Andrey Platonov (real name Andrey Platonovich Klimentov) (1899-1951) - Russian Soviet writer, prose writer, one of the most original Russian writers in style of the first half of the 20th century.
Andrey was born on August 28 (16), 1899 in Voronezh, in the family of a railway mechanic Platon Firsovich Klimentov. However, traditionally his birthday is celebrated on September 1st.
Andrei Klimentov studied at a parish school, then at a city school. At the age of 15 (according to some sources, already at 13) he began working to support his family. According to Platonov: “We had a family... 10 people, and I am the eldest son - one worker, except for my father. My father... could not feed such a horde.” “Life immediately turned me from a child into an adult, depriving me of my youth.”
Until 1917, he changed several professions: he was an auxiliary worker, a foundry worker, a mechanic, etc., which he wrote about in early stories“The Next One” (1918) and “Seryoga and Me” (1921).
Participated in the civil war as a front-line correspondent. Since 1918, he published his works, collaborating with several newspapers as a poet, publicist and critic. In 1920, he changed his last name from Klimentov to Platonov (the pseudonym was formed on behalf of the writer’s father), and also joined the RCP (b), but a year later at will left the party.
In 1921, his first journalistic book, Electrification, was published, and in 1922, a book of poems, Blue Depth. In 1924, he graduated from the polytechnic and began working as a land reclamation worker and electrical engineer.
In 1926, Platonov was recalled to work in Moscow at the People's Commissariat for Agriculture. He was sent to engineering and administrative work in Tambov. In the same year they wrote “Epiphanian Gateways”, “Ethereal Route”, “City of Gradov”, which brought him fame. Platonov moved to Moscow, becoming a professional writer.
Gradually, Platonov’s attitude towards revolutionary changes changes until they are rejected. His prose ( "City of Gradov", "Doubting Makar" etc.) often caused rejection of criticism. In 1929, A.M. received a sharply negative assessment. Gorky and Platonov’s novel “Chevengur” was banned from publication. In 1931, the published work “For Future Use” caused sharp condemnation by A. A. Fadeev and I. V. Stalin. After this, Platonov practically stopped being published. Stories "Pit", "Juvenile Sea", the novel "Chevengur" was released only in the late 1980s and received worldwide recognition.
In 1931-1935, Andrei Platonov worked as an engineer in the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry, but continued to write (the play "High voltage" , story "Juvenile Sea"). In 1934, the writer and a group of colleagues traveled to Turkmenistan. After this trip, the story “Jan”, the story “Takyr”, the article "On the first socialist tragedy" and etc.
In 1936-1941, Platonov appeared in print mainly as a literary critic. He publishes in magazines under various pseudonyms." Literary critic", "Literary Review", etc. Working on a novel "Journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg"(his manuscript was lost at the beginning of the war), writes children's plays "Granny's Hut", "Good Titus", "Step-Daughter".
In 1937, his story “The Potudan River” was published. In May of the same year, his 15-year-old son Platon was arrested, having returned from imprisonment in the fall of 1940, terminally ill with tuberculosis, after the efforts of Platonov’s friends. In January 1943 he died.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War the writer and his family are evacuated to Ufa, where a collection of his war stories is being published "Under the skies of the Motherland". In 1942, he volunteered to go to the front as a private, but soon became a military journalist, front-line correspondent for Red Star. Despite suffering from tuberculosis, Platonov did not leave the service until 1946. At this time, his war stories appeared in print: "Armor", "Spiritualized People"(1942), "No Death!" (1943), "Aphrodite" (1944), "Towards the Sunset"(1945), etc.
For Platonov’s story “Return” (original title “Ivanov’s Family”), published at the end of 1946, the writer was subjected to new attacks from critics the following year and was accused of slandering the Soviet system. After this, the opportunity to publish his works was closed for Platonov.
