In VN's play Sobytie ("The Event," 1938) Lyubov' calls her lover Ryovshin (who loves to poke his nose into other people¡¯s affairs) Sherlok Kholms iz Barnaula ("a Sherlock Holmes from Barnaul"):

 

§­§ð§Ò§à§Ó§î. §¯§Ñ§Ó§Ö§â§ß§à§Ö, §ß§Ú§é§Ö§Ô§à §ß§Ö§ä? §ª§Ý§Ú §Ó§ã§×-§ä§Ñ§Ü§Ú §á§à§Ù§Ñ§ß§ñ§Ý§Ú§ã§î §Ý§ð§Ò§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ã§Ü§Ú§Þ §ã§í§ã§Ü§à§Þ?
§²§×§Ó§ê§Ú§ß. §¯§å §é§ä§à §ä§í §à§á§ñ§ä§î §ß§Ñ §Þ§Ö§ß§ñ §à§á§à§Ý§é§Ñ§Ö§ê§î§ã§ñ... §´§í §Ø§Ö... §Ó§í §Ø§Ö... §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ö§ä§Ö, §é§ä§à §ñ...
§­§ð§Ò§à§Ó§î. §Á §Ù§ß§Ñ§ð, §é§ä§à §Ó§í §à§Ò§à§Ø§Ñ§Ö§ä§Ö §â§Ñ§Ù§Ó§Ý§Ö§Ü§Ñ§ä§î§ã§ñ §é§å§Ø§Ú§Þ§Ú §Õ§Ö§Ý§Ñ§Þ§Ú. §º§Ö§â§Ý§à§Ü §·§à§Ý§Þ§ã §Ú§Ù §¢§Ñ§â§ß§Ñ§å§Ý§Ñ. (Act Two)

 

In Chapter Four of VN¡¯s novel Dar (¡°The Gift,¡± 1937), Zhizn¡¯ Chernyshevskogo (¡°The Life of Chernyshevski¡±), the Barnaul craftsman Polzunov is mentioned:

 

§³§ä§Ö§Ü§Ý§à§Ó §ã§é§Ú§ä§Ñ§Ö§ä, §é§ä§à §á§â§Ú §Ó§ã§Ö§Û §ã§Ó§à§Ö§Û §Ô§Ö§ß§Ú§Ñ§Ý§î§ß§à§ã§ä§Ú §¹§Ö§â§ß§í§ê§Ö§Ó§ã§Ü§Ú§Û §ß§Ö §Þ§à§Ô §Ò§í§ä§î §â§Ñ§Ó§Ö§ß §®§Ñ§â§Ü§ã§å, §á§à §à§ä§ß§à§ê§Ö§ß§Ú§ð §Ü §Ü§à§ä§à§â§à§Þ§å §ã§ä§à§Ú§ä-§Õ§Ö, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §á§à §à§ä§ß§à§ê§Ö§ß§Ú§ð §Ü §µ§Ñ§ä§ä§å ¨C §Ò§Ñ§â§ß§Ñ§å§Ý§î§ã§Ü§Ú§Û §Þ§Ñ§ã§ä§Ö§â§à§Ó§à§Û §±§à§Ý§Ù§å§ß§à§Ó. §³§Ñ§Þ §®§Ñ§â§Ü§ã («§ï§ä§à§ä §Þ§Ö§Ý§Ü§Ú§Û §Ò§å§â§Ø§å§Ñ §Õ§à §Þ§à§Ù§Ô§Ñ §Ü§à§ã§ä§Ö§Û» §á§à §à§ä§Ù§í§Ó§å §¢§Ñ§Ü§å§ß§Ú§ß§Ñ, §ß§Ö §ä§Ö§â§á§Ö§Ó§ê§Ö§Ô§à §ß§Ö§Þ§è§Ö§Ó) §â§Ñ§Ù§Ñ §Õ§Ó§Ñ §ã§à§ã§Ý§Ñ§Ý§ã§ñ §ß§Ñ «§Ù§Ñ§Þ§Ö§é§Ñ§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ß§í§Ö» §ä§â§å§Õ§í §¹§Ö§â§ß§í§ê§Ö§Ó§ã§Ü§à§Ô§à, §ß§à §à§ã§ä§Ñ§Ó§Ú§Ý §ß§Ö §à§Õ§ß§å §á§â§Ö§Ù§â§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ß§å§ð §Ù§Ñ§Þ§Ö§ä§Ü§å §ß§Ñ §á§à§Ý§ñ§ç §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ó§ß§à§Ô§à §ï§Ü§à§ß§à§Þ§Ú§é§Ö§ã§Ü§à§Ô§à §ä§â§å§Õ§Ñ «§Õ§Ö§ã §Ô§â§à§ã§ã§Ö§ß §â§å§ã§ã§Ú§ê§Ö§ß §Ô§Ö§Ý§Ö§â§ä§Ö§ß» (§â§å§ã§ã§Ü§Ú§ç §Ó§à§à§Ò§ë§Ö §®§Ñ§â§Ü§ã §ß§Ö §Ø§Ñ§Ý§à§Ó§Ñ§Ý). §¹§Ö§â§ß§í§ê§Ö§Ó§ã§Ü§Ú§Û §à§ä§á§Ý§Ñ§ä§Ú§Ý §Ö§Þ§å §ä§Ö§Þ §Ø§Ö.

 

Steklov is of the opinion that with all his genius, Chernyshevski cannot rank with Marx, in relation to whom he stands as the Barnaul craftsman Polzunov stands to Watt. Marx himself (¡°that petty bourgeois to the marrow of his bones¡± according to the testimony of Bakunin, who could not stand Germans) referred once or twice to the ¡°remarkable¡± writings of Chernyshevski, but he left more than one contemptuous note in the margins of the chief work on economics ¡°des grossen russischen Gelehrten¡± (Marx in general disliked Russians). Chernyshevski repaid him in like coin.

