Antonov apples complete. Ivan Alekseevich Bunin Antonov apples. I remember an early fine autumn

If you started studying Ivan Alekseevich Bunin’s story “Antonov Apples” in school or college, the analysis and summary of this work will help you better understand its meaning and find out what the writer wanted to convey to readers.

Prose masterpiece

As you know, at the beginning of his work, Ivan Alekseevich Bunin created works in poetic form. In the story “Antonov Apples,” the analysis of which you will soon read, the author conveys his love for his native land, the people living here, through prose, but by means of poetic expression.

This is the writer’s first work in which he talks in detail about the life of rural landowners. With particular delight, the author also talks about ordinary people, writing that he would like, like a village peasant, to get up at dawn, wash himself with cool water from a barrel and go on a visit.

The work clearly senses the movement of time in three forms. This is the period from autumn to winter, from a person’s childhood to his maturity, from the heyday of estate culture to its extinction. The reader witnesses this by studying the story “Antonov Apples.” Analysis of this work also helps to understand this. We can conclude that we see a temporary movement of the earth, human life and local culture. To understand the above, familiarization with summary prosaic creation and its analysis.

“Antonov Apples”, Bunin: first chapter

In the first lines, the author writes that he remembers early autumn, the smell of Antonov apples. It was at that time that bourgeois gardeners hired men to sort and fill apples, which they then took to the city for sale. The workers did not miss the opportunity to enjoy the fragrant fruits. During the preparation of the mash drink, when it was filtered (“for draining”), everyone drank honey. Even the blackbirds sit here, well-fed and contented, near the coral rowan trees.

The story “Antonov Apples” by Bunin is very positive. The author describes a prosperous village in which there are excellent harvests and people live long. Everything here is famous for its fertility. Even the elder woman looks like a Kholmogory cow. And, as you know, this animal was a symbol of prosperity. The author, describing this woman, says that she seemed to have horns on her head. This association is caused by the braids, which the elder woman styled in a special way. Several tied scarves make the head huge, which makes the woman even more like a cow. The elder is pregnant - this is another technique that helps to see the fertility and prosperity that reigns in these prosperous places. You are convinced of this by reading the beginning of the story “Antonov Apples.” Analysis of these rows confirms these conclusions.

The narrator likes everything here: the fresh air, the smell of straw, the starry night sky. We learn all this from the first chapter, as well as the fact that the story is told on behalf of the barchuk Nikolai.

Chapter 2

Bunin also begins the next part of the work with a mention of Antonov apples. He talks about folk wisdom. It is believed that if the Antonovka crop is cropped, then the bread will be cropped too.

The writer shares his pleasant impressions of the early morning. Ivan Alekseevich so clearly describes how pleasant it is to wash your face by the pond, look into the turquoise sky, that these wonderful sensations are also conveyed to the reader.

Then the narrator says how nice it is after washing to have breakfast with the workers with potatoes, climb on a horse and gallop into the distance. We will learn about this by reading the work “Antonov Apples”. The content of the second chapter reveals the name of that wonderful village - Vyselki. It is here that old people live for 100 years or more, like, for example, Pankrat, who no longer remembers how far over a hundred he has passed.

In this chapter, the narrator remembers the estate of his aunt Anna Gerasimovna. She had a garden, and, of course, they grew in it Antonov apples. Bunin talks about his aunt’s beautiful house with columns and a rich household. And the smell of apples hung even in the rooms. The author associated this aroma with pleasant associations. You come to this conclusion by analyzing this work.

Chapter 3

From it we learn about the writer's passion for hunting. After all, it was a popular entertainment for the landowners of those years. made it possible to reduce the number of this dangerous predator, which killed livestock and could attack humans. In the company of fellow hunting enthusiasts, the author shot wolves or other animals and returned home with the trophies to his aunt or stayed for several days with a landowner he knew.

Final chapter

So, our analysis comes to an end. Bunin's "Antonov Apples" in the final chapter conveys the author's anxiety; his impressions are no longer as rosy as at the beginning. He writes that the aroma of these fruits disappears from landowners' estates. Centenarians died, one old man shot himself. And the narrator no longer hunts in the company of people, but alone. But life in Vyselki is still in full swing: village girls bustle about, threshing grain.

The first snow has fallen. This ends the story “Antonov Apples” by Bunin. At the end, as at the beginning of the work, the author puts an ellipsis, since in the form of an essay he spoke about a short period of time, which, thanks to him, the readers were lucky enough to witness.

On the eve of the World War, both Europe and Asia were already in flames with many local conflicts. International tension was due to the high probability of a new big war, and all the most powerful political players on the world map before it began tried to secure favorable starting positions for themselves, without neglecting any means. The USSR was no exception. In 1939-1940 The Soviet-Finnish war began. The reasons for the inevitable military conflict lay in the same looming threat of a major European war. The USSR, increasingly aware of its inevitability, was forced to look for an opportunity to move the state border as far as possible from one of the most strategically important cities - Leningrad. Taking this into account, the Soviet leadership entered into negotiations with the Finns, offering their neighbors an exchange of territories. At the same time, the Finns were offered a territory almost twice as large as what the USSR planned to receive in return. One of the demands that the Finns did not want to accept under any circumstances was the USSR’s request to locate military bases on Finnish territory. Even the admonitions of Germany (Helsinki’s ally), including Hermann Goering, who hinted to the Finns that they could not count on Berlin’s help, did not force Finland to move away from its positions. Thus, the parties who did not come to a compromise came to the beginning of the conflict.

Progress of hostilities

The Soviet-Finnish war began on November 30, 1939. Obviously, the Soviet command was counting on a quick and victorious war with minimal losses. However, the Finns themselves were also not going to surrender to the mercy of their big neighbor. The president of the country, the military Mannerheim, who, by the way, received his education in the Russian Empire, planned to delay the Soviet troops with a massive defense for as long as possible, until the start of assistance from Europe. The complete quantitative advantage of the Soviet country in both human resources and equipment was obvious. The war for the USSR began with heavy fighting. Its first stage in historiography is usually dated from November 30, 1939 to February 10, 1940 - the time that became the bloodiest for the advancing Soviet troops. The line of defense, called the Mannerheim Line, became an insurmountable obstacle for the Red Army soldiers. Fortified pillboxes and bunkers, Molotov cocktails, which later became known as Molotov cocktails, severe frosts that reached 40 degrees - all this is considered to be the main reasons for the failures of the USSR in the Finnish campaign.

The turning point in the war and its end

The second stage of the war begins on February 11, the moment of the general offensive of the Red Army. At this time, a significant amount of manpower and equipment was concentrated on the Karelian Isthmus. For several days before the attack, the Soviet army carried out artillery preparations, subjecting the entire surrounding area to heavy bombardment.

As a result of the successful preparation of the operation and the further assault, the first line of defense was broken within three days, and by February 17 the Finns had completely switched to the second line. During February 21-28, the second line was also broken. On March 13, the Soviet-Finnish war ended. On this day, the USSR stormed Vyborg. The leaders of Suomi realized that there was no longer a chance to defend themselves after a breakthrough in the defense, and the Soviet-Finnish war itself was doomed to remain a local conflict, without outside support, which is what Mannerheim was counting on. Given this, a request for negotiations was a logical conclusion.

Results of the war

As a result of protracted bloody battles, the USSR achieved satisfaction of all its claims. In particular, the country became the sole owner of the waters of Lake Ladoga. In total, the Soviet-Finnish war guaranteed the USSR an increase in territory by 40 thousand square meters. km. As for losses, this war cost the Soviet country dearly. According to some estimates, about 150 thousand people left their lives in the snows of Finland. Was this company necessary? Considering the fact that Leningrad was the target of German troops almost from the very beginning of the attack, it is worth admitting that yes. However, heavy losses seriously cast doubt on the combat effectiveness of the Soviet army. By the way, the end of hostilities did not mark the end of the conflict. Soviet-Finnish War 1941-1944 became a continuation of the epic, during which the Finns, trying to regain what they had lost, failed again.

Soviet T-28 tank from the 91st tank battalion of the 20th heavy tank brigade, destroyed during the December battles of 1939 on the Karelian Isthmus in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bheight 65.5. A column of Soviet trucks moves in the background. February 1940.

A captured Soviet T-28 tank repaired by the Finns is heading to the rear, January 1940.

A vehicle from the 20th Heavy Tank Brigade named after Kirov. According to information about the losses of T-28 tanks of the 20th heavy tank brigade, during the Soviet-Finnish war, the enemy captured 2 T-28 tanks. According to the characteristic features in the photo, the T-28 tank with the L-10 cannon was produced in the first half of 1939.

Finnish tank crews are moving a captured Soviet T-28 tank to the rear. A vehicle from the 20th Heavy Tank Brigade named after Kirov, January 1940.

According to information about the losses of T-28 tanks of the 20th heavy tank brigade, during the Soviet-Finnish war, the enemy captured 2 T-28 tanks. According to the characteristic features in the photo, the T-28 tank with the L-10 cannon was produced in the first half of 1939.

A Finnish tankman takes a photograph standing next to a captured Soviet T-28 tank. The car is assigned the number R-48. This vehicle is one of two Soviet T-28 tanks captured by Finnish troops in December 1939 from the 20th Heavy Tank Brigade named after Kirov. According to the characteristic features, the photo shows a T-28 tank produced in 1939 with an L-10 cannon and brackets for a handrail antenna. Varkaus, Finland, March 1940.

A burning house after the Finnish port city of Turku was bombed by Soviet aircraft in southwestern Finland on December 27, 1939.

Medium tanks T-28 from the 20th heavy tank brigade before entering a combat operation. Karelian Isthmus, February 1940.

At the beginning of the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940, the 20th heavy tank brigade had 105 T-28 tanks.

A column of T-28 tanks from the 90th tank battalion of the 20th heavy tank brigade is moving to the attack line. Area of ​​height 65.5 on the Karelian Isthmus, February 1940.

The lead vehicle (produced in the second half of 1939) has a whip antenna, improved periscope armor, and a box for smoke exhaust devices with inclined sides.

Tank T-26 drags a sleigh with troops.

Soviet commanders near the tent.

A captured wounded Red Army soldier is awaiting delivery to the hospital. Sortavala, Finland, December 1939.

A group of captured Red Army soldiers of the 44th Infantry Division. Finland, December 1939.

Red Army soldiers of the 44th Infantry Division frozen in a trench. Finland, December 1939.

Formation of soldiers and commanders of the 123rd Infantry Division on the march after the fighting on the Karelian Isthmus. 1940

The division took part in the Soviet-Finnish War, operating on the Karelian Isthmus as part of the 7th Army. She particularly distinguished herself on 02/11/1940 during the breakthrough of the Mannerheim Line, for which she was awarded the Order of Lenin. 26 soldiers and division commanders received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Finnish artillerymen of a coastal battery at Cape Mustaniemi (translated from Finnish as “Black Cape”) in Lake Ladoga at the 152-mm Kane gun. 1939

antiaircraft gun

A Soviet wounded man in a hospital lies on a plaster casting table made from improvised materials. 1940

Light tank T-26 during training in overcoming anti-tank obstacles. On the wing there are fascines for overcoming ditches. According to the characteristic features, the car was produced in 1935. Karelian Isthmus, February 1940.

View of a destroyed street in Vyborg. 1940

The building in the foreground is st. Vyborgskaya, 15.

A Finnish skier carries a Schwarzlose machine gun on a sleigh.

The bodies of Soviet soldiers near the road on the Karelian Isthmus.

Two Finns near a destroyed house in the town of Rovaniemi. 1940

A Finnish skier accompanies a dog sled.

Finnish crew of the Schwarzlose machine gun in a position in the vicinity of the town of Salla. 1939

A Finnish soldier sits by a dog sled.

Four Finns on the roof of a hospital damaged as a result of a Soviet air raid. 1940

Sculpture by Finnish writer Aleksis Kivi in ​​Helsinki with an unfinished shrapnel protection box, February 1940.

Commander of the Soviet submarine S-1 Hero of the Soviet Union, captain-lieutenant Alexander Vladimirovich Tripolsky (1902-1949) at the periscope, February 1940.

Soviet submarine S-1 at the berth in the port of Libau. 1940

The commander of the Finnish Karelian Isthmus Army (Kannaksen Armeija), Lieutenant General Hugo Viktor Österman (1892-1975, sitting at the table) and Chief of Staff Major General Kustaa Tapola (Kustaa Anders Tapola, 1895 - 1971) at the headquarters. 1939.

Army of the Karelian Isthmus - a formation of Finnish troops stationed on the Karelian Isthmus during the Soviet- Finnish war and consisted of the II Corps (4 divisions and a cavalry brigade) and the III Corps (2 divisions).

Hugo Osterman in the Finnish army served as chief inspector of infantry (1928-1933) and commander-in-chief (1933-1939). After the Red Army broke through the Mannerheim Line, he was removed from his post as commander of the Karelian Isthmus Army (February 10, 1940) and returned to work as an inspector of the Finnish army. Since February 1944 - representative of the Finnish army at Wehrmacht headquarters. Resigned in December 1945. From 1946 to 1960 - managing director of one of the Finnish energy companies.

Kustaa Anders Tapola later commanded the 5th Division of the Finnish Army (1942-1944), and was chief of staff of the VI Corps (1944). Resigned in 1955.

President of Finland Kyösti Kallio (1873-1940) with a coaxial 7.62 mm anti-aircraft machine gun ITKK 31 VKT 1939.

A Finnish hospital ward after a Soviet air raid. 1940

Finnish fire brigade during training in Helsinki, autumn 1939.

