism, dental care, land surveying, acting, circus performer, church singer, doctor, hunter, fisher, etc. Reportedly, "all of these were subsequently reflected in his fiction." His first essays were published in Kiev in two collections. Reportedly, "although he lived in an age when writers were carried away by literary experiments, Kuprin did not seek innovation and wrote only about the things he himself had experienced and his heroes are the next generation after Chekhov's pessimists."

Although the 1896 short story Moloch first made his name known as a writer, it was his novel The Duel (1905) which made him famous. "Kuprin was highly praised by fellow writers including Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky, Leonid Andreyev, Nobel Prize-winning Ivan Bunin" and Leo Tolstoy who acclaimed him a true successor to Chekhov. After publication of The Duel he paid less and less interest to fancy literature and began to spend time in pubs and brothels. His sensationalist novel about the lurid life of prostitutes, The Pit (1915), was accused by Russian critics of excessive Naturalism.

Although not a conservative, he did not agree with Bolshevism. While working for a brief time with Maxim Gorky at the World Literature publishing company, he criticized the Soviet regime. During spring 1919, from Gatchina near Petrograd, Kuprin left the country for France. He lived in Paris for most of the next 17 years, succumbing to alcoholism. He wrote about this in much of his work. He eventually returned to Moscow on May 31, 1937, just a year before his death, at the height of the Great Purge. His return earned publication of his works within the Soviet Union.

Kuprin died during the spring of 1938 in Leningrad and is interred near his fellow writers at the Literaturskiye Mostki in the Volkovo Cemetery (Volkovskoye Memorial Cemetery) in Leningrad. A minor planet 3618 Kuprin, discovered by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh in 1979 is named after him.

Reportedly, "even today, Alexander Kuprin remains one of the widest read classics in Russian literature", with many films based on his works, "which are also read over the radio", partly due to "his vivid stories of the lives of ordinary people and unhappy love, his descriptions of the military and brothels, making him a writer for all times and places."

Reviews

[Czarny Pies · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Duel” was unquestionably a five-star novel at the time it was published in May 1905 when the Russo-Japanese War was still on-going. At a time, when the Tsarist Military forces were being humiliated, Kuprin’s novel offered a scathing critique of Russia’s army and Russian social mores.
Drawing on over ten years experience as a cadet and officer, Kuprin portrays the Russian army as being incompetent and having a foul culture. The training is oriented purely toward the parade ground. No practical combat skills are being taught. The officers beat their soldiers and are indifferent towards their duties living in self-inflicted poverty as their salaries are inadequate to sustain the lifestyle that they are expected to sustain (i.e. drinking, gambling and having a full-time servant to do their laundry.) Unfortunately for the protagonist, Romashov, the military way of life also seduction and duelling which will bring his life to a very early end.
“The Duel” was very well received when it came out. Kuprin’s literary peers (including Chekhov, Tolstoy, Gorki, and Bunin) hailed it as a masterpiece. Sales were excellent. “The Duel” was popular because it was more than a brilliant parody of an army that was in the process of making a public spectacle of its ineptitude on battlefield. Kuprin also managed to show that the problems in the army were due to the basic ills of an autocratic political regime that stifled personal initiative and required from its citizens mindless adherence to outdated methods.
I read this book because it was mentioned by Nina Berbova in her remarkable book of memoirs "The Italics are Mine" / "C'est moi qui le souligne" Nina Berberova, considered Kuprin to be a realist in the school of Bunin and Chmeliov. I was surprised then to find that the style of "The Duel" was quite Gogolesque.
Kuprin might have had a successful career in the new communist regime. His friend of Gorki even introduced him to Lenin. Kuprin, however, was by nature too much of a non-conformist to ever fit into the Soviet mode. He fled to France in 1920 but always had regrets and returned shortly before his death in 1938.
“The Duel” is a wonderful novel for someone who has already read a great number of Russian novels and historical works on the era. For those which only modest familiarity with the literary and political context, its charms may prove elusive.

[Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forgot to bring a book today when I had a very long wait in-between tasks in the morning and afternoon. So on to the library and went and picked up this title, apt for the occasion considering my outrage about my forgetting to bring a book, and delighted myself with this story, mainly a long soliloquy of a leader of thieves complaining about being implicated with some pogroms done against Jews in old Russia. A self-confessed leader of criminals extolling the virtues of their profession, painting all its virtues, in the face of a more major offense against humanity.

[Silent Polyglot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book! Actually, it was one of the best Russian classic books I’ve read this year! ❤️

[Marc Gerstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a book ahead of its time.

The setting is very much of its time and place; a regiment of the Russian army in the late 1800s, a time without war when the military’s only mission was to drill and maintain a state of preparedness. And as the title suggests (or at least the imprecise often-used English translation “The Duel”), there’s a matter of old time honor at stake here.

But everything else reflects the future. Kuprin’s reverence for the glorious military pretty much matches what Heller dhows us in “Catch 22.” The protagonist, an officer named Romashov, would fit quite comfortable as the leading character in a novel by Updike, Bellow or Roth with perhaps echoes of Holden Caulfield. As an incredibly in-his-head character he analyzes, perhaps overanalyzes, everything. But we’re not dealing here with the sort of grand philosopher type we see from Tolstoy or Dostoevsky. Romashov would be much more at home in a contemporary wellness retreat, or striding into a yoga class. Perhaps he reincarnates as Alex Portnoy.