At the end of the 1940s, deprived of the opportunity to earn a living by writing, Platonov was engaged in literary adaptation of Russian and Bashkir fairy tales, which were published in children's magazines.
Platonov died on January 5, 1951 in Moscow from tuberculosis, which he contracted while caring for his son.
His book was published in 1954 "The Magic Ring and Other Tales". With Khrushchev's "thaw", his other books began to be published (the main works became known only in the 1980s). However, all of Platonov's publications during the Soviet period were accompanied by significant censorship restrictions.
Some works of Andrei Platonov were discovered only in the 1990s (for example, the novel written in the 30s "Happy Moscow").
Name: Andrey Platonov (Andrey Klimentov)
Age: 51 years old
Activity: writer, poet, playwright
Family status: was married
Andrey Platonov: biography
Andrei Platonovich Platonov - Soviet prose writer, poet, publicist, playwright. Most of best works the author was published after his death.
Andrei Platonovich was born in August 1899 in Yamskaya Sloboda (Voronezh). The boy was the first-born in the family of a railway worker. The father of the future writer, Platon Firsovich Klimentov, was a locomotive driver and mechanic; he was twice awarded the title of Hero of Labor. Mother Maria Vasilievna Lobochikhina was the daughter of a watchmaker. After marriage, the woman took care of the housework.
The Klimentov family was large. During her life, Maria Vasilievna gave birth to eleven children. Platon Firsovich spent almost all his time in the workshops. Older children with youth They helped their father earn money to feed his family.
At the age of seven, Andrei was enrolled in a parochial school. In 1909, the boy entered the city four-year school. At the age of 13, the future writer began working for hire. The young man tried different professions Until the age of eighteen, he managed to work in many workshops in Voronezh.
Creation
Andrei Klimentov entered the railway technical school in 1918. The Civil War prevented the young man from completing his studies. A new period of life has begun for Andrey. He went through the Civil War in the ranks of the Red Army. October Revolution became for young man an impetus for creativity.
In the early twenties, Klimentov changed his last name and began to collaborate with the editors of various magazines and newspapers in Voronezh. He tried himself as a poet, publicist, critic, columnist. In 1921, Andrei Platonov’s first book, entitled “Electrification,” was published. His stories from earlier times are characterized by aggressiveness. A change of tone in the writer’s work occurred in 1921 after meeting his future wife.
In the year of the birth of his first child, Platonov published a collection of poems, Blue Depth. In 1926, the writer completed work on the manuscript of the story “Epiphanian Gateways”. The move to Moscow and a certain amount of fame inspired the author. The next year was very fruitful for Platonov. From the pen of the writer came the stories " Hidden Man", "City of Gradov", "Ethereal Route", as well as stories " Sandy teacher", "How Ilyich's lamp was lit", "Yamskaya Sloboda".
Platonov created his main works at the turn of the thirties of the last century. In 1929, he completed work on the novel “Chevengur”, and in 1930, on the social parable “The Pit”. During the writer's lifetime, these works were not published. His relationship with the authorities and censorship was very strained. The writer repeatedly fell into disgrace. The story “For Future Use,” published in 1931, caused strong discontent. The politician demanded that the writer be deprived of the opportunity to publish.
Illustration for Andrei Platonov’s story “The Pit” In 1934, the pressure from the authorities eased a little. Platonov went with his colleagues on a trip around Central Asia. Inspiration came to the writer after visiting Turkmenistan, and he wrote the story “Takyr”, which caused new wave disapproval and criticism. When Stalin read some of Platonov's works, he left notes in the margins like swear words characterizing the author.
Writer Andrey Platonov Despite the dissatisfaction of the authorities, the writer was able to publish several of his stories in 1936. After the outbreak of World War II, a place for the front-line theme appeared in his work. In the fifties, Platonov focused his attention on literary processing folk tales.