Talvisota. 10/28/1939. Palokunnan uusia laitteita Helsingissä.

Finnish pilots and aircraft technicians at the French-made Morand-Saulnier fighter MS.406. Finland, Hollola, 1940.

Soon after the start of the Soviet-Finnish war, the French government transferred 30 Moran-Saulnier MS.406 fighters to the Finns. The photo shows one of these fighters from 1/LLv-28. The aircraft still wears the standard French summer camouflage pattern.

Finnish soldiers carry a wounded comrade on a dog sled. 1940

Finnish orderlies carry a stretcher with a wounded man near a field hospital tent. 1940

Finnish soldiers dismantle captured Soviet military equipment. 1940

Two Soviet soldiers with a Maxim machine gun in the forest on the Mannerheim Line. 1940

Captured Red Army soldiers enter the house under the escort of Finnish soldiers.

Three Finnish skiers on the march. 1940

Finnish doctors load a stretcher with a wounded person into an ambulance bus manufactured by AUTOKORI OY (on a Volvo LV83/84 chassis). 1940

A Soviet prisoner captured by the Finns sits on a box. 1939

Finnish doctors treat a wounded knee in a field hospital. 1940

Soviet SB-2 bombers over Helsinki during one of the air raids on the city carried out on the first day of the Soviet-Finnish war. November 30, 1939.

Finnish skiers with reindeer and drags at a rest during the retreat. 1940

A burning house in the Finnish city of Vaasa after a Soviet air raid. 1939

Finnish soldiers raise the frozen body of a Soviet officer. 1940

Three Corners Park ("Kolmikulman puisto") in Helsinki with dug open slits to provide shelter for the population in the event of an air raid. On the right side of the park you can see a sculpture of the goddess “Diana”. In this regard, the second name of the park is “Diana Park” (“Dianapuisto”). October 24, 1939.

Sandbags cover the windows of a house on Sofiankatu (Sofia Street) in Helsinki. In the background you can see Senate Square and Cathedral Helsinki. Autumn 1939.

Helsinki, lokakuussa 1939.

Squadron commander of the 7th Fighter Aviation Regiment Fyodor Ivanovich Shinkarenko (1913-1994, third from right) with his comrades at the I-16 (type 10) at the airfield. December 23, 1939.

In the photo from left to right: junior lieutenant B. S. Kulbatsky, lieutenant P. A. Pokryshev, captain M. M. Kidalinsky, senior lieutenant F. I. Shinkarenko and junior lieutenant M. V. Borisov.

Finnish soldiers bring a horse into a railway carriage, October-November 1939.

According to the characteristic features in the photo, the T-28 tank with the L-10 cannon was produced in the first half of 1939. This vehicle is one of two Soviet T-28 tanks captured by Finnish troops in December 1939 from the 20th Heavy Tank Brigade named after Kirov. The car has the number R-48. The swastika insignia began to be applied to Finnish tanks in January 1941.

A Finnish soldier looks at the captured Red Army soldiers changing clothes.

Captured Red Army soldiers at the door of a Finnish house after changing clothes (in the previous photo).

Technicians and pilots of the 13th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Baltic Fleet Air Force. Below: aircraft technicians - Fedorov and B. Lisichkin, second row: pilots - Gennady Dmitrievich Tsokolaev, Anatoly Ivanovich Kuznetsov, D. Sharov. Kingisepp, Kotly airfield, 1939-1940.

The crew of the T-26 light tank before the battle.

Nurses care for wounded Finnish soldiers.

Three Finnish skiers on vacation in the woods.

Captured Finnish dugout. .

Red Army soldiers at the grave of a comrade.

Artillery crew at the 203-mm B-4 gun.

The command staff of the headquarters battery.

An artillery crew at their gun at a firing position near the village of Muola.

Finnish fortification.

Destroyed Finnish bunker with an armored dome.

Destroyed Finnish fortifications of UR Mutoranta.

Red Army soldiers near GAZ AA trucks.

Finnish soldiers and officers near the captured Soviet flamethrower tank XT-26.
Finnish soldiers and officers near the captured Soviet chemical (flame-throwing) tank XT-26. January 17, 1940.
On December 20, 1939, the advanced units of the 44th Division, reinforced by the 312th Separate Tank Battalion, entered the Raata Road and began to advance in the direction of Suomussalmi to the rescue of the encircled 163rd Infantry Division. On a road 3.5 meters wide, the column stretched for 20 km; on January 7, the division's advance was stopped, its main forces were surrounded.
For the defeat of the division, its commander Vinogradov and chief of staff Volkov were court-martialed and shot in front of the line.

A camouflaged Dutch-made Finnish fighter Fokker D.XXI from Lentolaivue-24 (24th Squadron) at Utti airfield on the second day of the Soviet-Finnish war. December 1, 1939.
The photo was taken before all D.XXI squadrons were re-equipped with ski chassis.

A destroyed Soviet truck and a dead horse from a destroyed column of the 44th Infantry Division. Finland, January 17, 1940.
On December 20, 1939, the advanced units of the 44th Infantry Division, reinforced by the 312th separate tank battalion, entered the Raata road and began to advance in the direction of Suomussalmi to the rescue of the encircled 163rd Infantry Division. On a road 3.5 meters wide, the column stretched for 20 km; on January 7, the division's advance was stopped, its main forces were surrounded.
For the defeat of the division, its commander Vinogradov and chief of staff Volkov were court-martialed and shot in front of the line.
The photo shows a burnt Soviet GAZ-AA truck.

A Finnish soldier reads a newspaper while standing next to captured Soviet 122mm howitzers of the 1910/30 model after the defeat of a column of the 44th Infantry Division. January 17, 1940.
On December 20, 1939, the advanced units of the 44th Infantry Division, reinforced by the 312th separate tank battalion, entered the Raat road and began to advance in the direction of Suomussalmi to the rescue of the encircled 163rd Infantry Division. On a road 3.5 meters wide, the column stretched for 20 km; on January 7, the division's advance was stopped, its main forces were surrounded.
For the defeat of the division, its commander Vinogradov and chief of staff Volkov were handed over to

A Finnish soldier is observing from a trench. 1939

The Soviet light tank T-26 is moving towards the battlefield. On the wing there are fascines for overcoming ditches. According to the characteristic features, the car was produced in 1939. Karelian Isthmus, February 1940.

A Finnish air defense soldier, dressed in winter insulated camouflage, looks at the sky through a rangefinder. December 28, 1939.

Finnish soldier next to a captured Soviet medium tank T-28, winter 1939-40.
This is one of the T-28 tanks captured by Finnish troops that belonged to the 20th heavy tank brigade named after Kirov.
The first tank was captured on December 17, 1939, near the road to Lähda, after it fell into a deep Finnish trench and got stuck. The crew's attempts to pull the tank out were unsuccessful, after which the crew abandoned the tank. Five of the nine tankers were killed by Finnish soldiers, and the rest were captured. The second vehicle was captured on February 6, 1940 in the same area.
According to the characteristic features in the picture, the T-28 tank with the L-10 cannon was produced in the first half of 1939.

The Soviet light tank T-26 is crossing over a bridge built by sappers. Karelian Isthmus, December 1939.

A whip antenna is installed on the roof of the tower, and mounts for a handrail antenna are visible on the sides of the tower. According to the characteristic features, the car was produced in 1936.

A Finnish soldier and a woman near a building damaged as a result of a Soviet air raid. 1940

A Finnish soldier stands at the entrance to a bunker on the Mannerheim Line. 1939

Finnish soldiers near a damaged T-26 tank with a mine trawl.

A Finnish photojournalist examines film near the remains of a broken Soviet column. 1940

Finns near a damaged Soviet heavy tank SMK.

Finnish tank crews next to Vickers Mk tanks. E, summer 1939.
The picture shows Vickers Mk. tanks purchased in England for the Finnish army. E model B. These modifications of tanks in service with Finland were armed with 37 mm SA-17 cannons and 8 mm Hotchkiss machine guns taken from Renault FT-17 tanks.
At the end of 1939, these weapons were removed and returned to the Renault tanks, and 37-mm Bofors guns of the 1936 model were installed in their place.

A Finnish soldier walks past Soviet trucks of a defeated column of Soviet troops, January 1940.

Finnish soldiers examine a captured Soviet 7.62 mm M4 anti-aircraft machine gun mount, model 1931, on a GAZ-AA truck chassis, January 1940.

Residents of Helsinki inspect a car destroyed during a Soviet air raid. 1939

Finnish artillerymen next to a 37 mm Bofors anti-tank gun (37 PstK/36 Bofors). These artillery pieces were purchased in England for the Finnish army. 1939

Finnish soldiers inspect Soviet BT-5 light tanks from a broken column in the Oulu area. January 1, 1940.

View of a broken Soviet convoy near the Finnish village of Suomussalmi, January-February 1940.

Hero of the Soviet Union, Senior Lieutenant Vladimir Mikhailovich Kurochkin (1913-1941) with the I-16 fighter. 1940
Vladimir Mikhailovich Kurochkin was drafted into the Red Army in 1935, and in 1937 he graduated from the 2nd military pilot school in the city of Borisoglebsk. Participant in the battles near Lake Khasan. Since January 1940, he participated in the Soviet-Finnish War, made 60 combat missions as part of the 7th Fighter Aviation Regiment, and shot down three Finnish aircraft. For the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command, courage, bravery and heroism shown in the fight against the White Finns, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated March 21, 1940, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.
Did not return from a combat mission on July 26, 1941.

Soviet light tank T-26 in a ravine near the Kollaanjoki River. December 17, 1939.
Before the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940, the Kollasjoki River was on Finnish territory. Currently in the Suoyarvi region of Karelia.

Employees of the Finnish paramilitary organization Security Corps (Suojeluskunta) clearing debris in Helsinki after a Soviet air raid, November 30, 1939.

Correspondent Pekka Tiilikainen interviews Finnish soldiers at the front during the Soviet-Finnish War.

Finnish war correspondent Pekka Tiilikainen interviews soldiers at the front.

The Finnish engineering unit is sent to construct anti-tank barriers on the Karelian Isthmus (a section of one of the defense lines of the Mannerheim Line), autumn 1939.
In the foreground on the supply is a granite block that will be installed as an anti-tank bump.

Rows of Finnish granite anti-tank gouges on the Karelian Isthmus (a section of one of the defense lines of the Mannerheim Line) in the fall of 1939.

In the foreground, on stands, are two granite blocks, prepared for installation.

Evacuation of Finnish children from the city of Viipuri (currently the city of Vyborg in the Leningrad region) to the central regions of the country. Autumn 1939.

Red Army commanders examine a captured Finnish Vickers Mk.E tank (model F Vickers Mk.E), March 1940.
The vehicle was part of the 4th armored company, which was founded on October 12, 1939.
There is a blue stripe on the tank's turret - the original version of the identification marks of Finnish armored vehicles.

Finnish tankman next to a captured Soviet artillery tractor A-20 "Komsomolets" in Varkaus, March 1940.
Registration number R-437. An early vehicle built in 1937 with a faceted rifle mount. The Central Armored Vehicle Repair Workshop (Panssarikeskuskorjaamo) was located in Varkaus.
On captured T-20 tractors (about 200 units were captured), the Finns cut the front end of the fenders at an angle. Probably in order to reduce the possibility of its deformation on obstacles. Two tractors with similar modifications are now in Finland, in the Suomenlinna War Museum in Helsinki and the Armor Museum in Parola.

Hero of the Soviet Union, platoon commander of the 7th pontoon-bridge battalion of the 7th Army, junior lieutenant Pavel Vasilyevich Usov (right) discharges a mine.
Pavel Usov is the first Hero of the Soviet Union from the military personnel of the pontoon units. He was awarded the title of Hero for crossing his troops across the Taipalen-Joki River on December 6, 1939 - on a pontoon in three trips he transported an infantry landing force, which made it possible to capture a bridgehead.
He died on November 25, 1942 near the village of Khlepen, Kalinin Region, while performing a mission.

A unit of Finnish skiers moves on the ice of a frozen lake.

Finnish fighter of French production Morand-Saulnier MS.406 takes off from Hollola airfield. The photo was taken on the last day of the Soviet-Finnish war - 03/13/1940.

The fighter is still wearing the standard French camouflage pattern.

After the signing of the Soviet-German non-aggression pact, Germany went to war with Poland, and relations between the USSR and Finland began to strain. One of the reasons is a secret document between the USSR and Germany on delimiting spheres of influence. According to it, the influence of the USSR extended to Finland, the Baltic states, western Ukraine and Belarus, and Bessarabia.

Realizing that a major war was inevitable, Stalin sought to protect Leningrad, which could be shelled by artillery from Finnish territory. Therefore, the task was to move the border further north. To resolve the issue peacefully, the Soviet side offered Finland the lands of Karelia in exchange for moving the border on the Karelian Isthmus, but any attempts at dialogue were suppressed by the Finns. They didn't want to come to an agreement.

Reason for war

The reason for the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940 was an incident near the village of Mainila on November 25, 1939 at 15:45. This village is located on the Karelian Isthmus, 800 meters from the Finnish border. Maynila was subjected to artillery shelling, as a result of which 4 representatives of the Red Army were killed and 8 were wounded.

On November 26, Molotov summoned the Finnish ambassador in Moscow (Irie Koskinen) and presented a note of protest, stating that the shelling was carried out from the territory of Finland, and that the only thing that saved him from starting a war was that the Soviet army had an order not to succumb to provocations.