 

In the preceding paragraph of his book on Chernyshevski Fyodor (the narrator and main character in VN¡¯s novel) quotes Marx and puts a passage from Holy Family into blank verse:

 

«§¶§Ú§Ý§à§ã§à§æ§Ú§ñ» §¹§Ö§â§ß§í§ê§Ö§Ó§ã§Ü§à§Ô§à §á§à§Õ§ß§Ú§Þ§Ñ§Ö§ä§ã§ñ §é§Ö§â§Ö§Ù §¶§Ö§Û§Ö§â§Ò§Ñ§ç§Ñ §Ü §ï§ß§è§Ú§Ü§Ý§à§á§Ö§Õ§Ú§ã§ä§Ñ§Þ. §³ §Õ§â§å§Ô§à§Û §Ø§Ö §ã§ä§à§â§à§ß§í, §á§â§Ú§Ü§Ý§Ñ§Õ§ß§à§Ö §Ô§Ö§Ô§Ö§Ý§Ú§Ñ§ß§ã§ä§Ó§à, §á§à§ã§ä§Ö§á§Ö§ß§ß§à §Ý§Ö§Ó§Ö§ñ, §ê§Ý§à §é§Ö§â§Ö§Ù §ä§à§Ô§à §Ø§Ö §¶§Ö§Û§Ö§â§Ò§Ñ§ç§Ñ §Ü §®§Ñ§â§Ü§ã§å, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§í§Û §Ó §ã§Ó§à§×§Þ «§³§Ó§ñ§ä§à§Þ §ã§Ö§Þ§Ö§Û§ã§ä§Ó§Ö» §Ó§í§â§Ñ§Ø§Ñ§Ö§ä§ã§ñ §ä§Ñ§Ü:

 

¡­§å§Þ§Ñ §Ò§à§Ý§î§ê§à§Ô§à

§ß§Ö §ß§Ñ§Õ§à§Ò§ß§à, §é§ä§à§Ò§í §Ù§Ñ§Þ§Ö§ä§Ú§ä§î §ã§Ó§ñ§Ù§î

§Þ§Ö§Ø§Õ§å §å§é§Ö§ß§î§Ö§Þ §Þ§Ñ§ä§Ö§â§Ú§Ñ§Ý§Ú§Ù§Þ§Ñ

§à §á§â§Ú§â§à§Ø§Õ§Ö§ß§ß§à§Û §ã§Ü§Ý§à§ß§ß§à§ã§ä§Ú §Ü §Õ§à§Ò§â§å,

§à §â§Ñ§Ó§Ö§ß§ã§ä§Ó§Ö §ã§á§à§ã§à§Ò§ß§à§ã§ä§Ö§Û §Ý§ð§Õ§ã§Ü§Ú§ç,

§ã§á§à§ã§à§Ò§ß§à§ã§ä§Ö§Û, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§í§Ö §à§Ò§í§é§ß§à

§Ù§à§Ó§å§ä§ã§ñ §å§Þ§ã§ä§Ó§Ö§ß§ß§í§Þ§Ú, §à §Ó§Ý§Ú§ñ§ß§î§Ú

§ß§Ñ §é§Ö§Ý§à§Ó§Ö§Ü§Ñ §à§Ò§ã§ä§à§ñ§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ã§ä§Ó §Ó§ß§Ö§ê§ß§Ú§ç,

§à §Ó§ã§Ö§Þ§à§Ô§å§ë§Ö§Þ §à§á§í§ä§Ö, §à §Ó§Ý§Ñ§ã§ä§Ú

§á§â§Ú§Ó§í§é§Ü§Ú, §Ó§à§ã§á§Ú§ä§Ñ§ß§î§ñ, §à §Ó§í§ã§à§Ü§à§Þ

§Ù§ß§Ñ§é§Ö§ß§Ú§Ú §á§â§à§Þ§í§ê§Ý§Ö§ß§ß§à§ã§ä§Ú §Ó§ã§Ö§Û,

§à §á§â§Ñ§Ó§Ö §ß§â§Ñ§Ó§ã§ä§Ó§Ö§ß§ß§à§Þ §ß§Ñ §ß§Ñ§ã§Ý§Ñ§Ø§Õ§Ö§ß§î§Ö ¨C

§Ú §Ü§à§Þ§Þ§å§ß§Ú§Ù§Þ§à§Þ.

 

§±§Ö§â§Ö§Ó§à§Ø§å §ã§ä§Ú§ç§Ñ§Þ§Ú, §é§ä§à§Ò§í §ß§Ö §Ò§í§Ý§à §ä§Ñ§Ü §ã§Ü§å§é§ß§à.

 

Chernyshevski¡¯s ¡°philosophy¡± goes back through Feuerbach, to the Encyclopedists. On the other hand, applied Hegelianism, working gradually left, went through that same Feuerbach to join Marx, who in his Holy Family expresses himself thus:

 

¡­no great intelligence

Is needed to distinguish a connection

Between the teaching of materialism

Regarding inborn tendency to good;

Equality of man¡¯s capacities¡ª

Capacities that generally are

Termed mental; the great influence

Exterior circumstances have on man;

Omnipotent experience; sway of habit

And of upbringing; the extreme importance

Of industry; the moral right to pleasure,

And communism.

 

I have put it into blank verse so it would be less boring.

 

One of the characters in ¡°The Event,¡± Mme Vagabundov (Troshcheykin¡¯s model) speaks in verse. According to Troshcheykin, Mme Vagabundov is extremely pleased that she is being portrayed in a white dress against the Spanish background:

 