Personal life
Andrei Platonov got married at the age of 22. His chosen one was Maria Kashintseva. The girl was the writer's first serious hobby. 6 years after start family life Platonov wrote the story “The Sandy Teacher,” which he dedicated to his wife. The plot is based on facts from the biography of Maria Alexandrovna.
Andrei Platonov with his wife Maria Kashintseva The writer's future wife left for the outback in 1921 to avoid a relationship with Platonov. This “escape from love” formed the basis of the story about the teacher. Maria lived sixty kilometers from the city. The writer visited the bride two or three times a month. Maria's pregnancy finally decided the issue of her relationship with Platonov. The writer, with his persistence, persuaded the girl to marry in 1921. In 1922, a son was born into the family; the boy was named Plato in honor of the writer’s father.
In the same year, the prose writer’s brother and sister died from poisoning with poisonous mushrooms. He experienced severe mental anguish, torn between the happiness of married life and family grief. The writer's mother couldn't find it common language with his daughter-in-law, Andrei Platonovich ended up in difficult situation. He never managed to reconcile the two main women in his life.
In 1929, at the age of 54, the prose writer's mother died. Seven years after her death, Platonov wrote the story “The Third Son,” dedicated to Maria Vasilievna.
The life of the Klimentovs’ grandson turned out to be short and tragic. Plato was sick a lot as a child and grew up as a capricious and uncontrollable young man. At the age of fifteen he went to prison. While in prison, Plato fell ill with tuberculosis. The young man died of consumption at the age of twenty. Shortly before his death, Platon Andreevich became a father.
The writer's personal life was reflected in Platonov's works. His heroes suffered with him, loved with him, went crazy and died. Platonov became a grandfather, but the loss of his son broke his inner core.
In 1944, Maria Alexandrovna decided to have a second birth. The writer's daughter Masha was born. Platonov at that time was already ill with consumption. Photo recent years the writer's life gives a clear idea of the state of his soul and body.
Death
During World War II, Andrei Platonovich, with the rank of captain, served as a front-line correspondent for the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper. The writer took part in hostilities, did not sit in the rear, and was modest in the life of a soldier. According to one version, Platonov contracted consumption during the war. The life of a soldier helped the writer collect material for front-line stories and essays that were published in the Red Star magazine.
In 1943, the writer's only son died. Platonov looked after him for a long time, but the young man was never able to recover from his imprisonment. According to one version, the writer contracted tuberculosis from his son.
In 1946, Platonov was demobilized due to illness. In the same year, he completed work on the story “The Ivanov Family,” which appeared in print under the title “Return.” A wave of criticism again overwhelmed Platonov. He was accused of slandering the victorious soldiers and was excommunicated from the press.
In the last years of his life, Platonov had to do menial labor to earn money. literary work. The writer's creativity focused around the processing of folk tales. Platonov developed an interest in children's literature because of his little daughter Mashenka. In 1950, the writer finished work on fairy tales " Unknown flower" and "Magic Ring". Based on these works, Soviet animators created in the late seventies cartoons.
Monument to Andrei Platonov in Voronezh The writer died in the winter of 1951 in Moscow from consumption; he was buried in the Armenian cemetery. Ended in 1952 life path the writer's father. Platonov’s wife died in 1983; she outlived her husband by three decades. Their daughter Maria Andreevna devoted her life to publishing her father’s works. She also created one version of his biography.
Platonov's books began to be actively published in the eighties of the last century. The author's works aroused a wave of interest among a new generation of readers. In 2005, Maria Andreevna died and was buried in the Armenian cemetery.