It’s definitely an interesting take on Tsarist military life.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this, I have a clear understanding of why the Tsarist army would've looked at Communism and said: "That sounds great!"

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a tough read for me, taking me several weeks to read as I would easily put it down and ended up making myself read something from it every day to complete it. It's not that I didn't receive any enjoyment from the story but rather that I couldn't connect with it on any level. For the most part it is the story of a young love-sick soldier in the Russian Tsarist Army. He visits and pines for a married woman who strings him along and his overdramatic moonings and swoonings are so over the top my eyes hurt from rolling so much. Secondary to this is the description of how tough, miserable and unfeeling life in the army was for both the soldiers and the officers, though mostly the soldiers at the hands of the officers. Our main character is an officer and though he is careless and prideful he isn't mean and sees the cruelty that goes on often trying to stop verbal and physical assaults in an unobtrusive way. The author really was in the army himself and we can see this as a reflection of what it may have actually been like to be in the Tsar's Army, and while it was terrible indeed it didn't strike me as any different than stories of other late 19th century army life. I enjoyed the army story much, much more than the "love" story. The ending though I found quite chilling in realizing that this was a book written in the year of the first Russian Revolution. One character suddenly starts waxing eloquently for several pages on how a glorious change is about to come and like a madman he describes what to him is a Utopia. To me, it was very chilling indeed, frighteningly so, as he describes how men will become "individualistic", "gods unto themselves", living in peace and me knowing in hindsight the utter slaughter and unequalled killings of their own people Communism brought to Russia. This "speech" totally turned my stomach but from an historical perspective is certainly an eye-opener!

[Smith Winston · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fortunately I got my used copy of the Melville house edition of Alexander Kuprin’s, The Duel at a time when the asking price was very reasonable. It would seem that some copies are valued at many times the price I paid. There also seems to be a number of the best authors who have written The Duel, Kuprin’s is recommended.

Writing at the end of the Russian Empire in the style known as Russian critical realism he was also writing about being a junior officer in the Imperial Russian Army. Alexander Kuprin had been just such an officer.

It is frequently pointed out that life in garrison duty, in remote backwater locations is dull. Kuprin’s Duel takes place in just such a remote soul stifling place. Here we meet Sub Lieutenant “Georgie” Romashov, a tragic version of Walter Mitty. He tends to dream of himself in 3rd person achieving greatness and doing heroic deeds. It is perhaps too clear that he will be one of the principles in some unlikely duel of honor.

That there can be honor in this regiment is an irony to itself. Kuprin quickly innumerate the ways petty and grand that the officers are cheating each other and their men. Virtually every person we meet in engages in peculiar hobbies, desperate measures to meet expenses, drunkenness and cheating. The wives are either engaged in serial love affairs or too bland and domestic to be of even passing interest.

As the book progresses it become ever harder to imagine who has stuffiest honor that it can be insulted to the point of a life or death duel. As for Romashov he does begin to mature and show glimpses of becoming a mature person, maybe even a good officer. Given the boring life of duty, the absence of even minimal big city culture and a society of disappointing people, the slow and uneven development of our protagonist into what could become maturity is the only reason to see the 300 page novel to its completion.

Kuprin it at his best making it clear Army life is petty and dull .For the enlisted it is also arbitrary and brutal. This is about 2/3 of the book and makes one has to wonder at the author’s ability to recreate dull and have the reader see it through. Imagine yourself reading and thinking “Wow this is a boring soul killing place! I can’t wait to read more!” Incidentally one gets the impression that Imperial Russia, far from the court was a place that might benefit from a revolution.

For all this I can recommend The Duel. The beginning can be hard going, but in this it is like a lot of Russian Novels. Kuprin may not be among the best known of the Russian novelists but he is worth reading.

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a realist novel about the life of a junior officer in czarist Russian. Romashov (21) has colleagues, commanders and love interests. The tale centres on the relationship with Nikoloaev and his somewhat loose wife Shirochka.

Although the title is 'the duel' the vast majority of the novel (278 pages of 306) is his life and the military setting - not a huge amount actually happens. Although arguably everything could be said to be leading up to the duel, in fact I'd say the opposite and the duel was almost intentionally 'trivial' to the narrative. At the end we are presented with a good argument against the duel and an emotional reason for it.

I've read quite a few novels where duels have occurred and this is the first novel, and I won't say anything more, in the mode by which the duel is instigated and seems so odd and unique - how weird (can this really be true?)

Overall a good naturalistic, existential novel but lacked emotion for me.

Also for me this was yet again another difficult translation where keeping with all the Russian naming conventions for the same individual was confusing - I do wish modern translations would pick/stick to a first name, last name (and perhaps nick name).

[Alec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Werther in the Russian army. A lot of romantic olfactory activity, senseless army training every other chapter, iconically, and love in a traditional dichotomy: dirty vs. lofty.
Two stars go to the language.

[César Carranza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Мне очень понравилось, я только читал раньше Яма, и это тоже хороший. Книга говорит о Ромашов, солдат, но он не точно знает что там делает, есть ли какие то смысла все это армия? Легко читается, и весело!