§´§â§à§ë§Ö§Û§Ü§Ú§ß. §£§Ú§Õ§Ú§ê§î §Ý§Ú, §à§ß§Ú §Õ§à§Ý§Ø§ß§í §Ô§à§â§Ö§ä§î, §Ò§â§à§ã§Ñ§ä§î §ß§Ñ §ß§Ö§Ô§à §à§ä§Ò§Ý§Ö§ã§Ü, §ß§à §ã§á§Ö§â§Ó§Ñ §ñ §ç§à§é§å §Ù§Ñ§Ü§â§Ö§á§Ú§ä§î §à§ä§Ò§Ý§Ö§ã§Ü, §Ñ §á§à§ä§à§Þ §á§â§Ú§ß§ñ§ä§î§ã§ñ §Ù§Ñ §Ö§Ô§à §Ú§ã§ä§à§é§ß§Ú§Ü§Ú. §¯§Ñ§Õ§à §á§à§Þ§ß§Ú§ä§î, §é§ä§à §Ú§ã§Ü§å§ã§ã§ä§Ó§à §Õ§Ó§Ú§Ø§Ö§ä§ã§ñ §Ó§ã§Ö§Ô§Õ§Ñ §á§â§à§ä§Ú§Ó §ã§à§Ý§ß§è§Ñ. §¯§à§Ô§Ú, §Ó§Ú§Õ§Ú§ê§î, §å§Ø§Ö §ã§à§Ó§ã§Ö§Þ §á§Ö§â§Ý§Ñ§Þ§å§ä§â§à§Ó§í§Ö. §¯§Ö§ä, §Þ§Ñ§Ý§î§é§Ú§Ü §Þ§ß§Ö §ß§â§Ñ§Ó§Ú§ä§ã§ñ! §£§à§Ý§à§ã§í §ç§à§â§à§ê§Ú: §é§å§ä§î-§é§å§ä§î §ã §é§×§â§ß§à§Û §Ü§å§â§é§Ñ§Ó§Ú§ß§Ü§à§Û. §¦§ã§ä§î §Ü§Ñ§Ü§Ñ§ñ-§ä§à §ã§Ó§ñ§Ù§î §Þ§Ö§Ø§Õ§å §Õ§â§Ñ§Ô§à§è§Ö§ß§ß§í§Þ§Ú §Ü§Ñ§Þ§ß§ñ§Þ§Ú §Ú §ß§Ö§Ô§â§Ú§ä§ñ§ß§ã§Ü§à§Û §Ü§â§à§Ó§î§ð. §º§Ö§Ü§ã§á§Ú§â §ï§ä§à §á§à§é§å§Ó§ã§ä§Ó§à§Ó§Ñ§Ý §Ó §ã§Ó§à§Ö§Þ "§°§ä§Ö§Ý§Ý§à". §¯§å, §ä§Ñ§Ü. (§³§Þ§à§ä§â§Ú§ä §ß§Ñ §Õ§â§å§Ô§à§Û §á§à§â§ä§â§Ö§ä.) §¡ §Þ§Ñ§Õ§Ñ§Þ §£§Ñ§Ô§Ñ§Ò§å§ß§Õ§à§Ó§Ñ §é§â§Ö§Ù§Ó§í§é§Ñ§Û§ß§à §Õ§à§Ó§à§Ý§î§ß§Ñ, §é§ä§à §á§Ú§ê§å §Ö§× §Ó §Ò§Ö§Ý§à§Þ §á§Ý§Ñ§ä§î§Ö §ß§Ñ §Ú§ã§á§Ñ§ß§ã§Ü§à§Þ §æ§à§ß§Ö, §Ú §ß§Ö §á§à§ß§Ú§Þ§Ñ§Ö§ä, §Ü§Ñ§Ü§à§Û §ï§ä§à §ã§ä§â§Ñ§ê§ß§í§Û §Ü§â§å§Ø§Ö§Ó§ß§à§Û §Ô§â§à§ä§Ö§ã§Ü... §£§ã§×-§ä§Ñ§Ü§Ú, §Ù§ß§Ñ§Ö§ê§î, §ñ §ä§Ö§Ò§ñ §à§é§Ö§ß§î §á§â§à§ê§å, §­§ð§Ò§Ñ, §â§Ñ§Ù§Õ§à§Ò§í§ä§î §Þ§à§Ú §Þ§ñ§é§Ú, §ñ §ß§Ö §ç§à§é§å, §é§ä§à§Ò§í §à§ß§Ú §Ò§í§Ý§Ú §Ó §Ò§Ö§Ô§Ñ§ç. (Act One)

 

In VN¡¯s novel Zashchita Luzhina (¡°The Luzhin Defense,¡± 1930) Luzhin¡¯s bride tells her fianc¨¦ about painting and says that the gloomiest artist was born in Spain, the country of sunshine:

 