Bibliography:
- 1920 - story “Chuldik and Epishka”
- 1921 - story “Markun”, brochure “Electrification”
- 1922 - book of poems “Blue Depth”
- 1927 - stories “City of Gradov”, “The Hidden Man”, “Ethereal Route”, stories “Yamskaya Sloboda”, “Sandy Teacher”, “How Ilyich’s Lamp Was Lighted”
- 1929 - novel “Chevengur”
- 1929 - stories “State Resident”, “Doubting Makar”
- 1930 - “The pit”, “Hurdy organ” (play)
- 1931 - “Poor Peasants’ Chronicle” “For Future Use”, plays “High Voltage” and “14 Red Huts”
- 1934 - stories “Garbage Wind”, “Juvenile Sea” and “Jan”, story “Takyr”
- 1936 - stories “The Third Son” and “Immortality”
- 1937 - stories “The Potudan River”, “In the Beautiful and furious world", "Fro"
- 1939 - story “The Motherland of Electricity”
- 1942 - “Spiritualized People” (collection of stories)
- 1943 - “Stories about the Motherland” (collection of stories)
- 1943 - “Armor” (collection of stories)
- 1945 - collection of stories “Towards the Sunset”, story “Nikita”
- 1946 - story “Ivanov’s Family” (“Return”)
- 1947 - books “Finist - Clear Falcon”, “Bashkir Folk Tales”
- 1948 - play “Lyceum Student”
- 1950 - fairy tale “The Unknown Flower”
Platonov Andrey Platonovich (1899-1951) - real name Klimentov, Russian prose writer, playwright.
Andrei Platonov was born on August 28, 1899 in the city of Voronezh in the family of a railway mechanic, studied at a parish school, and then at a city school. The Platonov family needed funds, and the boy began to work early. He changed many professions: he worked as a mechanic, foundry worker, and auxiliary worker. In 1917, Andrei became a front-line correspondent and began to collaborate with newspapers as a publicist, critic and poet.
In 1921, after graduating from party school, Platonov created his first work - the brochure “Electrification”, which received many positive reviews from critics. However, over time, the writer’s views changed towards complete rejection of revolutionary changes. His works “City of Grads” and “Doubting Makar” caused sharp condemnation by the party, and “Chevengur” was banned from publication. Published in 1931, the novel “For Future Use” was condemned by Stalin himself, after which Platonov was no longer published. His colleagues supported him - Brodsky, in his report at the Nobel Symposium, called Platonov one of the most remarkable writers of the outgoing century, and Solzhenitsyn noted that if he had to embark on long journey with a single book, then this book would be Plato’s “The Pit.”
While in disgrace, Andrei Platonovich made a living by adapting Russian and Bashkir fairy tales. Deprived of the opportunity to publish, the writer did not give up creative work, but his worldview again made a “revolution”: he lost faith in the possibility of rebuilding the socialist political system and began to create works about the future mainly in an ironic manner.
Andrei Platonov died in 1951 in Moscow from tuberculosis. His works, which became dystopian classics, were translated into many languages and included in school curriculum. They were prepared for publication by the writer’s daughter Maria.
In Platonov’s prose, the world appears as a contradictory, often tragic integrity of human and natural existence: the stories “Epiphanian Locks” (1927), “City of Grads” (1928), “River Potudan” (1937). In the novels “Chevengur” (published in 1972, in Russia - 1988), “Happy Moscow” (not finished, published in 1991), the story “The Pit” (published in 1969), “Juvenile Sea” (published in 1979; in Russia both - in 1987), "Jan" (published in 1964) - rejection of the imposed forms of socialist reconstruction of life. The originality of Platonov’s style is determined by the “tongue-tiedness” and “roughness” of the language, which are combined in the fabric of the narrative with abstract concepts and metaphorical images.
In a report at the Nobel Symposium at the Swedish Academy (1991), Brodsky called Platonov (along with Proust, Kafka, Musil, Faulkner and Beckett) one of the most remarkable writers of the past century. In his opinion, they deserved such an assessment by several general features: they were “loners, original, often to the point of eccentricity”; their work was considered “difficult” (due to which the reaction to it fluctuated between “open hostility” and “complete indifference”); This “difficulty” stemmed from their description of “a completely different quality of life” (in comparison with what characterized the literature of the previous century), namely “uncertainty,” for their art began where the logic, plots and composition systems of the past died; In the end, their style prevailed over the plot, and their language prevailed over the narrative, which makes it possible to call them also " greatest poets century." These thoughts coincided with what Brodsky wrote in the preface to the Ardis edition of "The Pit": the impersonal, folklore and mythological language of Platonov, the "first serious surrealist", was not escapist, but a creation of the era itself, testifying at the same time to the nation, victim of this language.