[Nancy Oakes]

extra copy; if someone in the US wants it, it's yours. Free. I pay postage. (Melville House Art of the Novella series).

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Слёзы восторга. Je suis Romashov.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una nota prima di cominciare. Ho provato a non spoilerare troppo o a nascondere le parti più dettagliate, ma ho sicuramente fallito e devo avvisare chiunque abbia intenzione di leggerle il romanzo che qui sotto potrebbero esserci spoiler in vista.

Forse il nome di Kuprin non dirà molto, è uno dei tanti autori stranieri di cui si sente parlare quasi per caso e di cui si scoprono traduzioni qua e là non sempre facili da trovare perché non più in stampa (dommage). Non starò qui a riportare vita, morte e miracoli, mi limito a dire che è vissuto a cavallo tra Ottocento e Novecento e che, dopo una breve parentesi nell'esercito, si è dedicato alla scrittura, è stato lodato dai suoi contemporanei (Tolstoj e Gorkij, per citare due nomi) e alle stampe ha dato racconti e romanzi, tra cui Jama (La fossa, in cui viene toccato il tema della prostituzione) e Il duello. Quest'ultimo viene pubblicato nel 1905 e ci porta in un mondo in cui Kuprin stesso si è mosso, quello militare. Protagonista della storia è Jurij Alekseevič Romašov, un giovane sottotenente dall'animo romantico, scontento della vita che è quasi costretto a seguire per necessità e innamorato di una donna che non potrà mai avere, la sua Šuročka, ovvero l'ambiziosa Aleksandra Petrovna Nikolaeva, a sua volta bloccata in un matrimonio senza amore ma sul quale ha riversato tutte le sue speranze di una vita migliore, fatta di agi e privilegi. Il lettore segue i pensieri e i tormenti di Romašov, stanco, annoiato e anche disgustato dalla vita militare, che da Kuprin viene descritta con toni che non possono essere definiti positivi (il romanzo, pubblicato a ridosso del confitto russo-giapponese da cui la Russia è uscita sconfitta, pare sia stato visto come una critica impegnata dell'autore) e mostrata nei suoi aspetti negativi. Forse Kuprin ha riversato parte della sua visione e della sua esperienza nei pensieri di Romašov, che ha aspirazioni letterarie e non si sente più il fascino della vita da soldato, magari vista un tempo con ammirazione romantica, ma che ora gli si è rivelata come un insieme di marce e parate tediose in cui conta più la forma, di superiori che ricorrono con estrema facilità alla violenza verbale e fisica, di uomini che non reggono i ritmi e finiscono per sperperare tutto il loro denaro e darsi alla bottiglia, un insieme in cui l'io non esiste più e viene soffocato da un opprimente noi. Viene da sé che uno spirito romantico e sentimentale come quello di Romašov, che sogna spesso ad occhi aperti e descrive se stesso e gli altri in terza persona, come se stesse mentalmente scrivendo il romanzo della sua vita, è tutto fuorché tagliato per questo tipo di esistenza. I suoi turbamenti e il suo profondo e angosciante malaise, accompagnati spesso e volentieri da poetiche descrizioni dell'ambiente naturale circostante, me lo hanno fatto apparire come un personaggio che si muove nell'epoca sbagliata o che comunque non troverà mai risposte e tranquillità con una divisa addosso e una baionetta in mano, anche perché il tipo di vita che ha scelto e che lo tiene mortalmente legato lo ha anche immobilizzato (in poche parole, è quel tipo di personaggio che non sa stare al mondo e non sa come vivere per cui ho di solito un debole, warts and all). Romašov vorrebbe andare via, ma non ha mai il coraggio di prendere una decisione definitiva, di mollare tutto e cercare la sua vera strada nel modo e questa sua immobilità porta, infine, anche al tragico epilogo
la tua amante ti sarà diventata anche sgradevole dopo un po', ma non puoi credere e sperare che ignorarla sia il modo giusto per rompere la vostra relazione. Ed è anche vero con puoi neanche aspettarti che venga spalleggiata dal marito cornuto nella sua assurda vendetta e che finirai per pagare questa vendetta inutile con la vita, ma pensare ingenuamente che non fare nulla possa far andare le cose come vuoi tu non è esattamente sinonimo di riuscita non funziona sempre, purtroppo non è così che si risolvono i problemi
Come tutti gli spiriti romantici e tormentati che si rispettino, Romašov ama profondamente una donna che non può avere e a cui, però, non vuole rinunciare. Aleksandra Petrovna, la sua tanto amata Šuročka, ricambia in parte questo sentimento, ma la sua esistenza è consacrata ad altro, ovvero all'ambizioso desiderio di avanzare in società, di lasciare la vita tediosa del reggimento stanziato lontano dal cuore pulsante dell'impero e tutto ciò che brama viene riversato su un marito che non ama, ma che è la sua unica ancora di salvezza e la sua sola speranza. Già in passato era stata sinceramente amata da un uomo, un altro soldato, ma avendo visto in lui un debole che non avrebbe mai potuto darle ciò che voleva, aveva frenato i suoi sentimenti. Romašov conosce bene questa persona e la sua storia, è forse l'unico collega (un altro amareggiato e scontento dalla vita militare, arrivato alla bottiglia) che apprezza e con cui ha in comune l’animo sognatore e idealista, eppure non può fare a meno di amare Šuročka (che gli ha apertamente detto come stanno le cose più di una volta) con tutto se stesso e, accecato da questo amore irrequieto, finisce per pagare un prezzo molto alto.
Il duello che dà il titolo al romanzo si materializza verso la fine, ma rimane più un'ombra che qualcosa di concreto, e vista la conclusione e la decisione di Kuprin di
chiudere con un capitolo brevissimo che ci riporta l'esito tragico del duello dopo che nel precedente Romašov ottiene l'amore di Aleksandra Petrovna per una notte e si fa convincere a non chiedere il trasferimento in riserva per andare avanti col duello, ovvero l’unico modo per non compromettere la reputazione di Nikolaev e quindi per non rovinare per sempre i sogni in grande della donna
non posso dire di non essere rimasta un po' delusa. Il finale tragico era nell'aria già dalla prima riga, sapevo che sarebbe andata così perché, appunto, un personaggio così alienato dall'ambiente in cui si muove ed è costretto a muoversi non può finire bene (o comunque non sempre), però speravo in una risoluzione meno "sbrigativa" che mi avrebbe portato di nuovo nella testa di Romašov e fatto vivere i suoi pensieri nel momento fatale. O forse, non so, il titolo vuole essere anche simbolico, il duello di cui il romanzo dovrebbe parlare non è solamente quello tra due uomini che si sfidano gridando all'onore infangato o all'insulto, ma anche lo scontro tra l'ideale e il reale che caratterizza l'esperienza di Romašov.
Alla fine della fiera, insomma, non riesco a dare più di tre stelle, perché sì, è un buon romanzo, Kuprin meriterebbe di essere tradotto o ristampato e se non avessi dovuto leggere la traduzione inglese dell’anteguerra avrei apprezzato di più (ho un problema con i russi tradotti in inglese, mi sembrano sempre sottotono e tediosi, cosa che in realtà non sono), però mi è mancato qualcosa, soprattutto sul finale. Da un romanzo che mi aveva promesso tanto e tanto aveva avuto da dire in ogni capitolo mi sarei aspettata uno sforzo in più.

