Who does not know the story of the Russian craftsman, who proved to the whole world that our masters are the best specialists in their field. The story "Lefty" was written by Nikolai Leskov in 1881 and is included in his collection of works "The Righteous."
The events of this work date back to about 1815, it mixes real and imaginary historical episodes. I would like to advise you to read not only the summary of Leskov’s story “Left-handed”, but also pay attention to this whole story. The work is easy to read, it captures an interesting story about a simple craftsman from Tula. He is not only good at owning his business, he has unique abilities and love for his profession and homeland.
N. Leskov. Lefty. Summary of the story: two sovereigns
The Russian sovereign Alexander I at the end of the Vienna Council decides to travel around Europe to see different miracles in foreign countries. Under the emperor is a Cossack Platov, who is not surprised at strange wonders. He is sure that in Russia one can find no worse. But in England they come across a Kunstkamera, in which "nymphosories" are collected from around the world. There, the sovereign acquires a mechanical flea. She is not only very small, she also knows how to dance. Emperor Alexander I soon had melancholy from military affairs, he returned to Russia and died.
Emperor
Nicholas I becomes his successor
. A few years after accession to the throne, he finds a flea among the things of the late sovereign and cannot understand what is the meaning of this “nymphosoria”. And only the Don Cossack Platov could explain that this is an example of the mastery of English mechanics. Nicholas I was always confident in the superiority of his compatriots. He instructs Platov to go to the Don with a diplomatic mission and call in at Tula to local factories. The sovereign had no doubt that there can be found masters who could adequately answer this challenge.
N. Leskov. Lefty. Summary of the story: Tula artisans
Platov takes a flea and leaves for Don through Tula. He shows this product to the Tula masters and gives them a period of two weeks, so that they come up with and do something that can be shown to the emperor and wiped the nose of the British. Three masters take up the matter, one of which is Lefthander. They gather and go to the county town of Mtsensk to bow to the icon of St. Nicholas located there. Having done this, the craftsmen return home and begin to work. No one knows what they are doing. The townspeople are very curious about what is happening outside the walls of the workshop, but the work is being done in great secret.
N. Leskov. Lefty. Summary of the story: the return and indignation of Platov
By the due date, Platov is sent back. He drives the Cossacks accompanying him all the way; he is eager to see the work. Arriving in Tula, he immediately goes to the masters, but they do not open the doors, as the work is completed. Only Platov can’t wait, he forces the Cossacks to knock the door out with a log. But the masters are adamant and ask to wait a little longer. After a while they go out. Two of them go empty-handed, and the third carries the same "aglitsky" flea. There is no limit to Platov’s indignation, he does not understand what exactly was done. And the masters answer only one thing, that everything is in plain sight, and they advise the sovereign to take the flea. There is nothing left for Platov, only to return to Petersburg, but he takes Lefty with him to answer for all.
N. Leskov. Lefty. Summary of the story: Left-hander travels to England
Seeing that the Tula masters had a horseshoe flea , the emperor was delighted and sent the Lefty to take it as a gift to the British. In England, Lefty demonstrates the skill of Russian masters. There they show him local factories, tell how their work is organized, and offer to stay. Only Lefty yearns for his homeland, he refuses the offer and goes on a journey, despite the storm.
N. Leskov. Lefty. Summary of the story: Left-hander's return to Russia
Returning home, Lefty makes a bet with a subscriber about which of them will drink another. They drink all the way, and it comes to the point that he sees devils in the sea. In St. Petersburg, a drunken Englishman is taken to an embassy's house, and a Lefty is taken to a block. There, gifts are taken from him, documents are demanded, and then they are sent on an open sleigh to a hospital for the common people, where all people of an unknown class are taken to die. Before his death, Lefty thinks about his state, asks to tell the emperor that in England guns are not cleaned with bricks and that they do not do this with us, otherwise they are not suitable to shoot. But his order remains unreported.
Today, Leskov himself and Lefty belong to the affairs of the past days, but we must not forget folk legends. The story of the Lefthander accurately conveys the spirit of that era, and the author himself complains that if the master’s words reached the sovereign, the outcome of the Crimean war would be completely different.