On November 27, the Finnish government responded to the Soviet note of protest. Briefly, the main provisions of the answer were as follows:

• The shelling actually took place and lasted approximately 20 minutes.
• The shelling came from the Soviet side, approximately 1.5-2 km southeast of the village of Maynila.
• It was proposed to create a commission that would jointly study this episode and give it an adequate assessment.

What really happened near the village of Maynila? This is an important question, since it was as a result of these events that the Winter (Soviet-Finnish) War was unleashed. The only thing that can be stated unequivocally is that there really was shelling of the village of Maynila, but who carried it out is impossible to establish through documentation. Ultimately, there are 2 versions (Soviet and Finnish), and each needs to be evaluated. The first version is that Finland shelled the territory of the USSR. The second version is that it was a provocation prepared by the NKVD.

Why did Finland need this provocation? Historians talk about two reasons:

1. The Finns were a political tool in the hands of the British, who needed war. This assumption would be reasonable if we consider the winter war in isolation. But if we remember the realities of those times, then at the time of the incident a world war was already underway, and England had already declared war on Germany. England's attack on the USSR automatically created an alliance between Stalin and Hitler, and this alliance would sooner or later hit England itself with all its might. Therefore, to assume this is tantamount to assuming that England decided to commit suicide, which, of course, was not the case.
2. They wanted to expand their territories and influence. This is an absolutely stupid hypothesis. This is from the category - Liechtenstein wants to attack Germany. It's nonsense. Finland had neither the strength nor the means for war, and everyone in the Finnish command understood that their only chance of success in the war with the USSR was a long defense that would exhaust the enemy. With such situations, no one will disturb the den with the bear.

The most adequate answer to the question posed is that the shelling of the village of Mainila is a provocation of the Soviet government itself, which was looking for any excuse to justify the war with Finland. And it was this incident that was subsequently presented to Soviet society as an example of the treachery of the Finnish people, who needed help to carry out the socialist revolution.

Balance of forces and means

It is indicative how the forces were correlated during the Soviet-Finnish war. Below is summary table, which describes how the opposing countries approached the Winter War.

In all aspects except infantry, the USSR had a clear advantage. But conducting an offensive, superior to the enemy by only 1.3 times, is an extremely risky undertaking. In this case, discipline, training and organization come to the fore. The Soviet army had problems with all three aspects. These figures once again emphasize that the Soviet leadership did not perceive Finland as an enemy, expecting to destroy it in the shortest possible time.

Progress of the war

The Soviet-Finnish or Winter War can be divided into 2 stages: the first (December 39th - January 7th 40th) and the second (January 7th 40th - March 12th 40th). What happened on January 7, 1940? Timoshenko was appointed commander of the army, who immediately set about reorganizing the army and establishing order in it.

First stage

The Soviet-Finnish war began on November 30, 1939, and the Soviet army failed to carry it out briefly. The USSR army actually crossed the state border of Finland without declaring war. For its citizens, the justification was the following - to help the people of Finland in overthrowing the bourgeois government of the warmonger.

The Soviet leadership did not take Finland seriously, believing that the war would be over in a few weeks. They even mentioned a figure of 3 weeks as a deadline. More specifically, there should be no war. The Soviet command's plan was approximately as follows:

• Send in troops. We did this on November 30th.
• Creation of a working government controlled by the USSR. On December 1, the Kuusinen government was created (more on this later).
• Lightning-fast attack on all fronts. It was planned to reach Helsinki in 1.5-2 weeks.
• Declining the real government of Finland towards peace and complete surrender in favor of the Kuusinen government.

The first two points were implemented in the first days of the war, but then problems began. The blitzkrieg did not work out, and the army was stuck in the Finnish defense. Although in the initial days of the war, until approximately December 4, it seemed that everything was going according to plan - Soviet troops were moving forward. However, very soon they stumbled upon the Mannerheim line. On December 4, the armies of the eastern front (near Lake Suvantojärvi), on December 6 - the central front (Summa direction), and on December 10 - the western front (Gulf of Finland) entered it. And it was a shock. A huge number of documents indicate that the troops did not expect to encounter a well-fortified defense line. And this is a huge question for the Red Army intelligence.

In any case, December was a disastrous month that thwarted almost all the plans of the Soviet Headquarters. The troops advanced inland slowly. Every day the pace of movement only decreased. Reasons for the slow advance of Soviet troops:

1. Terrain. Almost the entire territory of Finland is forests and swamps. It is difficult to use equipment in such conditions.
2. Application of aviation. Aviation was practically not used in terms of bombing. There was no point in bombing villages adjacent to the front line, since the Finns were retreating, leaving behind scorched earth. It was difficult to bomb the retreating troops, since they were retreating with civilians.
3. Roads. While retreating, the Finns destroyed roads, caused landslides, and mined everything they could.

Formation of the Kuusinen government

On December 1, 1939, the People's Government of Finland was formed in the city of Terijoki. It was formed on territory already captured by the USSR, and with the direct participation of the Soviet leadership. The Finnish people's government included:

• Chairman and Minister of Foreign Affairs – Otto Kuusinen
• Minister of Finance – Mauri Rosenberg
• Minister of Defense - Axel Antila
• Minister of the Interior – Tuure Lehen
• Minister of Agriculture – Armas Eikia
• Minister of Education – Inkeri Lehtinen
• Minister for Karelia Affairs – Paavo Prokkonen

Outwardly it looks like a full-fledged government. The only problem is that the Finnish population did not recognize him. But already on December 1 (that is, on the day of its formation), this government concluded an agreement with the USSR on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the USSR and the FDR (Finnish Democratic Republic). December 2 is signed new agreement- about mutual assistance. From this moment on, Molotov says that the war continues because a revolution took place in Finland, and now it is necessary to support it and help the workers. In fact, it was a clever trick to justify the war in the eyes of the Soviet population.

Mannerheim Line

The Mannerheim Line is one of the few things that almost everyone knows about the Soviet-Finnish war. Soviet propaganda said about this fortification system that all the world generals recognized its impregnability. This was an exaggeration. The line of defense was, of course, strong, but not impregnable.

The Mannerheim Line (as it received this name already during the war) consisted of 101 concrete fortifications. For comparison, the Maginot Line, which Germany crossed in France, was approximately the same length. The Maginot Line consisted of 5,800 concrete structures. In fairness, it should be noted the difficult terrain conditions of the Mannerheim Line. There were swamps and numerous lakes, which made movement extremely difficult and therefore the defense line did not require a large number of fortifications.

The largest attempt to break through the Mannerheim Line at the first stage was made on December 17-21 in the central section. It was here that it was possible to occupy the roads leading to Vyborg, gaining a significant advantage. But the offensive, in which 3 divisions took part, failed. This was the first major success in the Soviet-Finnish war for the Finnish army. This success came to be called the “Miracle of Summa.” Subsequently, the line was broken on February 11, which actually predetermined the outcome of the war.

Expulsion of the USSR from the League of Nations

On December 14, 1939, the USSR was expelled from the League of Nations. This decision was promoted by England and France, who spoke of Soviet aggression against Finland. Representatives of the League of Nations condemned the actions of the USSR in terms of aggressive actions and the outbreak of war.

Today, the exclusion of the USSR from the League of Nations is cited as an example of the limitation of Soviet power and as a loss in image. In fact, everything is a little different. In 1939, the League of Nations no longer played the role it had been assigned following the First World War. The fact is that back in 1933, Germany left it, refusing to comply with the demands of the League of Nations for disarmament and simply left the organization. It turns out that at the time of December 14, the League of Nations de facto ceased to exist. After all, what kind of European security system can we talk about when Germany and the USSR left the organization?

Second stage of the war

On January 7, 1940, the Headquarters of the Northwestern Front was headed by Marshal Timoshenko. He had to solve all the problems and organize a successful offensive of the Red Army. At this point, the Soviet-Finnish war took a break, and no active operations were carried out until February. From February 1 to 9, powerful attacks began on the Mannerheim line. It was assumed that the 7th and 13th armies were to break through the defense line with decisive flank attacks and occupy the Vuoksy-Karkhul sector. After this, it was planned to move to Vyborg, occupy the city and block the railways and highways leading to the West.

On February 11, 1940, a general offensive of Soviet troops began on the Karelian Isthmus. This was a turning point in the Winter War, as units of the Red Army managed to break through the Mannerheim Line and begin advancing deeper into the country. They advanced slowly due to the specifics of the terrain, the resistance of the Finnish army and severe frosts, but the main thing is that we moved forward. At the beginning of March, the Soviet army was already on the western coast of the Vyborg Bay.

This effectively ended the war, since it was obvious that Finland did not have large forces and means to contain the Red Army. From that time on, peace negotiations began, in which the USSR dictated its terms, and Molotov constantly emphasized that the conditions would be harsh, because the Finns forced them to start a war, during which the blood of Soviet soldiers was shed.

Why did the war last so long

According to the Bolsheviks, the Soviet-Finnish war was supposed to end in 2-3 weeks, and the decisive advantage was to be given by the troops of the Leningrad district alone. In practice, the war dragged on for almost 4 months, and divisions were assembled throughout the country to suppress the Finns. There are several reasons for this:

• Poor organization of troops. This concerns the poor performance of the command staff, but the bigger problem is coherence between the branches of the military. She was practically absent. If you study archival documents, there are a lot of reports according to which some troops fired at others.
• Poor security. The army was in need of almost everything. The war was fought in winter and in the north, where the air temperature dropped below -30 by the end of December. And at the same time, the army was not provided with winter clothing.
• Underestimating the enemy. The USSR did not prepare for war. The plan was to quickly suppress the Finns and solve the problem without war, attributing everything to the border incident of November 24, 1939.
• Support for Finland by other countries. England, Italy, Hungary, Sweden (primarily) - provided assistance to Finland in everything: weapons, supplies, food, airplanes, and so on. The greatest efforts were made by Sweden, which itself actively helped and facilitated the transfer of assistance from other countries. In general, during the Winter War of 1939-1940, only Germany supported the Soviet side.

Stalin was very nervous because the war was dragging on. He repeated - The whole world is watching us. And he was right. Therefore, Stalin demanded a solution to all problems, restoration of order in the army and a speedy resolution of the conflict. To some extent this was achieved. And quite quickly. The Soviet offensive in February-March 1940 forced Finland to peace.

The Red Army fought extremely undisciplinedly, and its management does not stand up to criticism. Almost all reports and memos about the situation at the front were accompanied by a postscript - “an explanation of the reasons for the failures.” I will give some quotes from Beria’s memo to Stalin No. 5518/B dated December 14, 1939:

• During the landing on the island of Sayskari, a Soviet plane dropped 5 bombs, which landed on the destroyer "Lenin".
• On December 1, the Ladoga flotilla was fired upon twice by its own aircraft.
• When occupying the island of Gogland, during the advance of the landing forces, 6 Soviet aircraft appeared, one of which fired several shots in bursts. As a result, 10 people were injured.

And there are hundreds of such examples. But if the situations above are examples of the exposure of soldiers and troops, then next I want to give examples of how the equipment of the Soviet army took place. To do this, let us turn to Beria’s memo to Stalin No. 5516/B dated December 14, 1939:

• In the Tulivara area, the 529th Rifle Corps needed 200 pairs of skis to bypass enemy fortifications. This was not possible, since the Headquarters received 3,000 pairs of skis with broken points.
• The new arrivals from the 363rd Signal Battalion include 30 vehicles in need of repair, and 500 people wearing summer uniforms.
• The 51st Corps Artillery Regiment arrived to replenish the 9th Army. Missing: 72 tractors, 65 trailers. Of the 37 tractors that arrived, only 9 are in good condition, out of 150 machines - 90. 80% of the personnel are not provided with winter uniforms.

It is not surprising that against the backdrop of such events there was desertion in the Red Army. For example, on December 14, 430 people deserted from the 64th Infantry Division.

Help for Finland from other countries

In the Soviet-Finnish war, many countries provided assistance to Finland. To demonstrate, I will cite Beria’s report to Stalin and Molotov No. 5455/B.

Finland is helped by:

• Sweden – 8 thousand people. Mainly reserve personnel. They are commanded by career officers who are on “vacation.”
• Italy - number unknown.
• Hungary – 150 people. Italy demands an increase in numbers.
• England - 20 fighter aircraft are known, although the actual number is higher.

The best proof that the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940 took place with the support of the Western countries of Finland was the speech of Finnish Minister Greensberg on December 27, 1939 at 07:15 to the English agency Havas. Below I quote the literal translation from English.

The Finnish people thank the English, French and other nations for the assistance they provide.

Greensberg, Minister of Finland

It's obvious that Western countries opposed the USSR aggression against Finland. This was expressed, among other things, by the exclusion of the USSR from the League of Nations.

I would also like to show a photo of Beria’s report on the intervention of France and England in the Soviet-Finnish war.

Conclusion of peace

On February 28, the USSR handed over to Finland its terms for concluding peace. The negotiations themselves took place in Moscow on March 8-12. After these negotiations, the Soviet-Finnish war ended on March 12, 1940. The peace terms were as follows:

1. The USSR received the Karelian Isthmus along with Vyborg (Viipuri), the bay and islands.
2. The western and northern coasts of Lake Ladoga, together with the cities of Kexgolm, Suoyarvi and Sortavala.
3. Islands in the Gulf of Finland.
4. Hanko Island with its maritime territory and base was leased to the USSR for 50 years. The USSR paid 8 million German marks for rent annually.
5. The agreement between Finland and the USSR of 1920 has lost its force.
6. On March 13, 1940, hostilities ceased.

Below is a map showing the territories ceded to the USSR as a result of the signing of the peace treaty.