Solzhenitsyn expressed his admiration for Platonov much more simply, but no less convincingly: if he had to go on a long journey with one single book, then that book would be “The Pit.”
One of the most notable Russian writers XX century - Andrey Platonov. The list of works by this author allows you to thoroughly study national history first half of the 20th century.
Andrey Platonov
Andrei Platonov, whose list of works is well known to every schoolchild, became famous after the release of the novels “The Pit” and “Chevengur”. But besides them there were many significant works.
The writer himself was born in Voronezh in 1899. Served in the workers' and peasants' Red Army, in Civil War took part as a war correspondent. He began publishing his works in 1919.
In 1921, his first book was published, which was called "Electrification". His poems also appeared in a collective collection. And in 1922, his son Plato was born and a collection of poems was published - “Blue Clay”.
In addition to writing, he was engaged in hydrology. In particular, he developed his own projects for hydrofication of the region in order to protect fields from drought.
In the mid-20s, Platonov worked fruitfully in Tambov. The list of the writer’s works is supplemented by such works as “Ethereal Route”, “City of Grads”, “Epiphanian Gateways”.
The following are his most significant works for Russian literature- these are “Kotlovan” and “Chevengur”. These are very unexpected and innovative works that differ modern language. Both works were created in a fantastic spirit, they describe the utopian construction of a new communist society, the formation of a new generation of people.
"Epiphanian Gateways"
"Epiphansky Gateways" appeared in 1926. The action takes place in Peter's Russia. At the center of the story is the English engineer William Perry, a master of lock construction. He calls his brother to Russia to help him fulfill the new imperial order. The British need to build a ship canal that would connect the Oka and Don rivers.
Whether the brothers will be able to carry out this plan is the subject of Platonov’s story.
"Chevengur"
In 1929, Platonov wrote one of his most famous works is a socio-philosophical novel "Chevengur".
The actions of this work have already been transferred to contemporary writer Russia. In the south, war communism and the New economic policy. Main character- Alexander Dvanov, who lost his father. Father drowned himself, dreaming of better life, so Alexander has to live with a foster parent. These events described in the novel are largely autobiographical; the fate of the author himself developed in a similar way.
Dvanov goes in search of his communism. On this path he meets many different people. Platonov revels in their description. The works, the list, the most famous of them are presented in this article, but “Chevengur” stands out even against this background.
Dvanov encounters the revolutions of Kopenkin, who resembles the medieval character Don Quixote. Her own Dulcinea also appears, which becomes Rosa Luxemburg.
Finding truth and truth in a new world, even with knights errant, turns out to be not at all easy.
"Pit"
In 1930, Platonov created the dystopian story "The Pit". Here communism is already being built in the literal sense of the word. A group of builders receives instructions to build a common proletarian house, a building that should become the basis of a utopian city of the future in which everyone will be happy.
Andrey Platonov describes their work in detail. The works listed in this article are a must read if you want to get to know this original author better. The story "The Pit" can greatly help you with this.
The construction of a common proletarian house is interrupted suddenly, even at the foundation pit stage. The matter cannot move forward. Builders realize that creating something on the ruins of the past is useless and futile. Moreover, the end does not always justify the means.
In parallel, the story of a girl Nastya, who was left homeless, is told. She is a bright embodiment of the living future of the country, those residents who should live in this house when it is built. In the meantime, she lives at a construction site. She doesn’t even have a bed, so the builders give her two coffins, which were previously taken from the peasants. One of them serves as her bed, and the second as a toy box. In the end, Nastya dies without seeing the construction of a utopian house.