§¯§Ö§ã§Ü§à§Ý§î§Ü§à §â§Ñ§Ù §à§ß§Ñ §á§à§Ó§Ö§Ý§Ñ §Ö§Ô§à §Ó §Þ§å§Ù§Ö§Û, §á§à§Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §Ö§Þ§å §Ý§ð§Ò§Ú§Þ§í§Ö §ã§Ó§à§Ú §Ü§Ñ§â§ä§Ú§ß§í §Ú §à§Ò§ì§ñ§ã§ß§Ú§Ý§Ñ, §é§ä§à §Ó§à §¶§Ý§Ñ§ß§Õ§â§Ú§Ú, §Ô§Õ§Ö §ä§å§Þ§Ñ§ß§í §Ú §Õ§à§Ø§Õ§î, §ç§å§Õ§à§Ø§ß§Ú§Ü§Ú §á§Ú§ê§å§ä §ñ§â§Ü§à, §Ñ §Ó §ª§ã§á§Ñ§ß§Ú§Ú, §ã§ä§â§Ñ§ß§Ö §ã§à§Ý§ß§è§Ñ, §â§à§Õ§Ú§Ý§ã§ñ §ã§Ñ§Þ§í§Û §ã§å§Þ§â§Ñ§é§ß§í§Û §Þ§Ñ§ã§ä§Ö§â. §¤§à§Ó§à§â§Ú§Ý§Ñ §à§ß§Ñ §Ö§ë§×, §é§ä§à §Ó§à§ß §å §ä§à§Ô§à §Ö§ã§ä§î §é§å§Ó§ã§ä§Ó§à §ã§ä§Ö§Ü§Ý§ñ§ß§ß§í§ç §Ó§Ö§ë§Ö§Û, §Ñ §ï§ä§à§ä §Ý§ð§Ò§Ú§ä §Ý§Ú§Ý§Ú§Ú §Ú §ß§Ö§Ø§ß§í§Ö §Ý§Ú§è§Ñ, §ã§Ý§Ö§Ô§Ü§Ñ §á§â§Ú§á§å§ç§ê§Ú§Ö §à§ä §ß§Ö§Ò§Ö§ã§ß§à§Û §á§â§à§ã§ä§å§Õ§í, §Ú §à§Ò§â§Ñ§ë§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §Ö§Ô§à §Ó§ß§Ú§Þ§Ñ§ß§Ú§Ö §ß§Ñ §Õ§Ó§å§ç §ã§à§Ò§Ñ§Ü, §á§à-§Õ§à§Þ§Ñ§ê§ß§Ö§Þ§å §Ú§ë§å§ë§Ú§ç §Ü§â§à§ê§Ö§Ü §á§à§Õ §å§Ù§Ü§Ú§Þ, §Ò§Ö§Õ§ß§à §å§Ò§â§Ñ§ß§ß§í§Þ §ã§ä§à§Ý§à§Þ «§´§Ñ§Û§ß§à§Û §£§Ö§é§Ö§â§Ú». §­§å§Ø§Ú§ß §Ü§Ú§Ó§Ñ§Ý §Ú §á§â§Ú§Ý§Ö§Ø§ß§à §ë§å§â§Ú§Ý§ã§ñ, §Ú §à§é§Ö§ß§î §Õ§à§Ý§Ô§à §â§Ñ§ã§ã§Þ§Ñ§ä§â§Ú§Ó§Ñ§Ý §à§Ô§â§à§Þ§ß§à§Ö §á§à§Ý§à§ä§ß§à, §Ô§Õ§Ö §ç§å§Õ§à§Ø§ß§Ú§Ü §Ú§Ù§à§Ò§â§Ñ§Ù§Ú§Ý §Ó§ã§Ö §Þ§å§é§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö §Ô§â§Ö§ê§ß§Ú§Ü§à§Ó §Ó §Ñ§Õ§å, ¨C §à§é§Ö§ß§î §á§à§Õ§â§à§Ò§ß§à, §à§é§Ö§ß§î §Ý§ð§Ò§à§á§í§ä§ß§à. §±§à§Ò§í§Ó§Ñ§Ý§Ú §à§ß§Ú §Ú §Ó §ä§Ö§Ñ§ä§â§Ö, §Ú §Ó §©§à§à§Ý§à§Ô§Ú§é§Ö§ã§Ü§à§Þ §ã§Ñ§Õ§å, §Ú §Ó §Ü§Ú§ß§Ö§Þ§Ñ§ä§à§Ô§â§Ñ§æ§Ö, §á§â§Ú§é§Ö§Þ §à§Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§Ý§à§ã§î, §é§ä§à §­§å§Ø§Ú§ß §ß§Ú§Ü§à§Ô§Õ§Ñ §â§Ñ§ß§î§ê§Ö §Ó §Ü§Ú§ß§Ö§Þ§Ñ§ä§à§Ô§â§Ñ§æ§Ö §ß§Ö §Ò§í§Ó§Ñ§Ý. §¢§Ö§Ý§í§Þ §Ò§Ý§Ö§ã§Ü§à§Þ §Ò§Ö§Ø§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §Ü§Ñ§â§ä§Ú§ß§Ñ, §Ú, §ß§Ñ§Ü§à§ß§Ö§è, §á§à§ã§Ý§Ö §Þ§ß§à§Ô§Ú§ç §á§â§Ú§Ü§Ý§ð§é§Ö§ß§Ú§Û, §Õ§à§é§î §Ó§Ö§â§ß§å§Ý§Ñ§ã§î §Ó §â§à§Õ§ß§à§Û §Õ§à§Þ §Ù§ß§Ñ§Þ§Ö§ß§Ú§ä§à§Û §Ñ§Ü§ä§â§Ú§ã§à§Û §Ú §à§ã§ä§Ñ§ß§à§Ó§Ú§Ý§Ñ§ã§î §Ó §Õ§Ó§Ö§â§ñ§ç, §Ñ §Ó §Ü§à§Þ§ß§Ñ§ä§Ö, §ß§Ö §Ó§Ú§Õ§ñ §Ö§×, §á§à§ã§Ö§Õ§Ö§Ó§ê§Ú§Û §à§ä§Ö§è §Ú§Ô§â§Ñ§Ö§ä §Ó §ê§Ñ§ç§Þ§Ñ§ä§í §ã §ã§à§Ó§Ö§â§ê§Ö§ß§ß§à §ß§Ö §Ú§Ù§Þ§Ö§ß§Ú§Ó§ê§Ú§Þ§ã§ñ §Ù§Ñ §ï§ä§Ú §Ô§à§Õ§í §Õ§à§Ü§ä§à§â§à§Þ, §Ó§Ö§â§ß§í§Þ §Õ§â§å§Ô§à§Þ §ã§Ö§Þ§î§Ú. §£ §ä§Ö§Þ§ß§à§ä§Ö §â§Ñ§Ù§Õ§Ñ§Ý§ã§ñ §à§ä§â§í§Ó§Ú§ã§ä§í§Û §ã§Þ§Ö§ç §­§å§Ø§Ú§ß§Ñ. «§¡§Ò§ã§à§Ý§ð§ä§ß§à §ß§Ö§Ó§à§Ù§Þ§à§Ø§ß§à§Ö §á§à§Ý§à§Ø§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö §æ§Ú§Ô§å§â», ¨C §ã§Ü§Ñ§Ù§Ñ§Ý §à§ß, §ß§à §ä§å§ä, §Ü §Ó§Ö§Ý§Ú§Ü§à§Þ§å §à§Ò§Ý§Ö§Ô§é§Ö§ß§Ú§ð §Ö§Ô§à §Ø§Ö§ß§í, ¨C §Ó§ã§× §á§Ö§â§Ö§Þ§Ö§ß§Ú§Ý§à§ã§î, §Ú §à§ä§Ö§è, §å§Ó§Ö§Ý§Ú§é§Ú§Ó§Ñ§ñ§ã§î, §ê§×§Ý §ß§Ñ §Ù§â§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ß§í§Û §Ù§Ñ§Ý §Ú §Ó§à§Ó§ã§ð §â§Ñ§Ù§í§Ô§â§Ñ§Ý§ã§ñ, §ã§á§Ö§â§Ó§Ñ §â§Ñ§ã§ê§Ú§â§Ú§Ý§Ú§ã§î §Ô§Ý§Ñ§Ù§Ñ, §á§à§ä§à§Þ §Ý§×§Ô§Ü§à§Ö §Õ§â§à§Ø§Ñ§ß§Ú§Ö, §â§Ö§ã§ß§Ú§è§í §ç§Ý§à§á§ß§å§Ý§Ú, §Ö§ë§× §ß§Ö§Ü§à§ä§à§â§à§Ö §Õ§â§à§Ø§Ñ§ß§Ú§Ö, §Ú §Þ§Ö§Õ§Ý§Ö§ß§ß§à §â§Ñ§Ù§Þ§ñ§Ü§Ý§Ú, §á§à§Õ§à§Ò§â§Ö§Ý§Ú §Þ§à§â§ë§Ú§ß§í, §Þ§Ö§Õ§Ý§Ö§ß§ß§Ñ§ñ §å§Ý§í§Ò§Ü§Ñ §Ò§Ö§ã§Ü§à§ß§Ö§é§ß§à§Û §ß§Ö§Ø§ß§à§ã§ä§Ú §á§à§ñ§Ó§Ú§Ý§Ñ§ã§î §ß§Ñ §Ö§Ô§à §Ý§Ú§è§Ö, §á§â§à§Õ§à§Ý§Ø§Ñ§Ó§ê§Ö§Þ §Õ§â§à§Ø§Ñ§ä§î, ¨C §Ñ §Ó§Ö§Õ§î §ã§ä§Ñ§â§Ú§Ü-§ä§à, §Ô§à§ã§á§à§Õ§Ñ, §Ó §ã§Ó§à§Ö §Ó§â§Ö§Þ§ñ §á§â§à§Ü§Ý§ñ§Ý §Õ§à§é§î¡­

 