[Javier de la Peña Ontanaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

La novela narra las peripecias del subteniente Romáshov, su vida en el ejército imperial ruso y sus relaciones con la alta sociedad, especialmente con su amada Shúrochka, la esposa del teniente Nikoláiev, con quien acaba batiéndose a duelo al final de la novela.

El duelo tiene todo lo que me gusta de la gran literatura rusa de finales del siglo XIX: pomposidad, ambientes clásicos, soirées, intrigas amorosas... pero la novela no consiguió engancharme (también tuvo algo que ver el dichoso virus) y por momentos se hace pesado. También hay otros momentos álgidos, como la conversación al final y antes del duelo con su amigo Nazanski, que le insta a olvidarse de duelos y disfrutar de la vida.

El final también queda abierto. Su amada Shúrochka le revela que el duelo está amañado y que no quiere heridos. Ella no ama a su marido, pero tiene interés en seguir con él pues le da acceso a todos los privilegios y no quiere que un estúpido duelo entre borrachos amargue sus planes que tiene diseñados. Una misteriosa carta final informa del duelo y de la muerte de Romáshov, pero no se puede saber si es una cortina de humo o si, en verdad, Nikoláiev mató a Romáshov.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Куприн - мастер психологического портрета благодаря не только описаниям внешности и внутренниих монологов. В большей степени именно действия героев показывают нам их характер и раскрывают всю палитру принципов и чувств персонажей. Зачастую таких, о которых и сами герои не догадывались. И тем близки нам произведения Куприна. Ибо в каждом из нас есть что-то правильное, мерило прекрасного и благородного, чувство того, что невозможно обмануть никакими аргументами и увещеваниями.
Короче, рассказ гениален. Попробуйте начертить синусоиду настроения главного героя на протяжении повествования и отметить точками события его жизни. Подпишите события у точек. Прекрасная схема, не так ли?!

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished THE DUEL (1905) by Alexander Kuprin (1870-1938), about a sensitive young officer, Romashov, trying without much success to survive life on a lonely military outpost. He falls in love with the wife of one of his fellow officers, eventually leading to, of course, the Duel. The focus of most of the novel, however, is the degrading life of those trapped in military careers of late 19th-century Russia. Like the character Romashov, Kuprin himself served in the Russian army as a sublieutenant from 1890 to 1894. His addiction to alcohol ended a promising literary career.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

bacheha kesi in ketabo khoondeh?chapesh gahdimie va nemidoonam alan hast ya na.yadame avaiele karam bood (saale 76)reyisam engahdr karamo zood anjam midadam va ba'desh sholoogh mikaradam o nemizashtam baghie kar konan,bargasht goft"engar ye ketab hamrat bood,bizahmat beshin hamoono bekhoon!)oon ketab hamin ketab bood;)

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have arranged my takeaway thoughts on this short story into a haiku:

"Just like all artists,
Thieves crave renown, but they'll take,
At least, their good name."