In this story, Andrei Platonov sought to show the cruelty and senselessness of the totalitarian system. A list of this author's works often reflects this one point of view. This story contains the entire history of Bolshevism during collectivization, when people were fed only with promises of a bright future.
"Potudan River"
Platonov's short works, a list of which is also in this article, are of great interest to readers. These include primarily the story "The Potudan River".
It tells the story of Red Army soldier Nikita Firsov, who returns on foot from service to his homeland. Everywhere he meets signs of hunger and need. He goes out to the distance and notices the first lights of his hometown. At home he is met by his father, who was no longer expecting his son from the front, and changed his mind about many things after the death of his wife.
The meeting of father and son after a long separation takes place without unnecessary sentimentality. Nikita soon notices that his father is worried about serious problems. He is on the very edge of poverty. There is practically no furniture left in the house, even though my father works in a carpentry workshop.
The next morning Nikita meets his childhood friend Lyubov. She is the daughter of a teacher, their house was always clean and tidy, they seemed to be the main intellectuals. For this reason alone, he had long ago given up the idea of asking for her hand in marriage. But now everything has changed. Poverty and devastation came to this house. Everything around has changed.
"Return"
One of the last significant works Platonov's story "Return". This time the events after the end of the Great Patriotic War are described.
Captain Ivanov returns from the front. At the station he meets young Masha and comes to her hometown. At this time, his wife and two children, with whom he was separated for 4 years, are waiting for him at home. When he finally gets to his home, he discovers amazing picture. 12-year-old Petya is in charge of everything, Ivanov feels out of place, he cannot fully rejoice at his return.
Andrey Platonov
Stories
ADVENTURE
Before Dvanov’s eyes, accustomed to distant horizons, a narrow valley of some ancient, long-dry river opened up. The valley was occupied by the settlement of Petropavlovka - a huge herd of hungry households huddled together at a cramped watering hole.
On Petropavlovka Street Dvanov saw boulders that had once been brought here by glaciers. Boulder stones now lay near the huts and served as a seat for thoughtful old people.
Dvanov remembered these stones when he was sitting in the Petropavlovsk village council. He went there to get a place to stay for the night and to write an article for the provincial newspaper. Dvanov wrote that nature does not create ordinary things, so it turns out well. But nature has no gift, she takes with patience. From the rare ravines of the steppe, from the deep soils, it is necessary to give water to the high steppe in order to establish socialism in the steppe. While hunting for water, Dvanov reported, we will simultaneously reach the goal of our hearts - indifferent peasants will understand and love us, because love is not a gift, but construction.
Dvanov knew how to combine the intimate with the social in order to preserve within himself an attraction to the social.
Dvanov began to be tormented by the certainty that he already knew how to create a socialist world in the steppe, but nothing had yet been accomplished. He could not endure the gap between truth and reality for long. His head sat on his warm neck, and what his head thought immediately turned into steps, into manual labor and in behavior. Dvanov felt his consciousness like hunger - you cannot renounce it and you will not forget it.
The Council refused the cart, and the man, whom everyone in Petropavlovka called God, showed Dvanov the way to the settlement of Kaverino, from where to railway twenty versts.
At noon Dvanov went out onto the mountain road. Below lay the gloomy Valley of a quiet steppe river. But it was clear that the river was dying: it was filled with ravines, and it was not so much flowing as being dissolved into swamps. Autumn melancholy hung over the swamps. The fish sank to the bottom, the birds flew away, the insects froze in the crevices of the dead sedge. Living creatures loved the warmth and the irritating light of the sun, their solemn ringing shrank into low holes and slowed down into a whisper.
Dvanov believed in the opportunity to eavesdrop and collect all that is most sonorous, sad and triumphant in nature in order to make songs as powerful as natural forces and as enticing as the wind. In this wilderness, Dvanov began talking to himself. He liked to talk alone in open places. Talking to yourself is an art; talking to others is fun. That's why man walking into society, into fun, like water down a slope.
