One of the most famous Russian authors is Konstantin Paustovsky. Many people remember his stories from childhood. They are always associated with the crunch of the first snow, colorful autumn foliage on trees or underfoot, ringing frosty air and alluring depth of forest lakes. Light light sadness is observed in all his works; without it, happiness is impossible, as Paustovsky believed. "Basket with fir cones" is fully consistent with such a plot.
Creative path of the writer
Konstantin Georgievich Paustovsky wrote his first works in his school years at the gymnasium, and they were published in 1912. Four years later, working in a boiler room, Konstantin Paustovsky undertakes his first novel, which he will write for seven years. His stories in the form of a collection will be published much earlier - in 1928, under the name “Oncoming Ships”.
The story "Kara-Bugaz" (1932) brought fame to the writer. According to critics of the time, this work immediately put him in the front ranks of Soviet writers. Paustovsky is one of those Russian writers who are known not only in Russia, but throughout the world. So, when his first book, published in English ("The Story of a Life"), appeared 40 years ago in the USA, the then-famous critic O. Prescott wrote that this was the best book he had read this year.
Paustovsky’s literary maturity came in the era of Stalin’s harsh totalitarianism (1930–1950s), which is not the best time for a writing career. Nevertheless, the author did not write a single laudatory word dedicated to Stalin in any of his works, nor did he receive any fake letters from him. The writer was able to find his place: he looks at the native language and nature of the country. Gradually, nature becomes a constant source for Paustovsky’s creativity. He describes many beautiful places from different parts of Russia: the South and the Black Sea region, the middle zone of the Oka region, the Meshchera ... But Paustovsky’s vision of nature is completely special. It is through the beauty of nature that he tries to show the beauty of the human soul, language and national culture.
The main purpose of Paustovsky’s life was to write two large books. One of them was supposed to be dedicated to various extraordinary people, both illustrious and little-known, as well as undeservedly forgotten - those whom K. G. Paustovsky admired. Stories dedicated to some of them will be published. These, for example, are picturesque biographies of M. Gorky, A. Green, A. Chekhov, I. Bunin , etc. All of them were distinguished by a special vision of the world, especially appreciated by Paustovsky. But, unfortunately, he did not manage to finish this work.
Another main idea that Paustovsky spent about twenty years on was writing an autobiographical novel consisting of six books: “Far Years” (1945), “Restless Youth” (1955), “Beginning of an Unknown Century” (1957), “Time for Great Expectations” "(1959)," Throwing to the South "(1960)," Book of Wanderings "(1963). Paustovsky died in Moscow in 1968 and is buried in the Tarusa cemetery, on a high hill surrounded by trees, on the banks of a small rivulet. This place was chosen by the writer himself.
Why Norway?
As mentioned earlier, in the 30s of the twentieth century, Paustovsky Konstantin Georgievich addresses the theme of nature. The appearance of the famous maple leaf miniature becomes a kind of prologue to the beginning of this new creative stage. The central idea of the writer's works is the idea of the beauty and poetry of the human soul. Paustovsky is trying to awaken in his readers the most beautiful and gentle feelings.
The story "Basket with fir cones" is a fiction. However, at the same time, this is a true story about a man who has a delicate sense of nature. The fairy tale "Basket with fir cones" is about the famous Norwegian composer Edward Grieg.
Norway is a country of amazing nature: impregnable cliffs, dense forests, winding sea bays, washed by the cold Arctic Ocean. The inhabitants of this country are proud and courageous: they are accustomed to subordinate the elements and manage it. The folk art of these people is as peculiar and beautiful as the life and nature surrounding them. Norway is rich in songs, traditions, legends and fairy tales about the Vikings and mysterious evil spirits with which a person has to come into opposition and whom he is obliged to defeat. Norway is rich in music too. Locals believe that the most beautiful tunes were stolen by daredevils from evil spirits. Such tunes can make not only a person dance, but even a forest and mountains. The original art of this country became known to the world thanks to the work of its most talented inhabitants, for example, Heinrich Johan Ibsen (a famous Norwegian playwright) or composer Edward Grieg. This composer reflected in his work life, customs, ceremonies, traditions of his native country and told about them to the whole world.
Perhaps Grieg was in fact Paustovsky’s favorite composer, or perhaps he was simply close to the motives of his work or admired him as a person ... One way or another, but this is about him “Basket with Fir Cones”. The author, making the Norwegian composer the main character of his work, could not ignore the unusual nature of Norway. This is understandable.