[Oreon · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Офіцери, офіцери...», «Офіцери Расії, вся надія на Вас...»
«Поручик Галіцин, подайте бокали
Корнет Оболєнський, налийте вина...» ну і так далі «Роздайте патрони, поручик Галіцин... на бій надихає Расія-страна...»

Ще з радянського дитинства, під впливом подібних пісень і фільмів про ті часи у мене складалося якесь романтичне враження про офіцерство, гардемарини, честь і обов'язок. Незважаючи на перемогу революції комуністів, радянська влада намагалася героїзувати навіть царське минуле, перемога над яким так звеличувалася з іншого боку. Ось така дуалістична єдність протилежностей та фактична наступність режимів, незважаючи на відмову повертат�� борги. Твір же Купріна розкриває нам реальність з іншого боку, очима людини-сучасника, яка бачила реальність зсередини і присвятила службі кілька років своєї молодості. Що мені подобається в авторі, він не намагається щось ідеалізувати чи використовувати прийом залучення награного романтичного ореолу. Навпаки Купрін намагається показувати життя та його прояви як воно є: сувора буденність та сірість. На сторінках твору немає місця романтиці служби, награному героїзму, єднанню з «великою метою становлення Російської імперії», зате тут є пияцтво, чвакаючий бруд під ногами, лайка і побої офіцерами солдатів, розгульне і загульне життя офіцерів та їхніх дружин, тупість і сліпе слідування статуту. Ні, звичайно, не все так похмуро і є деякі позитивні прояви, але в цілому жодного позитивного героя тут немає. Стає цікаво, як мали реагувати сучасники автора на цей твір, особливо армія, офіцери, зокрема й ті з ким він служив у одному з таких містечок?

На цьому Купрін не зупиняється і в його творі грають навіть нотки трансцендентального (більше потім зазвучали, наприклад, у Пєлєвіна): «Я - це всередині, - думав Ромашов, - а все інше - це стороннє, це - не Я. Ось ця кімната , вулиця, дерева, небо, полковий командир, поручик Андрусевич, служба, прапор, солдати — все це не Я. Ні, ні, це не Я... Я бачу руку, піднімаю її вгору — це Я. Те, що я тепер думаю, це теж Я. І якщо я захочу піти, це Я. І ось я зупинився - це Я. О, як це дивно, як просто і як дивовижно. Можливо, у всіх є це Я? А може, не в усіх? Може, ні в кого, крім мене?...

Гм... а ти забув? Батьківщина? Колиска? Прах батьків? Вівтарі?.. А військова честь та дисципліна? Хто захищатиме твою батьківщину, якщо в неї вторгнуться іноземні вороги?.. Так, але я помру, і не буде більше ні батьківщини, ні ворогів, ні честі. Вони живуть, поки живе моя свідомість. Але зникни батьківщина, і честь, і мундир, і всі великі слова, моє Я залишиться недоторканним. Отже, все-таки моє Я важливіше за всі ці поняття про обов'язок, про честь, про любов? Ось я служу... А раптом моє Я скаже: не хочу!...»

Я взяв на себе сміливість перекласти цю цитату, бо з недавніх пір мене верне від всього кацапського, в тому числі і від вкраплення їхньої мови у моєму відгуку. Не знаю як повів би себе Купрін, якби жив у наш час, ясно одне честі у них не було як тоді, так і тепер, а теперішнє їхнє м'ясо (це вже стало синонімом-замінником, поняття, коли йдеться про їхній народ) ніколи не читало цих рядків. Зато «алтарі»... видно «скрєпи» ще з тих пір..., тим і цікаво почитати класиків, щоби трохи звільнитися від шор і поглядів навіяних пропагандою. Купрін видно черпає своє натхнення в інших класиків на кшталт Достоєвського, Чехова, ..., намагаючись докопатися до суті речей, розкрити всю психологію та підспідок мотивів та вчинків. Подібно до Достоєвського препаруючого мотиви і вчинки студента Раскольникова, або ж подібно до того, як сам автор в «Ямі» досліджував спіднє публічного дому, в «Поєдинку» Купрін препарує виворіт офіцерське життя в особі молодого субалтерн-офіцера Ромашова. Його герой обтяжується своїм жалюгідним життям, зітхає про дружину одного зі своїх колег офіцерів і блудить з дружиною іншого, ходить на безглузді провінційні офіцерські «бали» і бере участь у пиятиках. Зате його серце не чуже співчуттю до інших і він не приймає лайки та рукоприкладства до рядових солдатів. (До речі, наприкінці твору є сцена будинку розпусти, яка прямо зійшла з декорацій подій, що відбуваються в «Ямі».)

Отже, 2/3 присвятивши розносу понять честі, обов'язку, служби батьківщині, слід розуміти у тому вигляді, у якому молодий Купрін відчув їх у роки своєї служби, письменник закінчує прикладом жіночого підступу і драматичною розв'язкою.

Цікаво, якщо вдуматися, що їхні, а колись і наші, ЗМІ несли певну «богообраність» росії, росії на варті справжнього православ'я, останній оплот у боротьбі зі вселенським злом, причому не тільки на сучасному історичному рубежі, але й країни, яка з давніх-давен шанує свої «духовні скріпи». Хоча, якщо вдуматися, в ту сірість і безвихідь, яку Купрін описує далеко не тільки в даному романі, в ту епоху сто років і більше тому і уявити, що люди були б справді духовними і богобоязливими, то не було б ні трагедії Гранатового браслета, ні жаху Ями ні драми даного роману, ні теперішньої війни — брехали і брешуть. Брехня - то чи не центрова і давня їхня скрепа, а ще рабство і розбій. Це давній відгук, трохи осучаснений, тепер я в очікуванні, коли нарешті накриється розбитим коритом їхня недострана.

[vetathebooksurfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

#книжныйотзыв | Александр Иванович Куприн «Поединок», 1905

«— Бить солдата бесчестно... Нельзя бить человека, который не только не может тебе ответить, но даже не имеет права поднять руку к лицу, чтобы защититься от удара. Не смеет даже отклонить головы. Это стыдно!»

В небольшом уездном городе ближе к югу России располагается полк. В нем числятся и солдаты-рекруты, и офицеры. Над каждым висит опасность застрять на всю жизнь в низком чине, мыкаться на небольшое жалование, терпеть рукоприкладство. Юные офицеры видят, что их ждет бесконечное прозябание в не самом приятном обществе (если свои же начальники не начнут лупить), поэтому и самоубийства в полку не редки.

Подпоручик Георгий Ромашов всего несколько лет находится в полку, но уже оставил честолюбивые мечты (см. Юнкера, которые, кстати, были написаны намного позже), забросил книги и творчество. Не смотря на некрасивую связь с замужней женщиной — чем в полку не брезгуют, — у него есть некоторая отрада: посещать Александру Петровну, жену поручика Николаева, и беседы с городским чудаком Назанским. Ромашов подумывает бросить службу, но не имеет ни малейшего представления, куда податься.

Формально у офицеров есть возможность поступить в академию и перевестись в столицу, но такое удается далеко не всем. Буквально среда не способствует. Однако Александра Петровна упорно надеется устроить своего мужа в академию, ради этого она репетиторствует с ним, в состоянии ответить на многие вопросы из программы.

Надо сказать, что рекрутская армия в сословном обществе — еще то счастье. Либо тебя по воле случая загоняют в армию на длительный срок, либо ты, будучи желторотым мальчиком, получаешь какое-никакое образование и идешь обучать солдат, вчерашних крестьян, соображающих не хуже тебя в сельском хозяйстве, но по нулям в точных науках. Потолок твоих возможностей — это шпынять, требовать заучивать устав, как попугай, стоять и сидеть по команде и срывать зло на тех, кто под руку попадется.

«Сами через год, если только вас не выпрут из полка, будете по мордасам щелкать»

Куприн одновременно отмечает и иерархию, которая поддерживается в полку, и насилие, порождающее насилие, и своеобразный взгляд на дуэль, как на прореживание в полку подлецов и трусов. Куприн доводит ситуацию до крайности, показывая, как подпоручик в начале еще держится, смеется над собой, а под конец мечется по собранию офицеров то ли в отчаянии, то ли в пьяном угаре.

По структуре произведение немного напоминает мой любимый «Молох»: герой презирает высшее общество, с отчаяния оборачивается то к простому народу, то к закадычному другу, есть амбициозная женщина, ни сколько не скрывающая своих амбиций, герой в ней очаровывается, объяснение происходит на загородном пикнике.

Что хочется отметить: та самая роковая героиня, Шурочка, неплохо прописана — будь ее воля, она сама поступила бы в эту треклятую академию и дело с концом. Она не скрывает, что амбициозна и готова на многое ради карьеры мужа, которого она, будем честны, в гробу видала. У меня просто не получается питать к ней какую-то ненависть. Она видит насквозь весь эгоизм якобы «бескорыстной» любви — ее письмо к Назанскому хочется разобрать на цитаты и над кроватью повесить. Она производит впечатление расчётливого человека, не такого уж жестокого от природы, но доведённого до крайности.

«Неужели я уж так неинтересна как человек и некрасива как женщина, чтобы мне всю жизнь киснуть в этой трущобе, в этом гадком местечке; которого нет ни на одной географической карте!»

Однако, в сериале «Куприн», который я недавно посмотрела, ее прописали так, будто она готова отправить человека на смерть за петербургский бал и бирюльки.

Пост с дополнительной информацией о дуэлях в конце XIX века https://t.me/vetathebooksurfer/1880

[Лина Сакс · Rating 4 out of 5]

Все от дурости.

Что же я такое прочитала? Ну, во-первых, как плоха армия... Не удивили. Ну, то есть удивили жестокостью и цинизмом - это да, но тут я думаю не столько армия как таковая виновата, сколько само время с тем что допускалось, поощрялось, было модно. А так - это ведь все сами людишки обличенные властью, куда их не сунь, они все равно будут за чужой счет повышать свою самооценку и унижать тех, кто не может ответить. Про это даже детская книжка есть и мультик. Там более чем внятно описана данная ситуация. И если говорить о современности - то дедовщину до сих пор искоренить не могут. И это не армия виновата - армия - это люди. Все что там не происходит, происходит из-за конкретных людей, а не из-за абстрактной армии.

Во-вторых, как скучно людям жить. Особенно скучно, когда они не на своем месте. Ну, опять же это проблема всего человечества и в любой период времени. И когда им скучно... когда коту скучно, он яйца лижет. Я бы сказала - и это все о них.