Several times she took him to the museum and showed him her favorite pictures and explained that in Flanders, where they had rain and fog, painters used bright colors, while it was in Spain, a country of sunshine, that the gloomiest master of all had been born. She said also that the one over there had a feeling for glass objects, while this one liked lilies and tender faces slightly inflamed by colds caught in heaven, and she directed his attention to two dogs domestically looking for crumbs beneath the narrow, poorly spread table of 'The Last Supper.' Luzhin nodded and slit his eyes conscientiously, and was a very long time examining an enormous canvas on which the artist had depicted all the torments of sinners in hell ¡ª in great detail, very curiously. They also visited the theater and the zoo, and the movies, at which point it turned out that Luzhin had never been to the movies before. The picture ran on in a white glow and finally, after many adventures, the girl returned ¡ª now a famous actress to her parents' house, and paused in the doorway, while in the room, not seeing her yet, her grizzled father was playing chess with the doctor, a faithful friend of the family who had remained completely unchanged over the years. In the darkness came the sound of Luzhin laughing abruptly. 'An absolutely impossible position for the pieces,' he said, but at this point, to his wife's relief, everything changed and the father, growing in size, walked toward the spectators and acted his part for all he was worth; his eyes widened, then came a slight trembling, his lashes flapped, there was another bit of trembling, and slowly his wrinkles softened, grew kinder, and a slow smile of infinite tenderness appeared on his face, which continued to tremble ¡ª and yet, gentlemen, the old man had cursed his daughter in his time.... (chapter XII)

 

The name Vagabundov seems to hint at the German movie Ein Kind, ein Hund, ein Vagabund (¡°A Child, a Dog, a Tramp¡±). In ¡°The Luzhin Defense¡± little Luzhin avidly reads Conan Doyle¡¯s stories about Sherlock Holmes:

 

§¢§à§Ý§î§ê§à§Û §ä§à§Þ §±§å§ê§Ü§Ú§ß§Ñ, §ã §á§à§â§ä§â§Ö§ä§à§Þ §ä§à§Ý§ã§ä§à§Ô§å§Ò§à§Ô§à §Ü§å§â§é§Ñ§Ó§à§Ô§à §Þ§Ñ§Ý§î§é§Ú§Ü§Ñ, §ß§Ö §à§ä§Ü§â§í§Ó§Ñ§Ý§ã§ñ §ß§Ú§Ü§à§Ô§Õ§Ñ. §©§Ñ§ä§à §Ò§í§Ý§Ú §Õ§Ó§Ö §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ú ¨C §à§Ò§Ö, §á§à§Õ§Ñ§â§Ö§ß§ß§í§Ö §Ö§Þ§å §ä§×§ä§Ö§Û, ¨C §Ü§à§ä§à§â§í§Ö §à§ß §á§à§Ý§ð§Ò§Ú§Ý §ß§Ñ §Ó§ã§ð §Ø§Ú§Ù§ß§î, §Õ§Ö§â§Ø§Ñ§Ý §Ó §á§Ñ§Þ§ñ§ä§Ú, §ã§Ý§à§Ó§ß§à §á§à§Õ §å§Ó§Ö§Ý§Ú§é§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ß§í§Þ §ã§ä§Ö§Ü§Ý§à§Þ, §Ú §ä§Ñ§Ü §ã§ä§â§Ñ§ã§ä§ß§à §á§Ö§â§Ö§Ø§Ú§Ý, §é§ä§à §é§Ö§â§Ö§Ù §Õ§Ó§Ñ§Õ§è§Ñ§ä§î §Ý§Ö§ä, §ã§ß§à§Ó§Ñ §Ú§ç §á§Ö§â§Ö§é§Ú§ä§Ñ§Ó, §à§ß §å§Ó§Ú§Õ§Ö§Ý §Ó §ß§Ú§ç §ä§à§Ý§î§Ü§à §ã§å§ç§à§Ó§Ñ§ä§í§Û §á§Ö§â§Ö§ã§Ü§Ñ§Ù, §ã§à§Ü§â§Ñ§ë§×§ß§ß§à§Ö §Ú§Ù§Õ§Ñ§ß§Ú§Ö, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §Ò§å§Õ§ä§à §à§ß§Ú §à§ä§ã§ä§Ñ§Ý§Ú §à§ä §ä§à§Ô§à §ß§Ö§á§à§Ó§ä§à§â§Ú§Þ§à§Ô§à, §Ò§Ö§ã§ã§Þ§Ö§â§ä§ß§à§Ô§à §à§Ò§â§Ñ§Ù§Ñ, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§í§Û §à§ß§Ú §Ó §ß§Ö§Þ §à§ã§ä§Ñ§Ó§Ú§Ý§Ú. §¯§à §ß§Ö §Ø§Ñ§Ø§Õ§Ñ §Õ§Ñ§Ý§î§ß§Ú§ç §ã§ä§â§Ñ§ß§ã§ä§Ó§Ú§Û §Ù§Ñ§ã§ä§Ñ§Ó§Ý§ñ§Ý§Ñ §Ö§Ô§à §ã§Ý§Ö§Õ§à§Ó§Ñ§ä§î §á§à §á§ñ§ä§Ñ§Þ §¶§Ú§Ý§Ö§Ñ§ã§Ñ §¶§à§Ô§Ô§Ñ §Ú §ß§Ö §â§Ö§Ò§ñ§é§Ý§Ú§Ó§Ñ§ñ §ã§Ü§Ý§à§ß§ß§à§ã§ä§î §Ü §ä§Ñ§Ú§ß§ã§ä§Ó§Ö§ß§ß§í§Þ §á§â§Ú§Ü§Ý§ð§é§Ö§ß§Ú§ñ§Þ §Ó§Ý§Ö§Ü§Ý§Ñ §Ö§Ô§à §Ó §Õ§à§Þ §ß§Ñ §¢§ï§Ü§Ö§â-§ã§ä§â§Ú§ä, §Ô§Õ§Ö, §Ó§á§â§í§ã§ß§å§Ó §ã§Ö§Ò§Ö §Ü§à§Ü§Ñ§Ú§ß§å, §Þ§Ö§é§ä§Ñ§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ß§à §Ú§Ô§â§Ñ§Ý §ß§Ñ §ã§Ü§â§Ú§á§Ü§Ö §Õ§à§Ý§Ô§à§Ó§ñ§Ù§í§Û §ã§í§ë§Ú§Ü §ã §à§â§Ý§Ú§ß§í§Þ §á§â§à§æ§Ú§Ý§Ö§Þ. §´§à§Ý§î§Ü§à §Ô§à§â§Ñ§Ù§Õ§à §á§à§Ù§Ø§Ö §à§ß §ã§Ñ§Þ §ã§Ö§Ò§Ö §å§ñ§ã§ß§Ú§Ý, §é§Ö§Þ §ä§Ñ§Ü §Ó§à§Ý§ß§à§Ó§Ñ§Ý§Ú §Ö§Ô§à §ï§ä§Ú §Õ§Ó§Ö §Ü§ß§Ú§Ô§Ú: §á§â§Ñ§Ó§Ú§Ý§î§ß§à §Ú §Ò§Ö§Ù§Ø§Ñ§Ý§à§ã§ä§ß§à §â§Ñ§Ù§Ó§Ú§Ó§Ñ§ð§ë§Ú§Û§ã§ñ §å§Ù§à§â, ¨C §¶§Ú§Ý§Ö§Ñ§ã, §Þ§Ñ§ß§Ö§Ü§Ö§ß §Ó §è§Ú§Ý§Ú§ß§Õ§â§Ö, §ã§à§Ó§Ö§â§ê§Ñ§ð§ë§Ú§Û §ã§Ó§à§Û §ã§Ý§à§Ø§ß§í§Û §Ú§Ù§ñ§ë§ß§í§Û §á§å§ä§î §ã §à§á§â§Ñ§Ó§Õ§Ñ§ß§ß§í§Þ§Ú §Ø§Ö§â§ä§Ó§Ñ§Þ§Ú, §ä§à §ß§Ñ §ã§Ý§à§ß§Ö, §Ü§å§á§Ý§Ö§ß§ß§à§Þ §Ù§Ñ §Þ§Ú§Ý§Ý§Ú§à§ß, §ä§à §ß§Ñ §ã§å§Õ§ß§Ö, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§à§Ö §ß§å§Ø§ß§à §ß§Ñ§á§à§Ý§à§Ó§Ú§ß§å §ã§Ø§Ö§é§î §ß§Ñ §ä§à§á§Ý§Ú§Ó§à; §Ú §º§Ö§â§Ý§à§Ü, §á§â§Ú§Õ§Ñ§Ó§ê§Ú§Û §Ý§à§Ô§Ú§Ü§Ö §á§â§Ö§Ý§Ö§ã§ä§î §Ô§â§×§Ù§í, §º§Ö§â§Ý§à§Ü, §ã§à§ã§ä§Ñ§Ó§Ú§Ó§ê§Ú§Û §Þ§à§ß§à§Ô§â§Ñ§æ§Ú§ð §à §á§Ö§á§Ý§Ö §Ó§ã§Ö§ç §Ó§Ú§Õ§à§Ó §ã§Ú§Ô§Ñ§â, §Ú §ã §ï§ä§Ú§Þ §á§Ö§á§Ý§à§Þ, §Ü§Ñ§Ü §ã §ä§Ñ§Ý§Ú§ã§Þ§Ñ§ß§à§Þ, §á§â§à§Ò§Ú§â§Ñ§ð§ë§Ú§Û§ã§ñ §ã§Ü§Ó§à§Ù§î §ç§â§å§ã§ä§Ñ§Ý§î§ß§í§Û §Ý§Ñ§Ò§Ú§â§Ú§ß§ä §Ó§à§Ù§Þ§à§Ø§ß§í§ç §Õ§Ö§Õ§å§Ü§è§Ú§Û §Ü §Ö§Õ§Ú§ß§ã§ä§Ó§Ö§ß§ß§à§Þ§å §ã§Ú§ñ§ð§ë§Ö§Þ§å §Ó§í§Ó§à§Õ§å. §¶§à§Ü§å§ã§ß§Ú§Ü, §Ü§à§ä§à§â§à§Ô§à §ß§Ñ §²§à§Ø§Õ§Ö§ã§ä§Ó§Ö §á§â§Ú§Ô§Ý§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ý§Ú §Ö§Ô§à §â§à§Õ§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§Ú, §Ü§Ñ§Ü§Ú§Þ-§ä§à §à§Ò§â§Ñ§Ù§à§Þ §ã§Ý§Ú§Ý §Ó §ã§Ö§Ò§Ö §ß§Ñ §Ó§â§Ö§Þ§ñ §¶§à§Ô§Ô§Ñ §Ú §·§à§Ý§Þ§ã§Ñ, §Ú §ã§ä§â§Ñ§ß§ß§à§Ö §ß§Ñ§ã§Ý§Ñ§Ø§Õ§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö, §Ú§ã§á§í§ä§Ñ§ß§ß§à§Ö §Ú§Þ §Ó §ä§à§ä §Õ§Ö§ß§î, §ã§Ô§Ý§Ñ§Õ§Ú§Ý§à §Ó§ã§Ö §ä§à §ß§Ö§á§â§Ú§ñ§ä§ß§à§Ö, §é§ä§à §ã§à§á§â§à§Ó§à§Ø§Õ§Ñ§Ý§à §Ó§í§ã§ä§å§á§Ý§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö §æ§à§Ü§å§ã§ß§Ú§Ü§Ñ.