USSR losses

The question of the number of USSR soldiers killed during the Soviet-Finnish War is still open. The official history does not answer the question, speaking in veiled terms about “minimal” losses and focusing on the fact that the objectives were achieved. There was no talk about the scale of the Red Army's losses in those days. The figure was deliberately underestimated, demonstrating the success of the army. In fact, the losses were huge. To do this, just look at report No. 174 of December 21, which provides figures on the losses of the 139th Infantry Division over 2 weeks of fighting (November 30 - December 13). The losses are as follows:

• Commanders – 240.
• Privates - 3536.
• Rifles - 3575.
• Light machine guns – 160.
• Heavy machine guns – 150.
• Tanks – 5.
• Armored vehicles – 2.
• Tractors – 10.
• Trucks – 14.
• Horse train - 357.

Belyanov's memo No. 2170 dated December 27 talks about the losses of the 75th Infantry Division. Total losses: senior commanders - 141, junior commanders - 293, rank and file - 3668, tanks - 20, machine guns - 150, rifles - 1326, armored vehicles - 3.

This is data for 2 divisions (much more fought) for 2 weeks of fighting, when the first week was a “warm-up” - the Soviet army advanced relatively without losses until it reached the Mannerheim Line. And during these 2 weeks, of which only the last was actually combative, the OFFICIAL figures are losses of more than 8 thousand people! A huge number of people suffered frostbite.

On March 26, 1940, at the 6th session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, data on USSR losses in the war with Finland were announced - 48,745 people killed and 158,863 people wounded and frostbitten. These are official figures and therefore greatly underestimated. Today, historians give different figures for the losses of the Soviet army. It is said that between 150 and 500 thousand people died. For example, the Book of Combat Losses of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army states that in the war with the White Finns, 131,476 people died, went missing, or died from wounds. At the same time, the data of that time did not take into account the losses of the Navy, and for a long time people who died in hospitals after wounds and frostbite were not taken into account as losses. Today, most historians agree that about 150 thousand Red Army soldiers died during the war, excluding the losses of the Navy and border troops.

Finnish losses are listed as follows: 23 thousand dead and missing, 45 thousand wounded, 62 aircraft, 50 tanks, 500 guns.

Results and consequences of the war

The Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, even with a brief study, points to both absolutely negative and absolutely positive aspects. Negativity is the nightmare of the first months of the war and huge amount victims. By and large, it was December 1939 and early January 1940 that demonstrated to the whole world that the Soviet army was weak. That's how it really was. But there was also a positive aspect: the Soviet leadership saw the real strength of its army. We have been told since childhood that the Red Army has been the strongest in the world almost since 1917, but this is extremely far from reality. The only major test of this army was the Civil War. We will not analyze the reasons for the victory of the Reds over the Whites now (after all, we are now talking about the Winter War), but the reasons for the victory of the Bolsheviks do not lie in the army. To demonstrate this, it is enough to just quote one quote from Frunze, which he voiced at the end of the Civil War.

All this army rabble needs to be disbanded as soon as possible.

Before the war with Finland, the leadership of the USSR had its head in the clouds, believing that it had a strong army. But December 1939 showed that this was not the case. The army was extremely weak. But starting in January 1940, changes were made (personnel and organizational) that changed the course of the war, and which largely prepared a combat-ready army for the Patriotic War. This is very easy to prove. Almost the entire December of the 39th Red Army stormed the Mannerheim Line - there was no result. On February 11, 1940, the Mannerheim line was broken through in 1 day. This breakthrough was possible because it was carried out by another army, more disciplined, organized, and trained. And the Finns did not have a single chance against such an army, so Mannerheim, who served as Minister of Defense, even then began to talk about the need for peace.

Prisoners of war and their fate

The number of prisoners of war during the Soviet-Finnish war was impressive. At the time of the war, there were 5,393 captured Red Army soldiers and 806 captured White Finns. Captured Red Army soldiers were divided into the following groups:

• Political leadership. It was political affiliation that was important, without singling out rank.
• Officers. This group included persons equated to officers.
• Junior officers.
• Privates.
• National minorities
• Defectors.

Particular attention was paid to national minorities. The attitude towards them in Finnish captivity was more loyal than towards representatives of the Russian people. The privileges were minor, but they were there. At the end of the war, a mutual exchange of all prisoners was carried out, regardless of their belonging to one group or another.

On April 19, 1940, Stalin orders everyone who was in Finnish captivity to be sent to the Southern Camp of the NKVD. Below is a quote from the Politburo resolution.

All those returned by the Finnish authorities should be sent to the Southern camp. Within three months, ensure all the necessary measures are taken to identify persons processed by foreign intelligence services. Pay attention to dubious and alien elements, as well as those who voluntarily surrendered. In all cases, refer cases to court.

The southern camp, located in the Ivanovo region, began work on April 25. Already on May 3, Beria sent a letter to Stalin, Molotov and Timoschenko, informing that 5277 people had arrived at the Camp. On June 28, Beria sends a new report. According to it, the Southern camp “receives” 5,157 Red Army soldiers and 293 officers. Of these, 414 people were convicted of treason and treason.

The myth of war - Finnish “cuckoos”

“Cuckoos” is what Soviet soldiers called snipers who continuously fired at the Red Army. It was said that these are professional Finnish snipers who sit in trees and shoot almost without missing. The reason for such attention to snipers is their high efficiency and the inability to determine the point of the shot. But the problem in determining the point of the shot was not that the shooter was in a tree, but that the terrain created an echo. It disoriented the soldiers.

Stories about “cuckoos” are one of the myths that the Soviet-Finnish war gave rise to in large numbers. It’s hard to imagine in 1939 a sniper who, at air temperatures below -30 degrees, was able to sit on a tree for days, while firing accurate shots.

The armed conflict between the Soviet state and Finland is increasingly viewed by contemporaries as one of the components of the Second World War. Let's try to isolate the true causes of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940.
The origins of this war lie in the very system of international relations that had developed by 1939. At that time, war, the destruction and violence it brought, were considered an extreme, but completely acceptable method of achieving geopolitical goals and protecting the interests of the state. Large countries were building up their armaments, small states were looking for allies and entered into agreements with them for assistance in case of war.

Soviet-Finnish relations from the very beginning could not be called friendly. Finnish nationalists wanted to return Soviet Karelia to the control of their country. And the activities of the Comintern, directly financed by the CPSU (b), were aimed at the speedy establishment of the power of the proletariat throughout the globe. It is most convenient to start the next campaign to overthrow bourgeois governments from neighboring states. This fact should already make the rulers of Finland worry.

Another exacerbation began in 1938. The Soviet Union predicted the imminent outbreak of war with Germany. And to prepare for this event, it was necessary to strengthen the western borders of the state. The city of Leningrad, which was the cradle of the October Revolution, was a large industrial center in those years. The loss of the former capital during the first days of hostilities would have been a serious blow for the USSR. Therefore, the Finnish leadership received a proposal to lease their Hanko Peninsula to create military bases there.

Permanent deployment armed forces The USSR on the territory of a neighboring state was fraught with a violent change of power to “workers and peasants”. The Finns remembered well the events of the twenties, when Bolshevik activists tried to create Soviet republic and annex Finland to the USSR. The activities of the Communist Party were banned in this country. Therefore, the Finnish government could not agree to such a proposal.

In addition, in the Finnish territories designated for transfer there was the famous Mannerheim defensive line, which was considered insurmountable. If it is voluntarily handed over to a potential enemy, then nothing will be able to restrain the Soviet troops from advancing forward. A similar trick had already been performed in Czechoslovakia by the Germans in 1939, so the Finnish leadership was clearly aware of the consequences of such a step.

On the other hand, Stalin had no compelling reason to believe that Finland's neutrality would remain unshakable during the upcoming big war. The political elites of capitalist countries generally saw the USSR as a threat to the stability of European states.
In short, the parties in 1939 could not and, perhaps, did not want to come to an agreement. The Soviet Union needed guarantees and a buffer zone in front of its territory. Finland needed to maintain its neutrality in order to be able to quickly change its foreign policy and lean towards the favorite in the approaching big war.

Another reason for the military solution to the current situation seems to be a test of strength in the conditions real war. Finnish fortifications were stormed in the harsh winter of 1939-1940, which was a difficult test for both military personnel and equipment.

Part of the community of historians cite the desire for the “Sovietization” of Finland as one of the reasons for the outbreak of the Soviet-Finnish war. However, such assumptions are not confirmed by facts. In March 1940, the Finnish defensive fortifications fell, and the imminent defeat in the conflict became obvious. Without waiting for help from the Western allies, the government sent a delegation to Moscow to conclude a peace agreement.

For some reason, the Soviet leadership turned out to be extremely accommodating. Instead of quickly ending the war with the complete defeat of the enemy and the annexation of its territory to the Soviet Union, as was done, for example, with Belarus, a peace treaty was signed. By the way, this agreement also took into account the interests of the Finnish side, for example, the demilitarization of the Åland Islands. Probably in 1940 the USSR focused on preparing for war with Germany.

The formal reason for the start of the war of 1939-1940 was the artillery shelling of the positions of Soviet troops near the Finnish border. Which, naturally, the Finns were accused of. For this reason, Finland was asked to withdraw troops 25 kilometers in order to avoid similar incidents in the future. When the Finns refused, the outbreak of war became inevitable.

This was followed by a short but bloody war, which ended in 1940 with the victory of the Soviet side.

75 years ago, on November 30, 1939, the Winter War (Soviet-Finnish War) began. The Winter War was almost unknown to the people of Russia for quite a long time. In the 1980-1990s, when it was possible to blaspheme the history of Russia-USSR with impunity, the dominant point of view was that “bloody Stalin” wanted to seize “innocent” Finland, but the small but proud northern people fought back the northern “evil empire”. Thus, Stalin was blamed not only for the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-1940, but also for the fact that Finland was “forced” to enter into an alliance with Hitler’s Germany in order to resist the “aggression” of the Soviet Union.

Many books and articles denounced Soviet Mordor, which attacked little Finland. They cited absolutely fantastic figures for Soviet losses, reported on heroic Finnish machine gunners and snipers, the stupidity of Soviet generals, and much more. Any reasonable reasons for the Kremlin's actions were completely denied. They say that the irrational anger of the “bloody dictator” is to blame for everything.

In order to understand why Moscow went to this war, it is necessary to remember the history of Finland. Finnish tribes have long been on the periphery of the Russian state and the Swedish kingdom. Some of them became part of Rus' and became “Russians”. The fragmentation and weakening of Rus' led to the fact that the Finnish tribes were conquered and subjugated by Sweden. The Swedes pursued a colonization policy in the traditions of the West. Finland did not have administrative or even cultural autonomy. The official language was Swedish, spoken by the nobles and the entire educated segment of the population.

Russia , having taken Finland from Sweden in 1809, essentially gave the Finns statehood, allowed them to create basic state institutions and form a national economy. Finland received its own authorities, currency and even an army as part of Russia. At the same time, the Finns did not pay general taxes and did not fight for Russia. The Finnish language, while maintaining the status of the Swedish language, received the status of the state language. The authorities of the Russian Empire practically did not interfere in the affairs of the Grand Duchy of Finland. The policy of Russification was not carried out in Finland for a long time (some elements appeared only in a later period, but it was already too late). The resettlement of Russians to Finland was actually prohibited. Moreover, the Russians living in the Grand Duchy were in an unequal position in relation to the local residents. In addition, in 1811, the Vyborg province was transferred to the Grand Duchy, which included lands that Russia had captured from Sweden in the 18th century. Moreover, Vyborg had great military-strategic importance in relation to the capital of the Russian Empire - St. Petersburg. Thus, the Finns in the Russian “prison of nations” lived better than the Russians themselves, who bore all the hardships of building an empire and its defense from numerous enemies.

The collapse of the Russian Empire gave Finland independence. Finland thanked Russia by first entering into an alliance with the Kaiser’s Germany, and then with the Entente powers ( more details in a series of articles - How Russia created Finnish statehood; Part 2; Finland in alliance with the Kaiser's Germany against Russia; Part 2; Finland is in alliance with the Entente against Russia. First Soviet-Finnish War; Part 2 ). On the eve of World War II, Finland occupied a hostile position towards Russia, leaning toward an alliance with the Third Reich.

Most Russian citizens associate Finland with a “small, cozy European country”, with peaceful and cultural inhabitants. This was facilitated by a kind of “political correctness” towards Finland, which reigned in late Soviet propaganda. Finland, after defeat in the war of 1941-1944, received good lesson and extracted maximum benefits from its proximity to the huge Soviet Union. Therefore, the USSR did not remember that the Finns attacked the USSR three times in 1918, 1921 and 1941. They preferred to forget about this for the sake of good relations.

Finland was not a peaceful neighbor of Soviet Russia.Finland's separation from Russia was not peaceful. The Civil War began between the White and Red Finns. The Whites were supported by Germany. The Soviet government refrained from large-scale support for the Reds. Therefore, with the help of the Germans, the White Finns gained the upper hand. The winners created a network of concentration camps and unleashed the White Terror, during which tens of thousands of people died (during the fighting itself, only a few thousand people died on both sides).In addition to the Reds and their supporters, the Finns “purged” the Russian community of Finland.Moreover, the majority of Russians in Finland, including refugees from Russia who fled from the Bolsheviks, did not support the Reds and Soviet power. Former officers of the tsarist army, their families, representatives of the bourgeoisie, intelligentsia, numerous students, the entire Russian population indiscriminately, women, old people and children . Significant material assets belonging to the Russians were confiscated.