Plot
So, the story “Basket with Fir Cones” is a work about the famous composer Edward Grieg. While walking through the autumn forest, he meets the little girl Dagni with beautiful green eyes - the daughter of a forester. This little girl, wonderful nature and clear weather act magically on him, and he promises to give her a gift when she grows up. Grieg fulfilled his promise. When the girl reached eighteen, she first attended a symphony concert. At some point, Dagny suddenly heard her name from the stage. This was the gift of the composer - a work written for her eighteenth birthday. The composer himself was no longer alive at that time. Joy, slightly overshadowed by light sadness - such is the “Basket with Fir Cones”.
Analysis of the work (briefly)
As already mentioned, there is a whole series of works dedicated to famous people, which Paustovsky wrote. "Basket with fir cones", obviously, from that same cycle. This is a small touching essay written for children. To teach his little readers to see the beauty of their surrounding nature and to love it — that was what K. G. Paustovsky wanted. The writer shows people beauty that cannot be overlooked and that should be especially appreciated.
The unique charm of forests, rivers, lakes, fields, seas and oceans, naturalness, youth is the main motive of the work. And to see, feel this beauty, the author shows two ways at once: with the help of words and music. Music in this story generally plays a central role. Despite the fact that the author describes the Norwegian forest, it can be assumed that it could be any other forest anywhere in the world. And even Grieg could not have been a composer. These images are very important, but even more important are the feelings and emotions of the characters that nature causes them. Perhaps, the leitmotif of this story is the love of life, which invariably awakens among the main characters. The author is trying to show how beautiful life is. And you can understand this by observing the nature, communicating with it. And as a symbol of the interaction of nature and man, a basket with fir cones appears.
Story plan
To understand all the intricacies of a wonderful story, let’s try to highlight individual parts in it. The work "Basket with fir cones" can be divided as follows:
- Forests near Bergen.
- Meeting of the composer and the girl.
- Grieg's promise.
- Creation of a work.
- The first listeners.
- The young girl’s first trip to the concert.
- Unexpected announcement.
- Delight and gratitude.
Music in the story
According to the author, music is a mirror of genius. The music in the story invades the lives of the characters and becomes a participant in the events. The reader can hear it from the first sentences of the work - these are the sounds of the autumn forest. The composer’s meeting with the girl is also filled with his music, as if it were heard from a basket with fir cones. Perhaps the composer at that moment wanted to be heard not only by him, but also by the whole world, and especially by the little girl, who herself is part of the melody. Perhaps this desire prompted him to give such a gift to a girl with sparkling green eyes. Grieg wrote the composition for more than a month, which he was going to devote to Dagny. The composer believed that after ten years, upon hearing the sounds of the melody, the girl would recognize in them her forest and native nature, familiar from childhood. He wanted to illuminate with his music all the charm and joy of girlhood. Grieg tried to convey through the pouring sounds the beauty of a young girl, who might look like a white night with a mysterious light, and the brilliance of the dawn. The one that will become someone’s happiness and the sound of a voice that shakes someone’s heart. In the end, he wanted to show his music the whole beauty of life. And he did it.
It was a truly valuable gift. The wind in autumn crowns, the rustling golden foliage underfoot and a large basket with fir cones laid the foundation for him. The great composer, who at the time of the meeting did not have any dolls in his pocket, with moving eyes, satin ribbons, or velvet hares - nothing that could be presented to a little girl, presented her something more. When Dagny heard his music, she discovered a new, amazingly bright, colorful, inspiring world. Feelings and emotions that were unfamiliar to her earlier stirred up her whole soul and revealed to her eyes the still unknown beauty. This music showed Dagni not only the greatness of the world, but also the value of human life. Of particular significance to these moments is the fact that the author of the gift was no longer alive at that time.
Another important symbol in this story is the old piano - the only decoration of the composer's apartment. It and the white walls of the apartment made it possible for a person with imagination to see much more than the exquisite interior could show: huge waves of the North Ocean, rolling towards the shores and beating against impregnable cliffs, or, conversely, a little girl singing her lullaby to the lullaby she heard from mother. The old piano admires the sublime human aspirations, grieves over his losses, rejoices in his victories, laughs and cries with him. He can be loud, warlike, blaming and indignant, or, conversely, suddenly shut up. This piano is the living embodiment of music in the story.
The image of Edward Grieg
Bergen ... One of the most beautiful and oldest cities in Western Norway, washed by the waves of the Norwegian Sea. The harsh grandeur of the mountainous nature is combined with the quiet peace of the valleys. The rocky peaks of the mountains, complemented by deep lakes and clear fjords ... It was here, among the fabulous beauty, on June 15, 1843, Edward Grieg was born. Like any other person, he could not remain indifferent to these amazing landscapes. If he was born as an artist, he would paint beautiful paintings reflecting the extraordinary nature of this land, if he would become a poet, he would write poems dedicated to his country. Grieg showed the nature of his beloved homeland through music.