 

A large volume of Pushkin with a picture of a thick-lipped, curly-haired boy on it was never opened. On the other hand there were two books, both given him by his aunt, with which he had fallen in love for his whole life, holding them in his memory as if under a magnifying glass, and experiencing them so intensely that twenty years later, when he read them over again, he saw only a dryish paraphrase, an abridged edition, as if they had been outdistanced by the unrepeatable, immortal image that he had retained. But it was not a thirst for distant peregrinations that forced him to follow on the heels of Phileas Fogg, nor was it a boyish inclination for mysterious adventures that drew him to that house in Baker Street, where the lanky detective with the hawk profile, having given himself an injection of cocaine, would dreamily play the violin. Only much later did he clarify in his own mind what it was that had thrilled him so about these two books; it was that exact and relentlessly unfolding pattern: Phileas, the dummy in the top hat, wending his complex elegant way with its justifiable sacrifices, now on an elephant bought for a million, now on a ship of which half has to be burned for fuel; and Sherlock endowing logic with the glamour of a daydream, Sherlock composing a monograph on the ash of all known sorts of cigars and with this ash as with a talisman progressing through a crystal labyrinth of possible deductions to the one radiant conclusion. The conjuror whom his parents engaged to perform on Christmas day somehow managed to blend in himself briefly both Fogg and Holmes, and the strange pleasure which Luzhin experienced on that day obliterated all the unpleasantness that accompanied the performance. (Chapter II)

 

At the beginning of ¡°The Event¡± the portrait painter Troshcheykin admires his almost finished portrait of the jeweler¡¯s son and says that the boy¡¯s black curly hair is particularly good (see a quote above).