Александр Куприн все же хороший психолог был. Все что происходит с людьми понятно. Понятно откуда берутся их поступки, слова, действия. Понятно как в какой-то момент, все превращается в кашу и выплескивается наружу. И все это разные люди и людишки, со своими низменными интересами. Увы, высоких интересов в данной истории не было.

В-третьих - О женщины, вам имя вероломство!
Про это тоже в данном произведении есть. И нас, между прочим автор через Назанского о таком повороте предупреждает. Мол вы как хотите, но благородных дам с высокими целями и интересами не для себя, а для Бога и Отечества, здесь не будет. Здесь будут дамочки, которые хотят быть благородными, красивыми, любимыми, которые врут другим и себе. Которые прикрываются благородством, а на самом деле... А на самом деле - читай рапорт в конце книги, вот оно их благородство.
Конечно, можно сказать, что все это не женских рук дело, а очень даже мужских, но книжку-то мы читали с самого начала, все что скрывалось за закрытыми дверьми мы знаем.

Конечно, если бы у мужчины было "ТО" благородство, которое нам так нравится, так любят описывать порой поэты, то и рапорт был другим и вообще много чего не произошло бы, но мы же помним: "И все это разные люди и людишки, со своими низменными интересами. Увы, высоких интересов в данной истории не было. "

Ожидаемый финал. Хотелось бы иначе? Да, хотелось бы, но иначе в таком гадюшнике просто не вышло бы.

А еще, это наверное, в-четвертых, была в книге прекрасная вещь, которая говорила о том, что как бы плохо не было, были хорошие инициативы, нам бы сейчас так. Не так чтобы злоебучий священик всех окропил не глядя на веру, а чтобы каждая вера присягнувшего все же была учтена.

А принимал он присягу действительно весьма оригинально. В то время когда формулу присяги читал православным – священник, католикам – ксендз, евреям – раввин, протестантам, за неимением пастора – штабс-капитан Диц, а магометанам – поручик Бек-Агамалов, – с Гайнаном была совсем особая история.

Каждому свое, чтобы каждый чувствовал себя человеком. Только нашему сегодняшнему государству, это похоже не надо...

Ой, и как не сказать о том, что я люблю стиль классической литературы. Он объемен, слова округлы. Построение предложений размашисто. Это не обрубки от предложений, это действительно красивые стройные предложения. Они не куцы, они несут в себе и информацию и красоту, как слова, так и того что описывает автор или же убожество, лживость, того что описывает автор. Это отдельное наслаждение читать такой выстроенный текст. Жаль, что текст не о чем-то хорошем...

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as an ebook. Melville House has an "Art of the Novella" series, which includes 5 titles of "The Duel", by 5 different late 19th/early 20th C authors. You can put them together yourself for less than the Melvile editions cost.
This is hard to fit in as a "novella" - page estimates go anywhere from 140 pp to 340 pp. It felt more like the latter to me.
Kuprin lead quite a life, and drank way too much. Admired by Chekhov, and once considered only second to Gorky, his later in life work suffered greatly. This was his "breakout" novel, and obviously caused quite a stir. He was in the service at the time of publication, and was "gently" forced out after this expose of the evils of the Tsarist Russian Army.
I had to slog through the first third, mostly filled with interior dialog charatcter development and some now hugely outdated late 19th C Ideas. But then the action finally picks up. We get some more Ideas towards the end, cringe worthy. Mankind is becoming more educated and aware, and Man will see through his Ego to take care of himself first, self-preservation, and War will end. Does not help that these Ideas are presented by an alcoholic officer who has the shakes!
And the woman the main character, a mere 21, loves - what a piece of work! "Unh, you have to put your life on the lone in duel, because if you just walk away there will still be questions about my honor, and my husband will never be promoted...." Oh-kay!
I will read some more Kuprin - I have another "novella" (we'll see how short this one is!), a very short book of travlel sketchs, and a book of short stories. But no, there is a reason he is not read more widely today, has not aged well at all.

[Melis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Servis yolculuğumda bitirdiğim ikinci kitabım. Kitabı okumak için servise binmeyi iple çektim diyebilirim çok sürükleyici bir kitaptı.

Romoşov’un ne istediğinden habersiz girdiği subay okulundan başlıyor bir şeyler oturmamaya..Bulunduğu yere, konuma kendisini ait hissedemeyen, hayatta farklı hiçbir deneyimi olmadığı için elinden askerlik dışında bir şey geleceğini düşünmeyen, kendi içerisinde kendini bulamayan, elinde olan şeylerden vazgeçemeye cesaret edemeyen Romoşov belkide içerisinde bulunduğu boşluk sebebiyle kendisini aşık sandığı Şuroçka için ucu karanlık bir düelloya giriyor.
Aslında hayatının bütün sorunları, mutsuzlukları onu Nikoloyev ile subay gazinosundaki kavgaya itiyor. Dışarıya çıkaramadığı duyguları, yaşayamadığı sevgi şiddet olarak ortaya çıkıyor ve maalesefki Martin Eden’ in kaldığı aidiyetsizlik duygusu sonucunda olduğu gibi ölüm şekilleri farklı olsada hakedilmemiş bir ölümle sonuçlanıyor.