The author depicts Grieg as a man with a deep mental organization, subtly feeling the surrounding nature and people. That, perhaps, should be the composer. Grieg perceives every moment of his life with admiration, he finds beauty everywhere and enjoys it. The composer opens sources for his inspiration in the sounds of nature. He writes about simple human feelings: beauty, love and kindness, therefore it is understandable to everyone, even to the simplest person.
Representation of the author about the theater
In this story, the author expresses his opinion about the theater in the voice of Niels, Uncle Dagny, using one phrase: “Everything needs to be trusted in the theater, otherwise people will not need any theaters.” This one capacious phrase says a lot. The theater is capable of teaching a person a lot and showing him a lot, but without the faith of the audience it will be just a waste of time.
The image of Niels in the story
Niels is a girl’s uncle, a slightly dreamy and eccentric man who works as a hairdresser in the theater. He sees life in an unusual light and teaches Dagny to look at the world in the same way. His vision of the world is really quite unusual. This man likes to speak sublimely and with slight understatement. He compares his niece with the first chord of the overture, and Aunt Magda gives witchcraft power over people, since she sews people new costumes, and with the change of costume, he believes, the person himself changes. He also advises the girl to dress in such a way as to stand out from the environment: in black, when everything around is white, and vice versa. And the uncle turns out to be right, ultimately. Perhaps, to some extent, he also shows the opinion of the author himself about the theater, music and beauty. And the inner world of Niels is a basket full of surprises with fir cones.
A brief retelling of the work
Edward Grieg spent autumn in Bergen. He especially loved the coastal forests for their nebula brought from the sea and the abundance of moss hanging in long strands from the trees. During one of the walks in such a forest, he met Dagni Pedersen, the daughter of a forester, there. She was collecting fir cones in a basket. A little girl with two pigtails fascinated him, and he decided to give her something. But he did not have anything with him that could charm a green-eyed child. Then he promised to give her something special, but not now, but ten years later. And in response to the girl’s pleading, he now advised her to give this thing to her for patience. Then the composer helped her bring the basket, found out the name of her father and they said goodbye. To the chagrin of the girl, he did not go into their house for tea.
Grieg decided to write music for her, and to print on the title page: “Dagni Pedersen - daughter of forester Hagerup Pedersen when she turns eighteen.”
Further, the author takes readers to the composer's house. There is nothing of furniture in it except the old sofa, and, according to Grieg's friends, his dwelling was like a lumberjack's hut. The only decoration of this apartment, but perhaps the best of all, is the old black piano. A variety of sounds fly out from under his keys: from very joyful to very sad. And when he suddenly falls silent, in the silence one string still rings for a long time, like a crying Cinderella, offended by the sisters.
The composer created his work for more than a month. He wrote it, imagining how this girl runs towards him, panting with happiness. As he tells Dagny, she looks like the sun, and thanks to her, a delicate white flower has blossomed in his heart. The composer calls her happiness and a glimpse of the dawn. For the first time, his work was listened to by the best spectators: tits in the trees, cricket, snow flying from the branches, the laundress from the neighboring house, the invisible Cinderella and swam sailors.
Dagni graduated from school at the age of 18, she turned into a slender girl with thick blond braids. Immediately after this, she went to visit her relatives. Uncle Niels worked as a hairdresser in the theater, while Aunt Magda worked as a dressmaker. Their house was filled with various objects of professional paraphernalia: wigs, gypsy shawls, hats, swords, fans, boots, silver shoes, etc. Thanks to their work, Dagny was able to visit the theater often: the performances deeply excited and touched her.
Once, my aunt insisted that for the sake of diversity it is necessary to go to a concert in a city park, which takes place in the open. Dagny put on a black dress at the insistence of her uncle and was as good as if she was going on a first date.
The symphonic music she heard for the first time made a strange impression. Before her eyes, strange pictures flickered like a dream. Then she suddenly thought that her name was pronounced on the stage. Then the announcement was repeated, and it turned out that a work dedicated to her would be played now.
The music took Dagny to a familiar forest, to her homeland, where shepherd’s horns played and the sea rustled. The girl heard glass ships sailing, the whistle of birds flying above them, children in the woods, a song of a girl dedicated to her beloved. She listened to the call of music, and tears of gratitude rolled from her eyes. And in the air thundered: "You are my happiness, you are my joy, you are the brilliance of the dawn."
When the last sounds of the composition died down, Dagny left the park without looking back. She regretted that the author of the music had died, and imagined how she would run towards him to thank.
The girl walked for a long time along the empty streets of the city, noticing no one, not even Nils, who wandered after her. Over time, she went to the sea, and she was seized by a new, previously unknown feeling. Here Dagny realized how much she loves life. And her uncle was inspired with confidence that the girl would live her life not in vain.