The Finns were going to place a German king on the throne of Finland. However, Germany's defeat in the war led to Finland becoming a republic. After this, Finland began to focus on the Entente powers. Finland was not satisfied with independence, the Finnish elite wanted more, laying claim to Russian Karelia, the Kola Peninsula, and the most radical figures made plans to build a “Greater Finland” with the inclusion of Arkhangelsk, and Russian lands up to Northern Urals, Ob and Yenisei (the Urals and Western Siberia are considered the ancestral home of the Finno-Ugric language family).

The leadership of Finland, like Poland, was not satisfied with the existing borders and was preparing for war. Poland had territorial claims to almost all its neighbors - Lithuania, the USSR, Czechoslovakia and Germany; the Polish lords dreamed of restoring a great power “from sea to sea.” People in Russia more or less know about this. But few people know that the Finnish elite was delirious with a similar idea, the creation of a “Greater Finland.” The ruling elite also set the goal of creating a Greater Finland. The Finns did not want to get involved with the Swedes, but they laid claim to Soviet lands, which were larger than Finland itself. The radicals had unlimited appetites, stretching all the way to the Urals and further to the Ob and Yenisei.

And first they wanted to capture Karelia. Soviet Russia was torn apart by the Civil War, and the Finns wanted to take advantage of this. Thus, in February 1918, General K. Mannerheim stated that “he will not sheathe his sword until Eastern Karelia is liberated from the Bolsheviks.” Mannerheim planned to seize Russian lands along the line White Sea - Lake Onega - Svir River - Lake Ladoga, which was supposed to facilitate the defense of new lands. It was also planned to include the Pechenga region (Petsamo) and the Kola Peninsula into Greater Finland. They wanted to separate Petrograd from Soviet Russia and make it a “free city”, like Danzig. On May 15, 1918, Finland declared war on Russia. Even before the official declaration of war, Finnish volunteer detachments began to conquer Eastern Karelia.

Soviet Russia was busy fighting on other fronts, so it did not have the strength to defeat its insolent neighbor. However, the Finnish offensive on Petrozavodsk and Olonets and the campaign against Petrograd across the Karelian Isthmus failed. And after the defeat of Yudenich’s white army, the Finns had to make peace. From July 10 to July 14, 1920, peace negotiations took place in Tartu. The Finns demanded that Karelia be transferred to them, but the Soviet side refused. In the summer, the Red Army drove the last Finnish troops out of Karelian territory. The Finns held only two volosts - Rebola and Porosozero. This made them more accommodating. There was no hope for help from the West; the Entente powers had already realized that the intervention in Soviet Russia had failed. On October 14, 1920, the Tartu Peace Treaty was signed between the RSFSR and Finland. The Finns were able to obtain the Pechenga volost, the western part of the Rybachy Peninsula, and most of the Sredny Peninsula and the islands, west of the limit line in the Barents Sea. Rebola and Porosozero were returned to Russia.

This did not satisfy Helsinki. Plans for the construction of “Greater Finland” were not abandoned, they were only postponed. In 1921, Finland again tried to resolve the Karelian issue by force. Finnish volunteer detachments, without declaring war, invaded Soviet territory, and the Second Soviet-Finnish War began. Soviet forces in February 1922 fully liberated the territory of Karelia from invaders. In March, an agreement was signed to take measures to ensure the inviolability of the Soviet-Finnish border.

But even after this failure the Finns did not cool down. The situation on the Finnish border was constantly tense. Many, remembering the USSR, imagine a huge powerful power that defeated the Third Reich, took Berlin, sent the first man into space and made the entire Western world tremble. Like, how could little Finland threaten the huge northern “evil empire”. However, the USSR 1920-1930s. was a great power only in terms of territory and potential. Moscow's real policy at that time was extremely cautious. In fact, for quite a long time, Moscow, until it became stronger, pursued an extremely flexible policy, most often giving in and not getting into trouble.

For example, the Japanese plundered our waters off the Kamchatka Peninsula for quite a long time. Under the protection of their warships, Japanese fishermen not only completely caught all the living creatures from our waters worth millions of gold rubles, but also freely landed on our shores for repairs, fish processing, obtaining fresh water, etc. Before Khasan and Khalkin Gol, when The USSR grew stronger thanks to successful industrialization, received a powerful military-industrial complex and strong armed forces, the Red commanders had strict orders to restrain Japanese troops only on their territory, without crossing the border. A similar situation occurred in the Russian North, where Norwegian fishermen fished in the internal waters of the USSR. And when the Soviet border guards tried to protest, Norway took warships into the White Sea.

Of course, Finland no longer wanted to fight the USSR alone. Finland has become a friend of any power hostile to Russia. As the first Finnish Prime Minister Per Evind Svinhuvud noted: “Any enemy of Russia must always be a friend of Finland.” Against this background, Finland even became friends with Japan. Japanese officers began to come to Finland for internships. In Finland, as in Poland, they were afraid of any strengthening of the USSR, since their leadership based their calculations on the fact that a war between some great Western power and Russia was inevitable (or a war between Japan and the USSR), and they would be able to profit from Russian lands . Inside Finland, the press was constantly hostile to the USSR, conducting almost open propaganda for an attack on Russia and the seizure of its territories. All kinds of provocations constantly took place on the Soviet-Finnish border on land, at sea and in the air.

After hopes for an imminent conflict between Japan and the USSR did not materialize, the Finnish leadership headed for a close alliance with Germany. The two countries are linked by close military-technical cooperation. With the consent of Finland, a German intelligence and counterintelligence center (“Bureau Cellarius”) was created in the country. His main task was carrying out intelligence work against the USSR. First of all, the Germans were interested in data about the Baltic Fleet, formations of the Leningrad Military District and industry in the northwestern part of the USSR. By the beginning of 1939, Finland, with the help of German specialists, had built a network of military airfields that was capable of receiving 10 times more aircraft than the Finnish Air Force. It is also very significant that even before the start of the war of 1939-1940. The Finnish swastika was the identifying mark of the Finnish Air Force and armored forces.

Thus, by the beginning of the great war in Europe, we had on the north-western borders a clearly hostile, aggressive state, whose elite dreamed of building a “Greater Finland at the expense of Russian (Soviet) lands and was ready to be friends with any potential enemy of the USSR. Helsinki was ready to fight the USSR both in alliance with Germany and Japan, and with the help of England and France.

The Soviet leadership understood everything perfectly and, seeing the approach of a new world war, sought to secure the northwestern borders. Leningrad was of particular importance - the second capital of the USSR, a powerful industrial, scientific and cultural center, as well as the main base of the Baltic Fleet. Finnish long-range artillery could fire at the city from its border, and ground forces could reach Leningrad in one burst. The fleet of a potential enemy (Germany or England and France) could easily break through to Kronstadt, and then Leningrad. To protect the city, it was necessary to push back the land border on land, as well as restore the distant line of defense at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland, gaining space for fortifications on the northern and southern shores. The largest fleet of the Soviet Union, the Baltic, was actually blocked in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. The Baltic Fleet had a single base - Kronstadt. Kronstadt and Soviet ships could be hit by long-range guns of the Finnish coastal defense. This situation could not satisfy the Soviet leadership.

The issue with Estonia was resolved peacefully. In September 1939, a mutual assistance agreement was concluded between the USSR and Estonia. A Soviet military contingent was introduced into Estonia. The USSR received the rights to create military bases on the islands of Ezel and Dago, Paldiski and Haapsalu.

It was not possible to come to an amicable agreement with Finland. Although negotiations began back in 1938. Moscow has tried literally everything. She proposed concluding a mutual assistance agreement and jointly defending the Gulf of Finland zone, giving the USSR the opportunity to create a base on the coast of Finland (Hanko Peninsula), sell or lease several islands in the Gulf of Finland. It was also proposed to move the border near Leningrad. As compensation, the Soviet Union offered much larger territories of Eastern Karelia, preferential loans, economic benefits, etc. However, all proposals were met with a categorical refusal from the Finnish side. It is impossible not to note the inciting role of London. The British told the Finns that it was necessary to take a firm position and not give in to pressure from Moscow. This gave Helsinki hope.

In Finland, general mobilization and evacuation of the civilian population from border areas began. At the same time, arrests of left-wing figures were carried out. Incidents at the border have become more frequent. So, on November 26, 1939, a border incident occurred near the village of Maynila. According to Soviet data, Finnish artillery shelled Soviet territory. The Finnish side declared the USSR to be the culprit of the provocation. On November 28, the Soviet government announced the denunciation of the Non-Aggression Treaty with Finland. On November 30, the war began. Its results are known. Moscow solved the problem of ensuring the security of Leningrad and the Baltic Fleet. We can say that it was only thanks to the Winter War that the enemy was unable to capture the second capital of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War.

Finland is currently drifting towards the West and NATO again, so it is worth keeping a close eye on it. The “cozy and cultural” country can again recall the plans for “Great Finland” right up to the Northern Urals. Finland and Sweden are thinking about joining NATO, and the Baltic states and Poland are literally turning into NATO’s advanced springboards for aggression against Russia before our very eyes. And Ukraine becomes an instrument for war with Russia in the southwestern direction.

Bunin Ivan Alekseevich

Antonov apples

Ivan Alekseevich Bunin

Antonov apples

I remember an early fine autumn. August was full of warm rains, as if falling on purpose for sowing, with rains right at the right time, in the middle of the month, around the feast of St. Lawrence. And “autumn and winter live well if the water is calm and there is rain on Laurentia.” Then, in the Indian summer, a lot of cobwebs settled in the fields. This too good sign: “There is a lot of shading in the Indian summer - vigorous autumn”... I remember an early, fresh, quiet morning... I remember a large, all golden, dried up and thinning garden, I remember maple alleys, delicate aroma fallen leaves and the smell of Antonov apples, the smell of honey and autumn freshness. The air is so clean, it’s as if there is no air at all; voices and the creaking of carts can be heard throughout the garden. These Tarkhans, bourgeois gardeners, hired men and poured apples in order to send them to the city at night - certainly on a night when it is so nice to lie on a cart, look into the starry sky, smell tar in the fresh air and listen to how carefully a long convoy creaks in the dark high road. The man pouring the apples eats them with a juicy crackle one after another, but such is the establishment - the tradesman will never cut it off, but will also say:

Come on, eat your fill - there’s nothing to do! When pouring, everyone drinks honey.

And the cool silence of the morning is disturbed only by the well-fed clucking of blackbirds on the coral rowan trees in the thicket of the garden, voices and the booming sound of apples being poured into measures and tubs. In the thinned garden one can see far away the road to a large hut, strewn with straw, and the hut itself, near which the townspeople acquired an entire household over the summer. Everywhere there is a strong smell of apples, especially here. There are beds in the hut, there is a single-barreled gun, a green samovar, and dishes in the corner. Near the hut there are mats, boxes, all sorts of tattered belongings, and an earthen stove has been dug. At noon, a magnificent kulesh with lard is cooked on it, in the evening the samovar is heated, and a long strip of bluish smoke spreads across the garden, between the trees. On holidays, there is a whole fair around the hut, and red headdresses are constantly flashing behind the trees. There is a crowd of lively single-yard girls in sundresses that smell strongly of paint, the “lords” come in their beautiful and rough, savage costumes, a young elder woman, pregnant, with a wide, sleepy face and as important as a Kholmogory cow. She has “horns” on her head - braids are placed on the sides of the crown and covered with several scarves, so that the head seems huge; the legs, in ankle boots with horseshoes, stand stupidly and firmly; the sleeveless jacket is velvet, the curtain is long, and the poneva is black and purple with brick-colored stripes and lined at the hem with a wide gold “prose”...

Economic butterfly! - the tradesman says about her, shaking his head. - These are also being translated now...

And the boys in fancy white shirts and short porticoes, with white open heads, all come up. They walk in twos and threes, shuffling their bare feet, and glance sideways at the shaggy shepherd dog tied to an apple tree. Of course, only one buys, because the purchases are only for a penny or an egg, but there are many buyers, trade is brisk, and the consumptive tradesman in a long frock coat and red boots is cheerful. Together with his brother, a burry, nimble half-idiot who lives with him “out of mercy,” he trades in jokes, jokes and even sometimes “touches” the Tula harmonica. And until the evening there is a crowd of people in the garden, you can hear laughter and talking around the hut, and sometimes the clatter of dancing...

By nightfall the weather becomes very cold and dewy. Having inhaled the rye aroma of new straw and chaff on the threshing floor, you cheerfully walk home for dinner past the garden rampart. Voices in the village or the creaking of gates can be heard unusually clearly in the chilly dawn. It's getting dark. And here’s another smell: there’s a fire in the garden, and there’s a strong wafting of fragrant smoke from cherry branches. In the darkness, in the depths of the garden, there is a fabulous picture: as if in a corner of hell, a crimson flame is burning near the hut, surrounded by darkness, and someone’s black silhouettes, as if carved from ebony wood, are moving around the fire, while giant shadows from them walk across the apple trees . Either a black hand several arshins in size will fall across the entire tree, then two legs will clearly appear - two black pillars. And suddenly all this will slide from the apple tree - and the shadow will fall along the entire alley, from the hut to the gate itself...

Late at night, when the lights in the village go out, when the diamond constellation Stozhar is already shining high in the sky, you will run into the garden again.

Rustle through the dry leaves, like a blind man, you will reach the hut. There in the clearing it is a little lighter, and the Milky Way is white above your head.

Is that you, barchuk? - someone quietly calls out from the darkness.

Me: Are you still awake, Nikolai?

We can't sleep. And it must be too late? Look, there seems to be a passenger train coming...

We listen for a long time and discern trembling in the ground, the trembling turns into noise, grows, and now, as if already just outside the garden, the noisy beat of the wheels is rapidly beating out: rumbling and knocking, the train rushes by... closer, closer, louder and angrier... And suddenly it begins to subside, stall, as if going into the ground...