 

Uvelichitel¡¯noe steklo (a magnifying glass) in ¡°The Luzhin Defense¡± brings to mind Steklov, Chernyshevski¡¯s biographer who is mentioned by Fyodor in Chapter Four of ¡°The Gift¡± (see the quote above). ¡°Sherlock endowing logic with the glamour of a daydream¡± reminds one of golaya logika (pure logic), a phrase used by Ryovshin in ¡°The Event:¡±

 

§²§×§Ó§ê§Ú§ß. §¯§Ö §ã§Ö§â§Õ§Ú§ã§î. §±§à§ß§Ú§Þ§Ñ§Ö§ê§î, §Ô§à§Ý§Ñ§ñ §Ý§à§Ô§Ú§Ü§Ñ.  §¦§ã§Ý§Ú §à§ß §ä§à§Ô§Õ§Ñ §á§à§Ü§å§ê§Ñ§Ý§ã§ñ §ß§Ñ §Ó§Ñ§ã §Ú§Ù-§Ù§Ñ §ä§Ó§à§Ö§Ô§à §ã§é§Ñ§ã§ä§î§ñ §ã §Þ§å§Ø§Ö§Þ, §ä§à §ä§Ö§á§Ö§â§î §å §ß§Ö§Ô§à §á§â§à§á§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §Ò§í §à§ç§à§ä§Ñ.

§­§ð§Ò§à§Ó§î. §°§ã§à§Ò§Ö§ß§ß§à §Ó§Ó§Ú§Õ§å §ä§à§Ô§à, §é§ä§à §å §Þ§Ö§ß§ñ §â§à§Þ§Ñ§ß§é§Ú§Ü, -- §ä§Ñ§Ü, §é§ä§à §Ý§Ú? §³§Ü§Ñ§Ø§Ú, §ã§Ü§Ñ§Ø§Ú §Ö§Þ§å §ï§ä§à, §á§à§á§â§à§Ò§å§Û. (Act One)

 

Romanchik (a love affair) mentioned by Lyubov¡¯ brings to mind the Colonel¡¯s words in VN¡¯s play Izobretenie Val¡¯sa (¡°The Waltz Invention,¡± 1938):

 

§±§à§Ý§Ü§à§Ó§ß§Ú§Ü. §¹§ä§à §Ø, §ä§Ñ§Ü§à§Ó§Ñ §Ø§Ú§Ù§ß§î. §°§Õ§Ú§ß §å§Þ§Ú§â§Ñ§Ö§ä, §Ñ §Õ§â§å§Ô§à§Û §Ó§í§Ö§Ù§Ø§Ñ§Ö§ä §Ó §ã§Ó§Ö§ä. §µ §Þ§Ö§ß§ñ §Ý§Ú§é§ß§à §Ó§ã§Ö§Ô§Õ§Ñ §Ò§à§Õ§â§à§Ö §ß§Ñ§ã§ä§â§à§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö, §Ü§Ñ§Ø§Õ§í§Û §Õ§Ö§ß§î §ß§à§Ó§í§Û §â§à§Þ§Ñ§ß! (Act One)

 

According to the Colonel, he every day has novyi roman (a new romance).

 

In ¡°The Waltz Invention¡± the Colonel mentions an unknown dare-devil who fired an air-rifle to assassinate Waltz:

 

§®§Ú§ß§Ú§ã§ä§â. §®§Ö§ß§ñ §ä§à§Ý§î§Ü§à §é§ä§à §Ú§Ù§Ó§Ö§ã§ä§Ú§Ý§Ú... §ã §ß§Ö§á§à§ß§ñ§ä§ß§í§Þ §à§á§à§Ù§Õ§Ñ§ß§Ú§Ö§Þ... §à §Õ§Ö§â§Ù§Ü§à§Þ §á§à§Ü§å§ê§Ö§ß§Ú§Ú §ß§Ñ §Ó§Ñ§ê§å §à§ã§à§Ò§å... §ª §Ó§à§ä -- §ñ §ç§à§é§å §Ó§Ñ§Þ §á§à§Ü§Ý§ñ§ã§ä§î§ã§ñ...

§£§Ñ§Ý§î§ã. §°§ß§à -- §Þ§à§× §é§Ñ§ã§ä§à§Ö §Õ§Ö§Ý§à, §Ú §ñ §å§Ø§Ö §á§â§Ú§ß§ñ§Ý §Þ§Ö§â§í.
§®§Ú§ß§Ú§ã§ä§â. §±§à§Ù§Ó§à§Ý§î§ä§Ö, §á§à§Ù§Ó§à§Ý§î§ä§Ö... §¬§Ñ§Ü§Ú§Ö §Þ§Ö§â§í?.. §¬§Ý§ñ§ß§å§ã§î...
§±§à§Ý§Ü§à§Ó§ß§Ú§Ü. §µ§ã§á§à§Ü§à§Û§ä§Ö§ã§î, §Þ§à§Û §Õ§à§â§à§Ô§à§Û, §Þ§à§Û §ß§Ö§Ù§Ñ§Ò§Ó§Ö§ß§ß§í§Û §ß§Ñ§é§Ñ§Ý§î§ß§Ú§Ü. §¯§Ñ§Þ §á§à§Ü§Ñ §ß§Ú§é§ä§à §ß§Ö §å§Ô§â§à§Ø§Ñ§Ö§ä. §£§é§Ö§â§Ñ §ß§Ñ §å§Ý§Ú§è§Ö §Ò§Ö§Ù§Ó§Ö§ã§ä§ß§í§Û §ã§Þ§Ö§Ý§î§é§Ñ§Ü, -- §Ü§à§ä§à§â§à§Ô§à, §Ü §ã§à§Ø§Ñ§Ý§Ö§ß§Ú§ð, §Ö§ë§× §ß§Ö §á§à§Û§Þ§Ñ§Ý§Ú, §ß§à §á§à§Û§Þ§Ñ§ð§ä, -- §Ó§í§ã§ä§â§Ö§Ý§Ú§Ý §Ú§Ù §Õ§å§ç§à§Ó§à§Ô§à §â§å§Ø§î§ñ, §Ó§à§ä... §Ó §ß§Ö§Ô§à, §ß§å §Ú §á§å§Ý§ñ §à§è§Ñ§â§Ñ§á§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §Ö§Þ§å §Ô§à§Ý§à§Ó§å.
§£§Ñ§Ý§î§ã. §©§Ñ§Þ§Ö§ä§î§ä§Ö: §Õ§å§ç§à§Ó§à§Ö §â§å§Ø§î§×. §´§à§ß§Ü§à§Ö §Ó§ß§Ú§Þ§Ñ§ß§Ú§Ö, §à§ã§ä§â§à§å§Þ§ß§Ñ§ñ §ê§á§Ú§Ý§î§Ü§Ñ. (Act Three)

 

In The Adventure of the Empty House (1903), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Colonel Sebastian Moran fires a specially designed air-rifle to assassinate Sherlock Holmes. Colonel Moran is a cardsharp. In ¡°The Waltz Invention¡± Son (in the English version, Trance, the reporter who runs errands for Waltz) mentions a conjuror who deftly slips a card:

 

§£§Ñ§Ý§î§ã. §©§Ñ§é§Ö§Þ §Þ§ß§Ö §å§Ô§Ñ§Õ§í§Ó§Ñ§ä§î?

