The Soviet writer and playwright Isaac Babel became famous for his work. “Konarmia” (a brief summary will be considered below) is his most famous work. This is primarily due to the fact that it was initially contrary to the revolutionary propaganda of that time. S. Budyonny and K. Voroshilov accepted the book with hostility. The only reason the work was published was the intercession of Maxim Gorky.
Babel, The Conarmia: Summary
Konarmia is a collection of short stories that began to be published in 1926. The work combines a common theme - the civil war of the early 20th century. The basis for writing was the author's diary during his service in the 1st Cavalry Army, commanded by S. Budyonny.
"My first goose"
The Konarmia collection opens with this very story. The main lyric hero and storyteller Lyutov, working in the newspaper "Red Cavalryman", falls into the ranks of the 1st Cavalry Army under the command of Budyonny. 1st Horse is fighting the Poles, therefore, passes through Galicia and Western Ukraine. Next is the image of military life, where there is only blood, death and tears. They live here one day.
Cossacks mock and mock the intellectual Lyutov. And the hostess refuses to feed him. When he was hungry for impossibility, he came to her and demanded to feed himself. And then he went out into the yard, took a saber and chopped down a goose. Then he ordered the hostess to cook it. Only after this, the Cossacks began to consider Lyutov almost their own and stopped ridicule.
"Death of Dolgushov"
The collection of stories by Isaac Babel continues the story of the telephone operator Dolgushov. Once Lyutov stumbles upon a mortally wounded colleague who asks out of pity to finish him off. However, the protagonist is not able to kill, even to ease his fate. Therefore, he asks Afonka to approach the dying man. Dolgushov and the new assistant talk about something, and then Afonka shoots him in the head. The Red Army man who has just killed a comrade, angrily rushes at Lyutov and accuses him of unnecessary pity, from which only harm.
"Biography of Pavlichenko, Matvey Rodionych"
A lot of attention is paid to his protagonist Babel (“Konarmia”). The summary again talks about the emotional anxieties of Lyutov, who secretly envies the determination and firmness of the Cossacks. His main desire is to become his own among them. Therefore, he seeks to understand them, carefully listens to the general’s story about how he dealt with the gentleman Nikitsky, whom he served before the revolution. The owner often molested Matvey’s wife, therefore, as soon as he became a Red Army soldier, he decided to avenge his insult. But Matvey did not shoot Nikitsky, but trampled on his wife's eyes. The general himself says that shooting is mercy and mercy, not punishment.
"Salt"
Reveals the fate of ordinary Red Army soldiers in his work Babel. “Konarmia” (a brief summary confirms this) is a peculiar illustration of the post-revolutionary reality. So, Lyutov receives a letter from Konarmeysky Balmashev, who talks about the incident in the train. At one of the stations, the soldiers picked up a woman with a child and allowed her into the carriage. However, doubts gradually began to creep in. Therefore, Balmashev breaks the diaper, but instead of the child discovers a bag of salt. The Red Army man becomes furious, rages on the woman with an accusatory speech, and then throws her out of the train. Despite the fall, the woman remained intact. Then Balmashev grabbed a weapon and shot it, believing that in this way he washed away the shame from the working people.
"Letter"
Isaac Babel portrays not only adult fighters, but also children. “Konarmia” is a collection in which there is a work dedicated to the boy Vasily Kurdyukov, who writes a letter to his mother. In the message, he asks to send some food and tell how the brothers fighting for the Reds are doing. It immediately turns out that Fedor, one of the brothers, was captured and killed by his own father, who was fighting on the side of the whites. He commanded a company with Denikin, and killed his son for a long time, cutting off skin in pieces. After some time, the White Guard himself was forced to hide, having repainted his beard for this. However, his other son Stepan tracked down his father and finished off.
"Sling"
The following story was dedicated to the young Kuban Prischepe by Isaac Babel (“Konarmia” tells about this). The hero had to flee from the whites who killed his parents. When the enemies were driven out of the village, Prishchepa returned, but neighbors managed to plunder all the property. Then he takes the cart and goes around the yards to look for his good. In those huts in which he managed to find things belonging to his parents, Prishchepa leaves hanging dogs and old women over the wells and icons crap with droppings.
When everything was collected, he arranges things in their original places and locks himself in the house. Here he drinks soundly for two days, chopping tables with a saber and singing songs. And on the third night, a flame engulfs his house. Sliver goes to the barn, removes the cow left from the parents, and kills. After that, he mounts his horse and leaves wherever his eyes look.