Where is your gun, Nikolai?

But next to the box, sir.

You throw up a single-barreled shotgun, heavy as a crowbar, and shoot straight away. The crimson flame will flash towards the sky with a deafening crack, blind for a moment and extinguish the stars, and a cheerful echo will ring out like a ring and roll across the horizon, fading far, far away in the clean and sensitive air.

Wow, great! - the tradesman will say. - Spend it, spend it, little gentleman, otherwise it’s just a disaster! Again they shook off all the gunk on the shaft...

And the black sky is lined with fiery stripes of falling stars. You look for a long time into its dark blue depths, overflowing with constellations, until the earth begins to float under your feet. Then you will wake up and, hiding your hands in your sleeves, quickly run along the alley to the house... How cold, dewy and how good it is to live in the world!

"Vigorous Antonovka - for a fun year." Village affairs are good if the Antonovka crop is cropped: that means the grain is cropped... I remember a fruitful year.

The teacher pays attention to Ivan Bunin’s story “Antonov Apples,” in which the writer describes the entire life of the Russian middle and upper classes in the countryside. In the story “Antonov Apples,” the plot as a whole represents a description of the main character’s memories, and they are different in each of the four chapters of the text. Thus, the first part describes the trade of the townspeople with the famous Antonov apples in August, the second - autumn, noble house, where the main character and his relatives lived. The third describes hunting, as well as the onset of winter. The fourth describes the November day of small-scale people.
At the end of the lesson, the teacher emphasizes that Ivan Bunin’s story “Antonov Apples” is an expression of deep and poetic love for his country.

Topic: Russian literature of the late XIX – early XX centuries.

Lesson:Ivan Bunin. "Antonov Apples", "Village"

Characteristic feature The early prose work of I. Bunin is the presence of a lyrical plot, in which it is not events that are important, but impressions, associations, and a special elegiac mood. It is known that I.A. Bunin began his career in literature as a poet and, as a rule, did not clearly distinguish between poetic and prosaic creativity; he often used in prose individual images taken from his own lyrics. In this regard, his work clearly reflects such a characteristic phenomenon of 20th-century literature as poetry.

The story “Antonov Apples” as a whole can be considered as a prose poem. A brief and incredibly poetic time is depicted - Indian summer, when elegiac reflections naturally form in the soul. Behind the detailed landscape sketch one can discern the poetic soul of the author, a subtle, educated, deeply loving life native nature. Folk wisdom is close to him, as he often turns to signs: “Autumn and winter live well if the water is calm and there is rain on Lawrence.”

The motive of death enhances the experiences of the lyrical hero. However, the wonderful moment remains in the memory.

Beauty and death, love and separation - here eternal themes, personal and enlightened expression in poetry.

The genre has been defined in various ways, and the running theme is the passage of time.

The story begins and ends with an ellipsis. This means that nothing begins and nothing ends in it. Human life is finite, but life is infinite.

The story is divided into 4 fragments, each of them has its own theme and intonation.

Few people can know and love nature as well as Bunin can. Thanks to this love, the poet looks vigilantly and far, and his colorful and auditory impressions are rich. His world is primarily a world of visual and auditory impressions and experiences associated with them.

Treasured alleys of noble nests. These words from K. Balmont’s poem “In Memory of Turgenev” perfectly convey the mood of the story “Antonov Apples.” Apparently, it is no coincidence that on the pages of one of his first stories, the very date of creation of which is extremely symbolic, I.A. Bunin recreates the world of a Russian estate. It is in it, according to the writer, that the past and the present are united, the history of the culture of the golden age and its fate at the turn of the century, family traditions noble family and individual human life. Sadness about the noble nests fading into the past is the leitmotif not only of this story, but also of numerous poems, such as “The high white hall, where the black piano is...”, “Into the living room through the garden and dusty curtains...”, “On a quiet night, the late moon came out... " However, the leitmotif of decline and destruction is overcome in them “not by the theme of liberation from the past, but on the contrary, by the poeticization of this past, living in the memory of culture... Bunin’s poem about the estate is characterized by picturesqueness and at the same time inspired emotionality, sublimity and poetic feeling. The estate becomes for the lyrical hero an integral part of his individual life and at the same time a symbol of the homeland, the roots of the family” (L. Ershov).

The first thing you notice when reading a story is the absence of a plot in the usual sense, i.e. lack of event dynamics. The very first words of the work “...I remember an early fine autumn” immerse us in the world of the hero’s memories, and the plot begins to develop as a chain of sensations associated with them. The smell of Antonov apples, which awakens a variety of associations in the narrator’s soul. The smells change - life itself changes, but the change in its way of life is conveyed by the writer as a change in the hero’s personal feelings, a change in his worldview. The whole earth is oozing with fruits. But we understand that this is universal happiness. This is a child's perception of happiness.

Let us pay attention to the pictures of autumn given in different chapters through the perception of the hero.

The first chapter deals with strong emotion: “In the darkness, in the depths of the garden, there is a fabulous picture: as if in a corner of hell, a hut is burning with a crimson flame, surrounded by darkness, and someone’s black silhouettes, as if carved from ebony wood, are moving around the fire, while giant shadows from them walk across apple trees." How good it is to live in the world!

In the second chapter, the tone is already consistent, we are talking about the people who convey the way of life, the epic mood: “Almost all the small foliage has flown off the coastal vines, and the branches are visible in the turquoise sky. The water under the lozins became clear, icy and as if heavy... When you used to drive through the village on a sunny morning, you kept thinking about how good it is to mow, thresh, sleep on the threshing floor in brooms, and on a holiday to rise with the sun...”

Rice. 2. Illustration for the story “Antonov Apples” by I. A. Bunin ()

Time goes by in circles as if nothing is happening. The author conveys in his own words the thoughts of the characters.

Bunin formulates the idea of ​​the epic. Thoughts about the village. The idyllic intonation is affirmed, but the author, for contrast, mentions serfdom.

The third chapter deals with the heyday of local culture. Late autumn. Pictures of nature “The wind tore and tore the trees for days on end, the rains watered them from morning to night... the wind did not let up. It disturbed the garden, tore up the stream of human smoke continuously flowing from the chimney, and again drove up the ominous strands of ash clouds. They ran low and fast - and soon, like smoke, they clouded the sun. Its shine faded, the window into the blue sky closed, and the garden became deserted and boring, and rain began to fall more and more often...”

And in the fourth chapter: “The days are bluish, cloudy... All day long I wander through the empty plains...” Lonely wandering through the already winter forest. Quiet sadness.

The description of autumn is conveyed by the narrator through its flower and sound perception. Autumn landscape It changes from chapter to chapter: the colors fade, the sunlight becomes less. Essentially, the story describes the autumn of not one year, but several, and this is constantly emphasized in the text: “I remember a fruitful year”; “These were so recent, and yet it seems that almost a whole century has passed since then.”

Pictures - memories appear in the mind of the narrator and create the illusion of action. However, the narrator himself seems to be in different age guises: from chapter to chapter he seems to become older and looks at the world either through the eyes of a child, a teenager and a young man, or even through the eyes of a person who has crossed adulthood. But time seems to have no power over him, and it flows in the story in a very strange way. On the one hand, it seems to be moving forward, but in the memories the narrator always turns back. All events occurring in the past are perceived and experienced by him as momentary, developing before his eyes. This relativity of time is one of the features of Bunin's traits.

I.A. Bunin is incredibly fond of national color. With what care, for example, he describes the festive spirit of the garden fair. His creation of figures of people from among the people is amazing high degree individualization. Just look at one important thing, like a Kholmogory cow, a young elder, or a burry, nimble half-idiot playing the Tula harmonica.

To recreate in detail the atmosphere of early fine autumn in the apple orchard I.A. Bunin widely uses a whole series of artistic definitions: “I remember an early, fresh, quiet morning... I remember a large, all golden, dried up and thinning garden, I remember maple alleys, the subtle aroma of fallen leaves...” In order to more fully and clearly reflect the surrounding atmosphere, convey every sound (the creaking of carts, the clucking of blackbirds, the crackling of apples being eaten by men) and aroma (the smell of Antonov apples, honey and autumn freshness).

The smell of apples is a recurring detail in the story. I.A. Bunin describes a garden with Antonov apples at different times of the day. At the same time, the evening landscape turns out to be no poorer than the morning one. It is decorated with the diamond constellation Stozhar, the Milky Way, whitening overhead, and shooting stars.

Local libraries preserve the memory of ancestors.

The central theme of the story is the theme of the ruin of noble nests. The author writes with pain that the smell of Antonov apples is disappearing, and the way of life that has developed over centuries is falling apart. Admiring the past and the passing brings an elegiac tone to the work. Bunin emphasizes in certain details the social aspect of relations between people. This is evidenced by the vocabulary (“philistine”, “barchuk”). Despite the elegiac tone, the story also contains optimistic notes. “How cold, dewy and how good it is to live in the world!” - emphasizes I.A. Bunin. The story reveals the idealization of the image of the people characteristic of the writer. He is especially close to the author in holidays when everyone is tidy and happy. “The old men and women lived in Vyselki for a very long time - the first sign of a rich village - and they were all tall, big and white, like a harrier. All you heard was: “Yes,” Agafya waved off her eighty-three year old!” - this is how I.A conveys through dialogues. Bunin his admiration for the way of simple village life. The author poetizes everyday values: work on the land, a clean shirt and lunch with hot lamb on wooden plates.

Social and class differences do not escape the author's attention either. It is no coincidence that old Pankrat stands stretched out in front of the master, smiling guiltily and meekly. It is in this work that I.A. expresses. Bunin had an important idea for him that the structure of the average noble life was close to that of the peasants. The author-narrator directly admits that he did not know or see serfdom, but felt it, remembering how former servants bowed to their masters.

The social aspect is also emphasized in the interior of the house. Footman's room, people's room, hall, living room - all these names indicate the author's understanding of class contradictions in society. However, at the same time, the story also contains admiration for the refined life of the nobility. The writer, for example, emphasizes arctocratically beautiful heads in ancient hairstyles, from portraits lowering their long eyelashes onto sad and tender eyes.

Thus, the story of I.A. Bunin’s “Antonov Apples” is dear to the reader because it embodies the beauty of native nature, pictures of Russian life and teaches to love Russia as much as the Russian writer, stunning with the depth of lyrical expression of patriotic experience, loved it.

Additionally

The idea for the story “The Village” arose from Bunin’s thoughts about the events of 1905 and how it affected life in the Russian village. This led to the fact that the lyrical and master of subtle and tender poetry, Bunin, had to depict what was happening in the village in a strict style and in a purely objective manner.

Only in this way could he reach the callous and already seemingly unbeatable hearts of people who ignored what thousands of disadvantaged people were experiencing. At the same time, Bunin not only paints a harsh picture of reality, he reveals the personalities of the people who were the key figures in this picture.

Therefore, the story “The Village” is considered, first of all, a psychological novel, since Bunin pays a lot of attention to deep portraits of people, their feelings, experiences, thoughts.

In portraying this most skillfully, Bunin is helped by his artistic expressiveness, which is also contained in his rustic lyrics dedicated to the beauty of nature and the amazing sensations that it evokes in humans.

The life and daily existence of the peasants, carefully described by Bunin, and the images of people shown in detail testify to the main idea of ​​the story.

The writer’s goal is not just to show reality realistically, but also to lead the reader to a logical thought about the future of the Russian people and, in particular, about the fate of the Russian village and those people who devote their whole lives to it.

And it is here that the lyricism so close to Bunin manifests itself; it sounds softly in the tone of the entire narrative, in those amazing pictures of nature to which the writer pays so much attention, in the bright and complex feelings of the characters and their heartfelt words.

The two main characters of the story - the Krasov brothers - represent carefully thought-out images, the opposite of which helps the writer to fully paint a picture of reality.

Kuzma, a self-taught poet, is clearly close to Bunin’s personality; in his actions and thoughts one can feel the writer’s personal attitude to what is happening and his assessment.

Using the example of Kuzma, the author shows the features of the new national psyche; Kuzma himself thinks that the Russian people are lazy and wild, that the reasons for such a cruel life of the peasants lie not only in difficult circumstances, but also in their own ideas and psychology.

In contrast to the self-taught poet, Bunin makes the image of his brother Tikhon selfish and calculating. Gradually, he increases his capital, and on his path to prosperity and power, he stops at nothing.

But despite the path he has chosen, he still feels an emptiness and despair that is directly related to the future of his homeland, which paints pictures of an even more destructive revolution.

Using the example of the main and secondary characters, Bunin reveals to the readers those acute social contradictions, in which Russian reality lies.

Those who are village “rebels” are stupid and empty people who grew up in lack of culture and rudeness, and their protest is just a ridiculous attempt to change something. But they are unable to change their own consciousness and psychology, the core of which still remains inertia and hopelessness.

The psychological story “The Village” by Ivan Alekseevich Bunin is recognized as one of the most outstanding and truthful works of Russian literature of the 20th century.

It is in this story that the writer begins to reveal his talent as a realistic prose writer, while the variety of his artistic techniques for depicting the simple peasant life of Russia closely echoes the themes and artistic expression his lyrics.

The main “Village” is a sober, merciless realism in its truth, with the help of which Bunin reveals to his readers a full-fledged picture of peasant life.

References

1. Chalmaev V.A., Zinin S.A. Russian literature of the twentieth century.: Textbook for grade 11: In 2 hours - 5th ed. – M.: LLC 2TID “Russian Word - RS”, 2008.