Aslında herkesin hayatında böylesi durumlar yaşanabiliyor , bazen daha çabuk reaksiyonu alınıp o boşluktan çıkılabilirken bazen bu süreç daha da uzun olabiliyor. Unutmamak gerekir ki hayata bir kere geliniyor ve hayatta kalmak değilde yaşamak önemli olan..Bir şeylere cesaret edebilmek, kabuğumuzu kırabilmek, bir şeylerden vazgeçebilmek ve yenilerine açık olabilmek, kendimiz için çok doğru olduğunu düşündüğümüz şeyin aslında bizim için belkide doğru olamayacağını görebilmek ve o yolu tekrar çizebilme cesaretini gösterip beyaz sayfalar açabilmek gereklidir.
Akışta savrulmak değilde a b c planlarıyla beraber akışa güvenmek gerekir..

“Binlerce odası olan kocaman bir yapıya benzer hayat; her bir odasında ışık, şarkı, muhteşem tablolar ve zarif insanlar, kahkahalar, danslar, aşk; sanattaki yüce ve kudretli her şey.”

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

A third-rate imitator of Leo Tolstoi. One gets the feeling that Kuprin lacks his own voice. 75% of the time he is trite and predictable and sometimes even silly. He does strive to create characters that are alive, but generally fails at this; Romashov, the narrator, is probably the best defined, likely because he represents Kuprin himself, but is still a rather muddled, vague character. The others come closer to sketches than real persons. The novel is, you could say, anti-war, but being anti-war is hardly an earthshaking revelation. There are scant insights of any depth, but the trite insights are presented as if the author believes they are profound.

The romance has an odd, banal quality to it. The love language of the lovers is cliched. The straining for dramatic effect is evident in the romance scenes, which descend into chestnuts of purple prose that lack genuine believability.

The text meanders with the addition of useless, superfluous material that doesn't advance the basic plot. Episodes supposed to illustrate garrison life but not integral to the action overrun the book; indeed, this is less of a plotted novel than simply a series of repetitive sketches of military life in barracks. The plot, where it exists, seems incidental. Way too much straining for effect, and too many forced metaphors, cringeworthy in places; the romance described seems mechanical, forced, superficial, a contrivance, and reeks of predictability. There is also too much implicit moralizing on military life being 'evil'.

Kuprin's strengths are that he is writing from experience, which adds a veneer of authenticity in places.

All the same, despite its flaws, the book still stays with you to some extent as a cross between a laudable effort and a grand failure.

[Richard Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had the best description of the stultifying life of a provincial garrison town that I have ever read, even better than The Radetzky March. Romashov is a great character, young, ambitious, but totally incapable, his head in the clouds. He deplores war and the senseless cruelty of army life, but he cannot escape the culture of honor that is at the foundation of life in the Russian officer corps. He craves love, but is totally unable to bring his love past the borderline of fantasy. In short, he is a mass of contradictions, just like a real person. On the other side of the planet, one hundred years later, I can still relate to his ambitions and dreams and his total inability to realize them. He just keeps screwing up. The supporting cast is great too. Every character is damaged in some way by army life, but some manage to work out their neuroses in relatively harmless ways. For others, it is all just a road to perdition.

[Mikhail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant piece of Russian classics but not from Tolstoi or Dostoevsky. This is high Russian literature as we like it: rich language, well-described characters and philosophical deviations from the plot. It is shorter though, so I would recommend it to those who would like to try Russian classics but is humiliated by the War and Peace size.

Plot-wise, it is a good cliffhanger until the end. It also leaves a reader with a question to answer to herself which allows to enjoy coming back to the story again and again.

PS. Listened to an audio version in Russian, brilliantly read by Vsevolod Kuznetsov. Spotify has other versions (not this one) and I highly recommend prospective listeners to find Kuznetsov’s one - the Spotify versions are considerably worse than this one.

[Janet Azucena · Rating 4 out of 5]

El autor (Fallecido en 1935) representante del realismo ruso describe la vida del ejército ruso después de la guerra ruso - japonesa en donde un joven soldado a quien llama Romashov observa que en el ejército la brutalidad de los entrenamientos hacia los soldados que, demuestran la falta de habilidad y desencanto por lo que están viviendo ante una Rusia en transición e indiferencia.

La novela fue publicada en 1905 en la que el autor le dedica dicha obra a Máximo Gorki en señal de amistad y respeto mutuo.

[Weird Alchemist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you ever question yourself about what is going on? What are you doing? Did we choose to live our life how we want it or are we just taking what life is giving us? Maybe we don't even really think of things we can do. We just born into a particular regime, environment and try to live, but are the rules set by them right? Are the things we do right? We can't be the only ones who thought that, but even if many of us worship peace, forgiveness, why there are still bloodshed and violence?

[Natasha Belle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Безумно нравятся язык и стиль Куприна, но сюжет этого произведения — совсем не моё. Уездный городишко, захолустная армейская служба с её дедовщиной, поединками и сплетнями жён командиров. Главный герой, Ромашов, — мальчишка, безвольная «тряпка» и маменькин сынок, от которого невозможно дождаться хоть какой-то воли к действию. Из-за этого читать его историю было совершенно неинтересно. Концовка довольно логична.