Dvanov made a semicircle with his head and looked around half visible world. And he spoke again to think:
“Nature is the basis of the matter. These glorified hillocks and streams are not only field poetry. They can water the soil, cows and people and move motors.”
In sight of the smoke from the village of Kaverino, the road went over a ravine. In the ravine the air thickened into darkness. There were some silent swamps there and, perhaps, huddled strange people, departed from the diversity of life for the monotony of thoughtfulness.
The snoring of tired horses was heard from the depths of the ravine. Some people were riding, and their horses were stuck in the clay.
There is in a distant country.
On the other side
What do we dream about in our sleep?
But the enemy got it...
The horses' pace straightened. The detachment covered the front singer in chorus, but in their own way and with a different tune.
Cut it out, apple.
Ripe gold.
The Council will cut you off
Hammer and sickle...
The lone singer continued at odds with the squad:
Here is my sword and soul,
And there is my happiness...
The squad crushed the end of the verse with a chorus:
Eh, apple.
Sincere,
You'll end up on rations, -
You will be rotten...
You grow on a tree
And by the way, the tree
And you will get into the Council
With stamp number...
People immediately whistled and finished the song recklessly:
Eh, apple.
You keep freedom:
Neither the Soviets nor the kings,
And to all the people...
The song died down. Dvanov stopped, interested in the procession in the ravine.
Hey top man! - they shouted to Dvanov from the detachment. - Get down to the beginningless people!
Dvanov remained in place.
Walk fast! - one said sonorously in a thick voice, probably the one who sang. - Otherwise, count to half - and sit on the gun!
Dvanov did not understand what he needed to do, and answered what he wanted:
Come here yourself - it’s drier here! Why are you killing horses in the ravine, kulak guards!
The squad below stopped.
Nikitok, do it right through! - ordered a thick voice.
Nikitok drew his rifle, but first, at the expense of God, he relieved his depressed spirit:
On the scrotum of Jesus Christ, on the rib of the Virgin Mary and throughout the entire Christian generation - come on!
Dvanov saw a flash of intense, silent fire and rolled from the edge of the ravine to the bottom, as if he had been hit in the leg by a crowbar. He did not lose clear consciousness and, as he rolled down, he heard a terrible noise in the ground, to which his ears were pressed alternately as he walked. Dvanov knew that he was wounded in his right leg - an iron bird had dug into it and was moving with the prickly spines of its wings.
In the ravine, Dvanov grabbed the horse’s warm leg, and he felt no fear near that leg. My leg trembled quietly from fatigue and smelled of the sweat and grass of the roads I had traveled.
Protect him, Nikitok, from the fire of life! The clothes are yours.
Dvanov heard. He grabbed the horse's leg with both hands, the leg turned into a pressing living body. Dvanov’s heart rose to his throat, he cried out in the unconsciousness of that feeling when life moves from the heart to the skin, and immediately felt a relieving, satisfying peace. Nature did not fail to take from Dvanov what he was created for: the seed of reproduction. In his last time, embracing the soil and the horse, Dvanov for the first time recognized the echoing passion of life and was surprised at the insignificance of thought before this bird of immortality, which touched him with its weather-beaten, fluttering wing.
Nikitok came up and tried Dvanov’s forehead: was he still warm? The hand was big and hot. Dvanov didn’t want to; so that this hand would soon tear away from him, and he would place his caressing palm on it. But Dvanov knew that Nikitok was checking and helped him:
Hit the head, Nikita. Wedge the skull quickly!
Nikita did not look like his hand - Dvanov caught this - he cried out in a thin, lousy voice, without matching the peace of life stored in his hand.
Oh, are you okay? I won’t wedge you, but I’ll destroy you: why do you need to die right away - you’re not human? Suffer yourself, lie down - you'll die harder!