2. Agenosov V.V. . Russian literature of the 20th century. Methodical manual M. “Bustard”, 2002

3. Russian literature of the 20th century. Textbook for applicants to universities M. academic-scientific. Center "Moscow Lyceum", 1995.

4. Wiktionary.

Further reading

Publications by I. Bunin: Collection. op. in 9 vols. M., 1965–1967; Collection op. in 6 vols. M., 1996–1997; Literature “Russian writers in Moscow”. Collection. Reprint. Comp. L. P. Bykovtseva. M., 1977, 860s “Russian writers. Bio-bibliographic dictionary.” M., 1990

Essays on Russian literature of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. State publishing house fiction. M., 1952

I. A. Bunin. “Stories”. M., 1955 I. A. Bunin. “Antonov apples. Novels and stories” Children's literature. M., 1981 “History of Russian literature of the late 19th – early 20th centuries” Higher school. M., 1984

Audiobook « Antonov apples" ().

...I remember an early fine autumn. August was full of warm rains, as if falling on purpose for sowing, with rains right at the right time, in the middle of the month, around the feast of St. Lawrence. And “autumn and winter live well if the water is calm and there is rain on Laurentia.” Then, in the Indian summer, a lot of cobwebs settled in the fields. This is also a good sign: “There is a lot of shade in the Indian summer - autumn is vigorous”... I remember an early, fresh, quiet morning... I remember a large, all golden, dried up and thinning garden, I remember maple alleys, the subtle aroma of fallen leaves and - the smell Antonov apples, the smell of honey and autumn freshness. The air is so clean, it’s as if there is no air at all; voices and the creaking of carts can be heard throughout the garden. These Tarkhans, bourgeois gardeners, hired men and poured apples in order to send them to the city at night - certainly on a night when it is so nice to lie on a cart, look into the starry sky, smell tar in the fresh air and listen to how carefully it creaks in the dark a long convoy along the high road. The man pouring the apples eats them with a juicy crackle one after another, but such is the establishment - the tradesman will never cut it off, but will also say: - Go ahead, eat your fill, there’s nothing to do! When pouring, everyone drinks honey. And the cool silence of the morning is disturbed only by the well-fed clucking of blackbirds on the coral rowan trees in the thicket of the garden, voices and the booming sound of apples being poured into measures and tubs. In the thinned garden one can see far away the road to a large hut, strewn with straw, and the hut itself, near which the townspeople acquired an entire household over the summer. Everywhere there is a strong smell of apples, especially here. There are beds in the hut, there is a single-barreled gun, a green samovar, and dishes in the corner. Near the hut there are mats, boxes, all sorts of tattered belongings, and an earthen stove has been dug. At noon, a magnificent kulesh with lard is cooked on it, in the evening the samovar is heated, and a long strip of bluish smoke spreads across the garden, between the trees. On holidays, there is a whole fair near the hut, and red headdresses constantly flash behind the trees. There is a crowd of lively single-yard girls in sundresses that smell strongly of paint, the “lords” come in their beautiful and rough, savage costumes, a young elder woman, pregnant, with a wide, sleepy face and as important as a Kholmogory cow. She has “horns” on her head - the braids are placed on the sides of the crown and covered with several scarves, so that the head seems huge; the legs, in ankle boots with horseshoes, stand stupidly and firmly; the sleeveless vest is velvet, the curtain is long, and the poneva is black and purple with brick-colored stripes and lined at the hem with a wide gold “prose”... - Household butterfly! - the tradesman says about her, shaking his head. — These are now being translated... And the boys in fancy white shirts and short porticoes, with white open heads, all come up. They walk in twos and threes, shuffling their bare feet, and glance sideways at the shaggy shepherd dog tied to an apple tree. Of course, only one buys, because the purchases are only for a penny or an egg, but there are many buyers, trade is brisk, and the consumptive tradesman in a long frock coat and red boots is cheerful. Together with his brother, a burry, nimble half-idiot who lives with him “out of mercy,” he trades in jokes, jokes and even sometimes “touches” the Tula harmonica. And until the evening there is a crowd of people in the garden, you can hear laughter and talking around the hut, and sometimes the clatter of dancing... By nightfall the weather becomes very cold and dewy. Having inhaled the rye aroma of new straw and chaff on the threshing floor, you cheerfully walk home for dinner past the garden rampart. Voices in the village or the creaking of gates can be heard unusually clearly in the chilly dawn. It's getting dark. And here’s another smell: there’s a fire in the garden, and there’s a strong wafting of fragrant smoke from cherry branches. In the darkness, in the depths of the garden, there is a fabulous picture: as if in a corner of hell, a crimson flame, surrounded by darkness, is burning near the hut, and someone’s black silhouettes, as if carved from ebony wood, are moving around the fire, while giant shadows from them walk across the apple trees . Either a black hand several arshins in size will fall across the entire tree, then two legs will clearly appear - two black pillars. And suddenly all this will slide from the apple tree - and the shadow will fall along the entire alley, from the hut to the gate itself... Late at night, when the lights in the village go out, when the diamond constellation Stozhar is already shining high in the sky, you will run into the garden again. Rustle through the dry leaves, like a blind man, you will reach the hut. There in the clearing it is a little lighter, and the Milky Way is white above your head. - Is it you, barchuk? - someone quietly calls out from the darkness. - I am. Are you still awake, Nikolai? - We can't sleep. And it must be too late? Look, there seems to be a passenger train coming... We listen for a long time and discern trembling in the ground, the trembling turns into noise, grows, and now, as if already just outside the garden, the noisy beat of the wheels is rapidly beating out: rumbling and knocking, the train rushes by... closer, closer, louder and angrier... And suddenly it begins to subside, stall, as if going into the ground... - Where is your gun, Nikolai? - But next to the box, sir. You throw up a single-barreled shotgun, heavy as a crowbar, and shoot straight away. The crimson flame will flash towards the sky with a deafening crack, blind for a moment and extinguish the stars, and a cheerful echo will ring out like a ring and roll across the horizon, fading far, far away in the clean and sensitive air. - Wow, great! - the tradesman will say. - Spend it, spend it, little gentleman, otherwise it’s just a disaster! Again they shook off all the gunk on the shaft... And the black sky is lined with fiery stripes of falling stars. You look for a long time into its dark blue depths, overflowing with constellations, until the earth begins to float under your feet. Then you will wake up and, hiding your hands in your sleeves, quickly run along the alley to the house... How cold, dewy and how good it is to live in the world!

II

“Vigorous Antonovka - for a fun year.” Village affairs are good if the Antonovka crop is cropped: that means the grain crop is cropped... I remember a fruitful year. At early dawn, when the roosters were still crowing and the huts were smoking black, you would open the window into a cool garden filled with a lilac fog, through which the morning sun shines brightly here and there, and you couldn’t resist - you ordered to saddle up the horse as quickly as possible, and you yourself ran wash at the pond. Almost all the small leaves have flown off the coastal vines, and the branches are visible in the turquoise sky. The water under the vines became clear, icy, and seemingly heavy. It instantly drives away the night's laziness, and, having washed and had breakfast in the common room with the workers, hot potatoes and black bread with coarse raw salt, you enjoy feeling the slippery leather of the saddle under you as you ride through Vyselki to hunt. Autumn is the time for patronal feasts, and at this time the people are tidy and happy, the appearance of the village is not at all the same as at other times. If the year is fruitful and a whole golden city rises on the threshing floors, and geese cackle loudly and loudly on the river in the morning, then it’s not bad at all in the village. In addition, our Vyselki have been famous for their “wealth” since time immemorial, since the time of our grandfather. The old men and women lived in Vyselki for a very long time - the first sign of a rich village - and they were all tall, big and white, like a harrier. All you heard was: “Yes,” Agafya waved off her eighty-three year old!” - or conversations like this: - And when will you die, Pankrat? I suppose you will be a hundred years old? - How would you like to speak, father? - How old are you, I ask! - I don’t know, sir, father. - Do you remember Platon Apollonich? “Why, sir, father,” I clearly remember. - Well, you see. That means you are no less than a hundred. The old man, who stands stretched out in front of the master, smiles meekly and guiltily. Well, they say, what to do - it’s my fault, it’s healed. And he probably would have prospered even more if he had not eaten too much onions in Petrovka. I remember his old woman too. Everyone used to sit on a bench, on the porch, bent over, shaking his head, gasping for breath and holding onto the bench with his hands, all thinking about something. “About her goods,” the women said, because, indeed, she had a lot of “goods” in her chests. But she doesn’t seem to hear; he looks half-blindly into the distance from under sadly raised eyebrows, shakes his head and seems to be trying to remember something. She was a big old woman, kind of dark all over. Paneva is almost from the last century, the chestnuts are like those of a deceased person, the neck is yellow and withered, the shirt with rosin joints is always white-white, “you could even put it in a coffin.” And near the porch big stone lay: she bought it for her grave, just like a shroud, an excellent shroud, with angels, with crosses and with a prayer printed on the edges. The courtyards in Vyselki also matched the old people: brick, built by their grandfathers. And the rich men - Savely, Ignat, Dron - had huts in two or three connections, because sharing in Vyselki was not yet fashionable. In such families they kept bees, were proud of their gray-iron-colored bull stallion, and kept their estates in order. On the threshing floors there were dark, thick hemp fields; there were barns and barns covered with hair; in the bunks and barns there were iron doors, behind which canvases, spinning wheels, new sheepskin coats, type-setting harnesses, and measures bound with copper hoops were stored. Crosses were burned on the gates and on the sleds. And I remember that sometimes it seemed extremely tempting to me to be a man. When you used to drive through the village on a sunny morning, you kept thinking about how good it would be to mow, thresh, sleep on the threshing floor in brooms, and on a holiday to rise with the sun, under the thick and musical blast from the village, wash yourself near a barrel and put on a clean pair of clothes. a shirt, the same trousers and indestructible boots with horseshoes. If, I thought, we add to this a healthy and beautiful wife in festive attire, and a trip to mass, and then dinner with a bearded father-in-law, a dinner with hot lamb on wooden plates and with rushes, with honeycomb honey and mash, then one could only wish for more impossible! Even in my memory, very recently, the lifestyle of the average nobleman had much in common with the lifestyle of a wealthy peasant in its homeliness and rural, old-world prosperity. Such, for example, was the estate of Aunt Anna Gerasimovna, who lived about twelve versts from Vyselki. By the time you get to this estate, it’s already completely impoverished. With dogs in packs you have to walk at a pace, and you don’t want to rush - it’s so much fun in an open field on a sunny and cool day! The terrain is flat, you can see far away. The sky is light and so spacious and deep. The sun sparkles from the side, and the road, rolled by carts after the rains, is oily and shines like rails. Fresh, lush green winter crops are scattered around in wide schools. A hawk will fly up from somewhere in the transparent air and freeze in one place, fluttering its sharp wings. And clearly visible telegraph poles run into the clear distance, and their wires, like silver strings, slide along the slope of the clear sky. There are falcons sitting on them - completely black icons on music paper. I didn’t know or see serfdom, but I remember feeling it at my aunt Anna Gerasimovna’s. You drive into the yard and immediately feel that it is still quite alive here. The estate is small, but all old, solid, surrounded by hundred-year-old birch and willow trees. There are a lot of outbuildings - low, but homely - and all of them seem to be made of dark oak logs under thatched roofs. The only thing that stands out in size, or better yet, in length, is the blackened human one, from which the last Mohicans of the courtyard class peek out - some decrepit old men and women, a decrepit retired cook, looking like Don Quixote. When you drive into the yard, all of them pull themselves up and bow low and low. A gray-haired coachman, heading from the carriage barn to pick up a horse, takes off his hat while still at the barn and walks around the yard with his head bare. He rode as a postilion for his aunt, and now he takes her to mass - in the winter in a cart, and in the summer in a strong, iron-bound cart, like those that priests ride on. My aunt’s garden was famous for its neglect, nightingales, turtle doves and apples, and the house was famous for its roof. He stood at the head of the courtyard, right next to the garden - the branches of the linden trees hugged him - he was small and squat, but it seemed that he would not last a century - so thoroughly did he look from under his unusually high and thick thatched roof, blackened and hardened by time. Its front facade always seemed to me to be alive: as if an old face was looking out from under a huge hat with sockets of eyes - windows with mother-of-pearl glass from the rain and sun. And on the sides of these eyes there were porches - two old large porches with columns. Well-fed pigeons always sat on their pediment, while thousands of sparrows rained from roof to roof... And the guest felt comfortable in this nest under the turquoise autumn sky! You will enter the house and first of all you will hear the smell of apples, and then others: old mahogany furniture, dried linden blossoms, which have been lying on the windows since June... In all the rooms - in the servant's room, in the hall, in the living room - it is cool and gloomy: this is because the house is surrounded by a garden, and the upper glass of the windows is colored: blue and purple. Everywhere there is silence and cleanliness, although it seems that the chairs, tables with inlays and mirrors in narrow and twisted gold frames have never been moved. And then a cough is heard: the aunt comes out. It is small, but, like everything around, it is durable. She has a large Persian shawl draped over her shoulders. She will come out importantly, but affably, and now, amid endless conversations about antiquity, about inheritances, treats begin to appear: first, “duli”, apples, Antonovsky, “bel-barynya”, borovinka, “plodovitka” - and then an amazing lunch : all through and through pink boiled ham with peas, stuffed chicken, turkey, marinades and red kvass - strong and sweet-sweet... The windows to the garden are raised, and the cheerful autumn coolness blows from there.

