The story "Sonechka" by Lyudmila Ulitskaya was published in the early nineties. For this work, the writer in 1994 received the French Medici Prize. "Sonechka" by Lyudmila Ulitskaya was also noted by other literary awards. Reader reviews of this book are rather controversial. A general idea of it will be given by the summary in this article.
"Sonechka" Ulitskaya brought fame in France. In Russia, the writer's works have been published since the late 80s. But widespread popularity came to her much later.
A bit about the author of the work
“Sonechka” by Ulitskaya (a summary of the story is presented below) in France was recognized as the best translated book. A few years before the award for one of the books of the writer, two films were shot. These were the films “Sisters of Liberty” by V. Grammatikov and “Woman for All” by A. Mateshko.
Lyudmila Ulitskaya graduated from the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University. For some time she worked at the Institute of General Genetics. In 1970, she left the civil service. Over the years, Ulitskaya wrote essays, plays, and reviews of works of art, and also translated poems from the Mongolian language. Then she began to write stories. The most famous works are “The Case of Kukotsky,” “Girls,” “Sincerely Yours, Shurik,” “Poor Relatives.”
Sonechka: summary
Ulitskaya can be safely called a master of the short story. She has created many wonderful stories. The story, which is discussed in today's article, is a more voluminous work than those that, for example, are included in the collection "Girls". But much less than the "Case of Kukotsky." The author surprisingly managed to tell a short and concise life-long story.
The outline of the summary of "Sonechka" Ulitskaya:
- Childhood.
- Library.
- War.
- Robert Viktorovich.
- Link.
- Moscow.
- Yasya.
- Leah and Rachel.
- Sofia Iosifovna.
Childhood
Sonechka was born into an ordinary Jewish family, in the years of the NEP. Her father was a watchmaker. During the new economic policy, he opened a small workshop. His business was going well. But power changed, and Sonya's father, a man disgusted with continuous production, had to get a job at the factory.
How does Ulitskaya describe her heroine? What was Sonechka's favorite activity above all else? Answers to these questions will help to understand the problems of the work. From an early age, the girl loved reading above all else. The love of literature took the form of easy insanity. One had only to open the book, and it seemed to fall out of reality, from where it could return only after reading the last page.
The heroine of Lyudmila Ulitskaya until a certain moment lived exclusively in books. The experiences of Natasha Rostova in her soul found the same strong response as the death of a little niece. She seemed to be fenced from everything that was happening around. But, as already mentioned, until a certain point.
Library
At school, Sonya studied secondary. After doing some homework, she again plunged into the world of Russian literature. However, foreign prose attracted her. Outwardly, she was not good with you. Although the elder sister, in order to reassure Sonya, more than once spoke of the extraordinary beauty of brown eyes.
What did the girl dream of becoming from an early age noticing anything but books? Sonin's dreams did not go beyond the limits of the literary world. She did not have a cherished dream. After graduation, the girl submitted documents to the library college.
Sonya worked for several years in the book depository. Then the boss, the same obsessed reader, persuaded her to enter the Faculty of Philology. However, Sonya never became a university student. It was 1941.
War
In June 1941, an event occurred that first tore Sonya out of the illusory world of literary characters. Together with her parents, she was evacuated to Sverdlovsk . Here I got a job in a library, the threshold of which was once crossed by a short and outwardly unremarkable man.
Robert Viktorovich
He asked Sonya if there were works in French in the book depository. She led him to a catalog with novels by great classics. A few hours later, an unusual reader realized that he had met his future wife.
Robert Viktorovich was an artist. After the revolution he emigrated. Then, in the thirties, he returned to a stranger to Russia. Here he was arrested. Sonya's husband was the happiest of the losers. He spent only five years in the camp.
Link
The heroine of the story of Lyudmila Ulitskaya - Sonechka - fate was not easy. She married a poor artist and shared his fate. Sonya went with him to Bashkiria, where he was to serve his exile. The family lived in unbearable conditions. You can get used to everything. But Sonya didn’t read anymore. The daughter Tanya was born in exile.
The reason for the only disagreement between Robert Viktorovich and his wife was the divergence of views on Russian literature. Forty-seven-year-old artist preferred foreign prose.
Moscow
Finally, the family returned to the capital. Here, life was not right away, but it got better. Robert Viktorovich, of course, did not paint. He found a more practical application for his talent. Sonya's husband became a theater decorator. Soon, wealth appeared in the family. The artist’s wife, meanwhile, discovered a useful, but by no means rare gift — the gift of a silent wife and mistress of the house.
Yasya
Years passed. Daughter Tanya has matured. She began an easy, frivolous affair. And my daughter also got a girlfriend, Yasya. She was a girl of rare Slavic beauty: short, with marbled white skin and a chiseled figure. She was a kept woman by nature. From an early age, she knew how to please men and benefit from it. Perhaps such a Yashu made life.
She grew up in an orphanage. I came to Moscow with a naive and by no means an original dream - to become an actress. She was much more likely to replenish the ranks of night butterflies. But that did not happen. Once Yasya got into Sonya's hospitable house. And I stayed here for a long time.
Yasi began an affair with Robert Viktorovich. At first, the main character did not know anything about this, when everything came up, the scandal did not work, she did not hate Yasya. She treated the girl almost like her own daughter.
Leah and Rachel
Yasya became the muse of Robert Viktorovich. After a 20-year break, he again took up the canvas. But he didn’t leave his wife. Tatyana left for Leningrad. Sonya spent evenings in an empty apartment, while her husband in the studio was inspired by the muse in the person of her daughter's friend. His death was a bit scandalous. He died in bed, in a fit of passion.
Sonya organized a funeral. At the same time, she found strength to calm her young rival. One of the artist’s old friends, seeing these two women nearby, said: “Leah and Rachel ... Can Rachel be so beautiful?” He compared the deceased's mistress and rejected wife with biblical characters.
Sofya Iosifovna
Many years have passed since the death of Robert Viktorovich. His daughter went to Israel. Yasya married a rich Frenchman, lives in Paris. The mustached old woman Sofya Iosifovna still lives in the Moscow Khrushchev. She does not want to go either to her historical homeland or to Paris, where her named daughter Yasya so often invites her. Sofya Iosifovna is sitting in her small apartment for books. She again lives in another world - in the world of spring waters, dark alleys.
Analysis of Sonechka by Ulitskaya
The writer spoke about a unique personality that can be attributed to the rare type of the righteous. Sonya has every reason to feel miserable, deceived, abandoned. Nevertheless, there is nothing but love in her soul. When longing and loneliness become too strong, she seeks salvation in books.
Reviews about the "Sonechka" Ulitskaya mixed. The image of the righteous is not liked by everyone. Moreover, it causes bewilderment, irritation. Nevertheless, many readers (the work is focused on a female audience) admire the main character of the story by Lyudmila Ulitskaya. After all, Sonya should learn steadfastness, patience, mercy, the ability to forgive, faithfully love and see the good in everything.