"The story of one horse"
This work continues Babel’s short stories Conarmia. For the Konarmeysky horse - this is the most important thing, he is a friend, and comrade, and brother, and father. Once zavdiv Savitsky took the white horse from the commander of the first squadron Khlebnikov. Since then, Khlebnikov has held a grudge and waited for an opportunity for revenge. And as soon as Savitsky lost his job, he wrote a petition asking him to return the stallion. Having received a positive response, Khlebnikov went to Savitsky, who refused to give up his horse. Then the commander goes to the new headquarters, but he drives him away. Then Khlebnikov sits down and writes a statement stating that he is offended by the Communist Party, which is not able to return his property. After that, he is demobilized, as he has 6 wounds and is considered disabled.
"Pan Apolek"
They also touch on the church theme of the work of Babel. "Konarmia" tells of the Bogomaz Apolek, who was entrusted with the painting of the Novgorod Church in the new church. The artist presented a diploma and several of his works, so the priests accepted his candidacy without question. However, when the work was handed over, employers were greatly annoyed. The fact is that the artist made ordinary people holy. So, in the image of the Apostle Paul, the face of a lame Janek was guessed, and Mary Magdalene was very similar to Elka, a Jewish girl, the mother of a considerable number of sub-children. They drove Apolek away, and another Bogomaz was hired in his place. However, he did not dare to paint over the work of others' hands.
Lyutov, Babel’s double from Konarmia, met a disgraced artist in the house of an escaped priest. At the first meeting, pan Apolek applied to make his portrait in the image of Blessed Francis for just 50 marks. In addition, the artist told a blasphemous story about how Jesus married the rootless girl Deborah, who gave birth to a son from him.
Gedali
Lyutov is confronted with a group of old Jews who are trading at the yellow walls of the synagogue. The hero begins to recall with sadness Jewish life, which the war has now destroyed. He also recalls childhood, his grandfather, who stroked the numerous volumes of the Jewish sage Ibn Ezra. Lyutov goes to the bazaar and sees trays locked up in locks, which he associates with death.
Then the hero catches the eye of the shop of the ancient Jew Gedali. Here you can find anything: from gilded shoes to broken pots. The owner himself rubs his white hands, paces along the shelves and complains about the horrors of the revolution: everywhere they suffer, they kill and rob. Gedali would like another revolution, which he calls the "international of good people." However, Lyutov does not agree with him; he claims that the international is inseparable from rivers of blood and gunpowder shots.
Then the hero asks where to find Jewish food. Gedali reports that this could have been done in the neighborhood before, but now they only cry there, not eat.
Rabbi
Lyutov stayed in one of the houses for the night. In the evening, the whole family sits at the table, headed by Rabbi Motale Bratslavsky. Here is sitting his son, Ilya, with a face similar to Spinoza. He is fighting on the side of the Red Army. Despondency reigns in this house and near death is felt, although the rabbi himself urges everyone to rejoice that they are still alive.
With incredible relief Lyutov leaves this house. He goes to the station, where the First Horse Train is already standing, and the unfinished newspaper "Red Cavalier" is waiting in it.
Analysis
He created the indissoluble artistic unity of all the stories of Babel (“The Conarmia”). The analysis of the works emphasizes this feature, since a certain plot-forming connection is revealed. Moreover, the author himself forbade the interchange of stories during the reprint of the collection, which also emphasizes the importance of their location.
Combined the cycle and one composition Babel. "Conarmia" (analysis allows us to verify this) is an inextricable epic-lyrical narration about the times of the Civil War. It combines both naturalistic descriptions of military reality and romantic pathetics. There is no author's position in the stories, which allows the reader to draw their own conclusions. And the images of the hero-storyteller and the author are so intricately intertwined that they give the impression of the presence of several points of view.
Conarmia: Heroes
Kirill Vasilievich Lutov is the central character of the entire collection. He acts as a narrator and as an involuntary participant in some of the events described. Moreover, he is Babel's double from Konarmia. Kirill Lutov - such was the literary pseudonym of the author himself when he worked as a war correspondent.
Lyutov - a Jew who was abandoned by his wife, he graduated from St. Petersburg University, his intelligence prevents interfacing with the Cossacks. For fighters, he is a stranger and causes only indulgence on their part. In fact, he is an intellectual who is trying to reconcile humanistic principles with the realities of the revolutionary era.
Pan Apolek is an icon painter and an old monk. He is an atheist and a sinner who blasphemously treated the painting of the church in Novgorod. In addition, he is the bearer of a huge supply of distorted biblical stories, where the saints are portrayed subject to human vices.
Gedali is the owner of an antiquity shop in Zhitomir, a blind Jew with a philosophical character. He seems to be ready to accept the revolution, but he does not like the fact that it is accompanied by violence and blood. Therefore, for him there is no difference between counter-revolution and revolution - both carry only death.
Konarmia is a very frank and merciless book. The reader finds himself in the usual harsh military reality, in which spiritual blindness and truth-seeking, tragic and funny, cruelty and heroism are intertwined.