III

In recent years, one thing has supported the fading spirit of the landowners - hunting. Previously, such estates as the estate of Anna Gerasimovna were not uncommon. There were also decaying, but still living in grand style, estates with a huge estate, with a garden of twenty dessiatines. True, some of these estates have survived to this day, but there is no longer life in them... There are no troikas, no riding "Kirghiz", no hounds and greyhounds, no servants and no owner of all this - the landowner-hunter, like my late brother-in-law Arseny Semenych. Since the end of September, our gardens and threshing floor have been empty, the weather, as usual, has changed dramatically. The wind tore and tore the trees for days on end, and the rains watered them from morning to night. Sometimes in the evening, between the gloomy low clouds, the flickering golden light of the low sun made its way in the west; the air became clean and clear, and sunlight sparkled dazzlingly between the foliage, between the branches that moved like a living net and were agitated by the wind. The liquid blue sky shone coldly and brightly in the north above the heavy lead clouds, and from behind these clouds ridges of snowy mountain-clouds slowly floated out. You stand at the window and think: “Maybe, God willing, the weather will clear up.” But the wind did not subside. It disturbed the garden, tore up the continuously flowing stream of human smoke from the chimney, and again drove up the ominous strands of ash clouds. They ran low and fast - and soon, like smoke, they clouded the sun. Its shine faded, the window into the blue sky closed, and the garden became deserted and boring, and the rain began to fall again... at first quietly, carefully, then more and more thickly and, finally, it turned into a downpour with storm and darkness. A long, anxious night was coming... From such a scolding, the garden emerged almost completely naked, covered with wet leaves and somehow quiet and resigned. But how beautiful it was when clear weather came again, clear and cold days of early October, the farewell holiday of autumn! The preserved foliage will now hang on the trees until the first winter. The black garden will shine through the cold turquoise sky and dutifully wait for winter, warming itself in the sunshine. And the fields are already turning sharply black with arable land and brightly green with overgrown winter crops... It's time to hunt! And now I see myself in the estate of Arseny Semenych, in a big house, in a hall full of sun and smoke from pipes and cigarettes. There are a lot of people - all the people are tanned, with weathered faces, wearing shorts and long boots. They have just had a very hearty lunch, are flushed and excited by noisy conversations about the upcoming hunt, but do not forget to finish the vodka after dinner. And in the yard a horn blows and dogs howl in different voices. The black greyhound, Arseny Semenych's favorite, climbs onto the table and begins to devour the remains of the hare with sauce from the dish. But suddenly he lets out a terrible squeal and, knocking over plates and glasses, rushes off the table: Arseny Semenych, who came out of the office with an arapnik and a revolver, suddenly deafens the room with a shot. The hall fills with smoke even more, and Arseny Semenych stands and laughs. - It's a pity that I missed! - he says, playing with his eyes. He is tall, thin, but broad-shouldered and slender, with a handsome gypsy face. His eyes sparkle wildly, he is very dexterous, wearing a crimson silk shirt, velvet trousers and long boots. Having frightened both the dog and the guests with a shot, he jokingly and importantly recites in a baritone voice:

It's time, it's time to saddle the agile bottom
And throw the ringing horn over your shoulders! —

And he says loudly:

- Well, however, there is no need to waste golden time! I can still feel how greedily and capaciously my young breast breathed in the cold of a clear and damp day in the evening, when you used to ride with Arseny Semyonych’s noisy gang, excited by the musical din of dogs abandoned in the black forest, to some Krasny Bugor or Gremyachiy Island, Its name alone excites the hunter. You ride on an angry, strong and squat “Kyrgyz”, holding it tightly with the reins, and you feel almost fused with it. He snorts, asks to trot, rustles noisily with his hooves on deep and light carpets of black crumbling leaves, and every sound resounds echoingly in the empty, damp and fresh forest. A dog barked somewhere in the distance, another, a third answered it passionately and pitifully - and suddenly the whole forest began to rattle, as if it were all made of glass, from violent barking and screaming. A shot rang out loudly among this din - and everything “cooked up” and rolled off into the distance. - Take care! - someone screamed in a desperate voice throughout the forest. “Oh, take care!” — an intoxicating thought flashes through your head. You whoop at your horse and, like someone who has broken free from a chain, you rush through the forest, not understanding anything along the way. Only the trees flash before my eyes and the dirt from under the horse’s hooves hits my face. You will jump out of the forest, you will see a motley pack of dogs on the greens, stretched out on the ground, and you will push the “Kirghiz” even more against the beast - through the greens, shoots and stubbles, until, finally, you roll over to another island and the pack disappears from sight along with its frantic barking and moaning. Then, all wet and trembling from exertion, you rein in the foaming, wheezing horse and greedily swallow the icy dampness of the forest valley. The cries of hunters and the barking of dogs fade away in the distance, and there is dead silence around you. The half-opened timber stands motionless, and it seems that you have found yourself in some kind of protected palace. The ravines smell strongly of mushroom dampness, rotten leaves and wet tree bark. And the dampness from the ravines is becoming more and more noticeable, the forest is getting colder and darker... It's time to spend the night. But collecting dogs after a hunt is difficult. For a long time and hopelessly sadly the horns ring in the forest, for a long time you can hear the screams, swearing and squealing of dogs... Finally, already completely in the dark, a band of hunters bursts into the estate of some almost unknown bachelor landowner and fills the entire courtyard of the estate with noise, which is illuminated lanterns, candles and lamps brought out from the house to greet guests... It happened that with such a hospitable neighbor the hunt lasted for several days. At early morning dawn, in the icy wind and the first wet winter, they went into the forests and fields, and by dusk they returned again, all covered in dirt, with flushed faces, smelling of horse sweat, the hair of a hunted animal - and the drinking began. The bright and crowded house is very warm after a whole day in the cold in the field. Everyone walks from room to room in unbuttoned undershirts, drink and eat randomly, noisily conveying to each other their impressions of the killed seasoned wolf, which, baring its teeth, rolling its eyes, lies with its fluffy tail thrown to the side in the middle of the hall and paints its pale and already cold blood on the floor After vodka and food, you feel such sweet fatigue, such the bliss of youthful sleep, that you can hear people talking as if through water. Your weathered face is burning, and if you close your eyes, the whole earth will float under your feet. And when you lie down in bed, in a soft feather bed, somewhere in a corner old room with an icon and a lamp, ghosts of fiery-colored dogs flash before your eyes, a feeling of galloping ache throughout your whole body, and you won’t notice how you’ll drown along with all these images and sensations in sweets and healthy sleep, even forgetting that this room was once the prayer room of an old man, whose name is surrounded by gloomy serf legends, and that he died in this prayer room, probably on the same bed. When I happened to oversleep the hunt, the rest was especially pleasant. You wake up and lie in bed for a long time. There is silence throughout the whole house. You can hear the gardener carefully walking through the rooms, lighting the stoves, and the firewood crackling and shooting. Ahead lies a whole day of peace in the already silent winter estate. Slowly get dressed, wander around the garden, find an accidentally forgotten cold and wet apple in the wet leaves, and for some reason it will seem unusually tasty, not at all like the others. Then you’ll get down to reading books—grandfather’s books in thick leather bindings, with gold stars on morocco spines. These books, similar to church breviaries, smell wonderful with their yellowed, thick, rough paper! Some kind of pleasant sour mold, old perfume... The notes in their margins are also good, large and with round soft strokes made with a quill pen. You unfold the book and read: “A thought worthy of ancient and modern philosophers, the color of reason and feelings of the heart”... And you will involuntarily become carried away by the book itself. This is “The Noble Philosopher,” an allegory published a hundred years ago by the dependent of some “chevalier of many orders” and printed in the printing house of the order of public charity, a story about how “a noble philosopher, having time and the ability to reason, to to which the human mind can rise, I once received the desire to compose a plan of light in a spacious place of my village. Erasmus composed in the sixth or tenth century a praise of tomfoolery (mannerly pause, full stop); you command me to extol reason before you...” Then from Catherine’s antiquity you will move on to romantic times, to almanacs, to sentimentally pompous and long novels... A cuckoo jumps out of the clock and crows mockingly and sadly at you in an empty house. And little by little a sweet and strange melancholy begins to creep into my heart... Here is “The Secrets of Alexis”, here is “Victor, or the Child in the Forest”: “Midnight strikes! Sacred silence takes the place of daytime noise and cheerful songs of the villagers. Sleep spreads its dark wings over the surface of our hemisphere; he shakes off darkness and dreams from them... Dreams... How often do they continue only the suffering of the ill-fated!..” And their loved ones flash before their eyes old words: rocks and oak groves, pale moon and loneliness, ghosts and ghosts, “herots”, roses and lilies, “pranks and playfulness of young naughty people”, lily hand, Lyudmila and Alina... And here are magazines with the names: Zhukovsky, Batyushkov, lyceum student Pushkin. And with sadness you will remember your grandmother, her polonaises on the clavichord, her languid reading of poems from Eugene Onegin. And the old dreamy life will appear before you... Good girls and women once lived in noble estates! Their portraits look at me from the wall, aristocratically beautiful heads in ancient hairstyles meekly and femininely lower their long eyelashes onto sad and tender eyes...

IV

The smell of Antonov apples disappears from the landowners' estates. These days were so recent, and yet it seems to me that almost a whole century has passed since then. The old people in Vyselki died, Anna Gerasimovna died, Arseny Semenych shot himself... The kingdom of the small-landed people, impoverished to the point of beggary, is coming!.. But this beggarly small-scale life is also good! So I see myself again in the village, in late autumn. The days are bluish and cloudy. In the morning I get into the saddle and with one dog, a gun and a horn, I go into the field. The wind rings and hums in the barrel of a gun, the wind blows strongly towards, sometimes with dry snow. All day long I wander through the empty plains... Hungry and frozen, I return to the estate at dusk, and my soul becomes so warm and joyful when the lights of Vyselok flash and the smell of smoke and housing draws me out of the estate. I remember that in our house they liked to “go twilight” at this time, not light a fire and conduct conversations in the semi-darkness. Entering the house, I find the winter frames already installed, and this puts me even more in the mood for a peaceful winter mood. In the servant's room, a worker lights the stove, and, as in childhood, I squat down next to a heap of straw, already smelling sharply of winter freshness, and look first into the blazing stove, then at the windows, behind which the dusk, turning blue, sadly dies. Then I go to the people's room. It’s bright and crowded there: the girls are chopping cabbage, the chops are flashing by, I listen to their rhythmic, friendly knocking and friendly, sad and cheerful village songs... Sometimes some small-scale neighbor will come and take me away for a long time... Small-scale life is also good ! The small-timer gets up early. Stretching tightly, he gets out of bed and rolls a thick cigarette made of cheap, black tobacco or simply shag. The pale light of an early November morning illuminates a simple, bare-walled office, yellow and crusty fox skins above the bed and a stocky figure in trousers and a belted blouse, and the mirror reflects the sleepy face of a Tatar warehouse. There is dead silence in the dim, warm house. Behind the door in the corridor, the old cook, who lived in the manor house when she was a girl, is snoring. This, however, does not stop the master from hoarsely shouting to the whole house: - Lukerya! Samovar! Then, putting on his boots, throwing his jacket over his shoulders and not buttoning the collar of his shirt, he goes out onto the porch. The locked hallway smells like a dog; lazily reaching out, yawning and smiling, the hounds surround him. - Burp! - he says slowly, in a condescending bass voice, and walks through the garden to the threshing floor. His chest breathes widely with the sharp air of dawn and the smells of a naked garden, chilled during the night. Leaves curled up and blackened by frost rustle under boots in a birch alley that has already been half-cut down. Silhouetted against the low gloomy sky, tufted jackdaws sleep on the crest of the barn... It will be a glorious day for hunting! And, stopping in the middle of the alley, the master looks for a long time into the autumn field, at the deserted green winter fields through which calves roam. Two hound bitches squeal at his feet, and Zalivy is already behind the garden: jumping over the prickly stubble, he seems to be calling and asking to go to the field. But what will you do now with the hounds? The animal is now in the field, on the rise, on the black trail, but in the forest he is afraid, because in the forest the wind rustles the leaves... Oh, if only there were greyhounds! Threshing begins in Riga. The drum of the thresher hums slowly, dispersing. Lazily pulling on the lines, resting their feet on the dung circle and swaying, the horses walk in the drive. In the middle of the drive, spinning on a bench, the driver sits and shouts monotonously at them, always whipping only one brown gelding, who is the laziest of all and completely sleeps while walking, fortunately his eyes are blindfolded. - Well, well, girls, girls! - the sedate waiter shouts sternly, donning a wide canvas shirt. The girls hastily sweep away the current, running around with stretchers and brooms. - With God! - says the server, and the first bunch of starnovka, launched for testing, flies into the drum with a buzzing and squealing and rises up from under it like a disheveled fan. And the drum hums more and more insistently, the work begins to boil, and soon all the sounds merge into the general pleasant noise of threshing. The master stands at the gate of the barn and watches how red and yellow scarves, hands, rakes, straw flash in its darkness, and all this moves and fusses rhythmically to the roar of the drum and the monotonous cry and whistle of the driver. Proboscis flies towards the gate in clouds. The master stands, all gray from him. He often glances at the field... Soon, soon the fields will turn white, winter will soon cover them... Winter, first snow! There are no greyhounds, there is nothing to hunt in November; but winter comes, “work” with the hounds begins. And here again, as in the old days, small-scale families gather together, drink with their last money, and disappear for whole days in the snowy fields. And in the evening, on some remote farm, the outbuilding windows glow far away in the darkness of the winter night. There, in this small outbuilding, clouds of smoke float, tallow candles burn dimly, a guitar is being tuned...