§³§à§ß. §¥§Ñ, §ñ §ß§Ö§á§â§Ñ§Ó§Ú§Ý§î§ß§à §Ó§í§â§Ñ§Ù§Ú§Ý§ã§ñ. §¬§à§ß§Ö§é§ß§à, §ß§Ñ§á§Ö§â§×§Õ §Ó§í §ß§Ö §Þ§à§Ø§Ö§ä§Ö §Ù§ß§Ñ§ä§î, §Ü§Ñ§Ü§à§Ö §Ó§Ñ§Þ §Þ§Ö§ã§ä§à §å§Ü§Ñ§Ø§å§ä, §ß§à §Ó§í §Þ§à§Ø§Ö§ä§Ö, ¡ª §Ó§à§ä §Ü§Ñ§Ü §æ§à§Ü§å§ã§ß§Ú§Ü §á§à§Õ§ã§à§Ó§í§Ó§Ñ§Ö§ä §ã§Ü§à§Ý§î§Ù§Ü§à§Þ §Ü§Ñ§â§ä§å¡­ §³§Ý§à§Ó§à§Þ, §Ö§ã§Ý§Ú §å §Ó§Ñ§ã §Ö§ã§ä§î §ä§å§ä §á§à§Þ§à§ë§ß§Ú§Ü§Ú, §ä§à §ß§Ö §ä§Ñ§Ü §ä§â§å§Õ§ß§à §Ó§ß§å§ê§Ú§ä§î §ß§Ñ§ê§Ú§Þ §ï§Ü§ã§á§Ö§â§ä§Ñ§Þ, §Ü§Ñ§Ü§à§Û §á§å§ß§Ü§ä §ß§Ñ§Ù§ß§Ñ§é§Ú§ä§î §Õ§Ý§ñ §Ó§Ù§â§í§Ó§Ñ, ¡ª §Ñ §ä§Ñ§Þ §å§Ø§Ö §Ó§ã§× §á§à§Õ§Ô§à§ä§à§Ó§Ý§Ö§ß§à¡­ §´§Ñ§Ü, §é§ä§à §Ý§Ú? (Act Two)

 

In Russian son means ¡°sleep¡± and ¡°dream.¡± The action in ¡°The Waltz Invention¡± seems to take place in a dream that Troshcheykin¡¯s wife Lyubov¡¯ dreams in the ¡°sleep of death¡± (mentioned by Hamlet in his famous monologue). Having learned that Barbashin (the killer of whom Troshcheykin is mortally afraid but with whom Lyubov¡¯ is still in love) left the city, Lyubov¡¯ commits suicide on her dead son¡¯s fifth birthday (two days after her mother¡¯s fiftieth birthday). Like Shakespeare¡¯s Othello (whom Troshcheykin mentions at the beginning of ¡°The Event;¡± see a quote above), Lyubov¡¯ stabs herself. The name Lyubov¡¯ means ¡°love¡± and brings to mind the lines from Pushkin¡¯s Eugene Onegin (One: XLVII: 6-7) used by VN as the epigraph to his first novel Mashen¡¯ka (¡°Mary,¡± 1926):

 

Vospomnya prezhnikh let romany,

Vospomnya prezhnyuyu lyubov¡¯.

 

Having recalled intrigues of former years,

having recalled a former love.

 

In EO (Five: XLI: 1-4) Pushkin mentions val¡¯sa vikhor¡¯ shumnyi (the waltz¡¯s noisy whirl):

 

§°§Õ§ß§à§à§Ò§â§Ñ§Ù§ß§í§Û §Ú §Ò§Ö§Ù§å§Þ§ß§í§Û,
§¬§Ñ§Ü §Ó§Ú§ç§à§â§î §Ø§Ú§Ù§ß§Ú §Þ§à§Ý§à§Õ§à§Û,
§¬§â§å§Ø§Ú§ä§ã§ñ §Ó§Ñ§Ý§î§ã§Ñ §Ó§Ú§ç§à§â§î §ê§å§Þ§ß§í§Û;
§¹§Ö§ä§Ñ §Þ§Ö§Ý§î§Ü§Ñ§Ö§ä §Ù§Ñ §é§Ö§ä§à§Û.

 

Monotonous and mad

like young life's whirl,

the waltz's noisy whirl revolves,

pair after pair flicks by.

 

The line cheta mel¡¯kaet za chetoy (pair after pair flicks by) brings to mind i v mire net chety prekrasney (and there¡¯s no finer couple in the world), a line in Tyutchev¡¯s poem Bliznetsy ("The Twins," 1852):

 

§¯§à §Ö§ã§ä§î §Õ§â§å§Ô§Ú§ç §Õ§Ó§Ñ §Ò§Ý§Ú§Ù§ß§Ö§è§Ñ ¨C
§ª §Ó §Þ§Ú§â§Ö §ß§Ö§ä §é§Ö§ä§í §á§â§Ö§Ü§â§Ñ§ã§ß§Ö§Û,
§ª §à§Ò§Ñ§ñ§ß§î§ñ §ß§Ö§ä §å§Ø§Ñ§ã§ß§Ö§Û,
§¦§Û §á§â§Ö§Õ§Ñ§ð§ë§Ö§Ô§à §ã§Ö§â§Õ§è§Ñ...

 

But there are two more twins:
and there's no finer couple in the world,
and there's no fascination more fearsome
for mortals surrendering their hearts to it.

 

According to Tyutchev, the most beautiful couple in the world is Samoubiystvo i Lyubov' (Suicide and Love). Another couple of twins in Tyutchev¡¯s poem is Smert¡¯ i Son (Death and Sleep). While Son is a character in ¡°The Waltz Invention,¡± the characters of ¡°The Event¡± include the Meshaev twins. It is Meshaev the Second (Antonina Pavlovna¡¯s last guest, the occultist who lives in the country and is late for the birthday party) who at the end of the play reads Lyubov¡¯s palm and casually says that Barbashin left the city and went abroad forever.

 

The title Izobretenie Val¡¯sa is a pun and can be read as ¡°the invention of the waltz.¡± German and Austrian peasants began dancing a dance called Walzer around 1750. Several decades later the dance was introduced among aristocrats. Ivan Polzunov (1728-66), a Russian inventor, and James Watt (1736-1819), a Scottish inventor, lived in the eighteenth century.

 

Alexey Sklyarenko

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