Павлин

by Nikolai Leskov, Николай Лесков

Рассказ, впервые опубликованный в 1874 году.

86 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1874

About the author

also:
Николай Лесков
Nikolaj S. Leskow
Nikolai Leskov
Nikolai Lesskow
Nikolaj Semënovič Leskov
Nikolaĭ Semenovich Leskov
Nikolai Ljeskow
Н. С. Лѣсков-Стебницкий
Микола Лєсков

Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov (Russian: Николай Семёнович Лесков; 16 February 1831 — 5 March 1895) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, playwright, and journalist who also wrote under the pseudonym M. Stebnitsky. Praised for his unique writing style and innovative experiments in form, and held in high esteem by Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov and Maxim Gorky among others, Leskov is credited with creating a comprehensive picture of contemporary Russian society using mostly short literary forms. His major works include Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (1865) (which was later made into an opera by Shostakovich), The Cathedral Clergy (1872), The Enchanted Wanderer (1873), and "The Tale of Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and the Steel Flea" (1881).

Leskov was born at his parent's estate in Oryol Gubernia in 1831. He received his formal education at the Oryol Lyceum. In 1847 Leskov joined the Oryol criminal court office, later transferring to Kiev where he worked as a clerk, attended university lectures, mixed with local people, and took part in various student circles. In 1857 Leskov quit his job as a clerk and went to work for the private trading company Scott & Wilkins owned by Alexander Scott, his aunt's English husband. He spent several years traveling throughout Russia on company business. It was in these early years that Leskov learned local dialects and became keenly interested in the customs and ways of the different ethnic and regional groups of Russian peoples. His experiences during these travels provided him with material and inspiration for his future as a writer of fiction.

Leskov's literary career began in the early 1860s with the publication of his short story "The Extinguished Flame" (1862), and his novellas Musk-Ox (May 1863) and The Life of a Peasant Woman (September, 1863). His first novel No Way Out was published under the pseudonym M. Stebnitsky in 1864. From the mid 1860s to the mid 1880s Leskov published a wide range of works, including journalism, sketches, short stories, and novels. Leskov's major works, many of which continue to be published in modern versions, were written during this time. A number of his later works were banned because of their satirical treatment of the Russian Orthodox Church and its functionaries. In his last years Leskov suffered from angina pectoris and asthma. He died on 5 March 1895. He was interred in the Volkovo Cemetery in Saint Petersburg, in the section reserved for literary figures.

Reviews

[Pascale · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very Russian story... the titular character is Pavline, a former serf who has become the inflexible right-hand man of a fierce landlady, who doesn't hesitate to have the windows removed from the lodgings of her tenants in mid-winter if they are late with the rent by one minute. Although he secretly despises his boss, Pavline scrupulously carries out her barbarous orders. Eventually he takes pity on a young orphan whom he raises as his own until she turns into a bewitching teenager. Pavline has sensible plans to make his ward independent through manual work, but the landlady has other plans. Distraught that her only son spends a fortune on courtesans, she reckons it will be much cheaper if he makes that girl his mistress. The girl herself, Liouba, is only too keen to spend time with the landlady and her son, whom she considers her true allies. Foolishly, she despises her lower-class benefactor, who spends his entire savings on her frippery. As you might imagine, things go badly wrong for Liouba. Her worthless lover is sent into exile for petty theft. Pavline, who had married her to give her social status and protection, gets it into his head to pursue the lover and force him to marry Liouba. To that hand, he fakes his own death. Of course the degenerate lover makes a wretched husband for Liouba, who ends up in a convent. Leskov could have got more mileage out of the class-conscious and selfish Liouba, but it's Pavline's self-sacrifice he is really interested in. Too bad Pavline didn't just give Liouba a good thrashing instead of treating her like... an icon.

[Trounin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Не появиться “Павлину” среди произведений Лескова, не посети он Валаам и не встреть там старого знакомого. Благо, тот всегда вызывал сомнение в способности к адекватному поведению. Зная нрав героев Николая, не удивляешься, каким красочным получился персонаж. Прозывали его Павлином, когда он служил у тётки Лескова, у которой они с матерью снимали комнату, носил цветастую ливрею и требовал плату вперёд, иначе выставлял окна, чем запускал в помещение уличный холод. Тяжёлый нрав этого человека доставлял множество неприятностей, поэтому вместо спора с ним, все предпочитали уступать требованиям. Им ничего не оставалось иного, так как тётка словно ему потворствовала, тем самой себе облегчая взятие платы за проживание в её квартирах.

(c) Trounin