"Never again". Does it sound scary? But there is a word that may sound even more hopeless: "late." It is this sad meaning that the Telegram work is literally saturated with. The summary of this book, written by the great Soviet writer Konstantin Georgievich Paustovsky, we will consider today in our article.
about the author
Konstantin Paustovsky, born in Moscow in 1892, is well known both at home and abroad. Romanticism and sentimentalism are the main genres in which the author writes. Paustovsky became especially widely known thanks to numerous stories and stories about nature for children. In his works, the writer skillfully uses the power and wealth of the Russian language, he easily and elegantly conveys to the reader his view of the beautiful and noble nature of his beloved Motherland.
Paustovsky had to live in difficult times. He survived two world wars and two civil revolutions in the country. They did not pass by him, had to actively participate. This could not but put off a serious imprint in his soul. And at the same time, nothing could ruin his talent and craving for beauty. He continued to write and create great things. World fame came to the writer shortly after the end of World War II, which gave him the opportunity to draw new impressions and inspiration from his travels around the world.
Paustovsky "Telegram": summary
This small piece is emotionally very capacious and touches on deep human feelings. The topic of relations between parents and children is close and familiar to most people, so few can remain indifferent after reading the book "Telegram". A summary of it can fit literally in several sentences.
In a distant and remote village, a lonely elderly woman lives out her last days. The old woman is so lonely that during the day she has no one to talk to, and even sleepless long nights it is not at all clear how to survive, how to survive until the morning ...
From old age, she became very weak and weak, her eyesight weakened. Strangers, neighbors and fellow villagers take care of her. Meanwhile, in Leningrad, his own daughter of this lonely woman lives quietly. She does not often bother herself with memories of her mother, occasionally sends money, but never writes letters to which her mother would be so glad.
And so, in one cold rainy autumn, the old woman, feeling that she could not survive the winter, and her century was drawing to a close, wrote her daughter a letter asking him to come and visit her for the last time. But she, busy with her own affairs, is in no hurry. At this time, she actively helps completely strangers. And at that time there are people sympathetic with her mother trying to alleviate her homesickness for her daughter.
One of these people (the guard Tikhon) sends a telegram to Leningrad - a short message with the words that the mother is dying. But already too late, the daughter does not have time, and the woman dies without waiting for her darling blood.
It would seem that the whole story "Telegram" fit in several lines. The summary, of course, can also impress the sentimental reader and hurt him for the lively, but only after fully reading the whole book, a person will be able to feel the whole tragedy of this work. After all, the daughter, who seems so insensitive, also knows how to be sympathetic. And she fully realizes her guilt and mistake later on. It's just too late ... And with this heavy load she will have to live on.
Screen adaptation of the story
Undoubtedly, the great author was Konstantin Paustovsky! The "telegram", a brief summary of which we will consider in our article, has struck the minds and hearts of many people. One of these people was the Soviet director Yuri Shcherbakov. In 1957, he shot a short film of the same name from the book.
The film lasts a little more than half an hour, this is slightly more than it takes time to read the story itself. However, this film in black and white film adaptation is able to deeply affect the soul. In terms of importance and emotionality it can be put on a par with the story, they are in no way inferior to each other.
Marlene Dietrich and Paustovsky "Telegram"
The content of this book, as it turned out, impressed the hearts of not only compatriots. The short story has been translated into other languages. So, the great American movie star and singer Marlene Dietrich read and literally fell in love with her. So much so that in her head there was a dream about meeting the author and thanking him for this masterpiece.
Her desire was destined to come true - in 1964, at her concert in Moscow, she met 72-year-old Paustovsky. The writer was after another heart attack, but still went to the singer on stage at her request. He kissed her hand, and she knelt down in front of him, admitting that after reading this book she felt that she simply had to kiss the hand of such a wonderful person. And she added in the end: "I am happy that I managed to do this." Indeed, Paustovsky died 4 years after this meeting.
About the book
Paustovsky wrote his story "Telegram" (a brief summary of which we will consider) in 1946. A little later, the author will talk about what served as the impetus for writing this work. In 1956, in his book "Golden Rose" (chapter "Notches on the Heart"), Konstantin Georgievich admitted that he once occupied a room in the same house with one unfortunate abandoned old woman - Katerina Ivanovna. She had a daughter, Nastya, who had left for Leningrad and had not visited her mother for the fourth year. The only support for the elderly woman was the neighbor girl Nyurka and the kind old man Ivan Dmitrievich, who visited her daily and helped with the housework.
And when Katerina Ivanovna fell ill, Paustovsky personally sent her daughter a telegram to Leningrad. But the daughter did not have time and arrived only after the funeral.
As you can see, the writer has changed little in this life story. He even kept the names of some heroes. Obviously, this incident left a deep mark in his heart, the so-called nick.
Story structure
"Telegram" (Paustovsky) - a short work. In printed form, it takes literally 6 sheets, that is 12 pages. And on average it will take no more than 20 minutes to read this entire book - K.G. Paustovsky "Telegram". A summary of the chapters we now consider. Although formally the story does not have such a division, however, when reading it is possible to conditionally distinguish several semantic parts:
part one - "Mother";
part two - "Daughter";
part three - "Telegram. Under a gloomy sky";
part four - "Did not wait";
part five - "Epilogue. Funeral."
Each of the parts highlighted by us carries its own semantic load and is important in its structure in the book. We will consider them all separately, this will allow us to put together a single picture.
"Telegram" Paustovsky. Summary: "Mother"
It is extremely rainy and cold autumn. Loose clouds drag from behind the river, from which annoying rain pours. Katerina Petrovna is getting harder every day - her eyes and body are getting weaker, it’s getting harder to get up in the morning, and looking after herself and her home is an impossible task. And even her voice was so weak that she was talking in a whisper. And exorbitant loneliness only exacerbates her situation, because she doesn’t even have heart to heart to talk to. Description of the surrounding nature and the house in which the woman lives, show that her life has long been behind.
But there are people who sincerely sympathize with the old woman and help her. This is a neighbor girl Manyushka and an elderly guard Tikhon. Manyushka visits her grandmother daily, brings her water from the well, sweeps her in the house, helps in the kitchen. Out of sympathy, Tikhon, as he could, also tried to help: he chopped down dried trees in the garden, chopped wood for the stove.
From loneliness Katerina Petrovna often cries, does not sleep at night, and hardly waits for dawn. Her only daughter, Nastya, lives far from her, in Leningrad, and three years have passed since her last visit. Once in a couple of months, Nastya makes money transfers to her mother, but does not find time to write a real letter.
One night, Katerina Petrovna hears that someone is knocking at her gate. She is going for a long time and with great difficulty reaches the fence. Then she realizes that she was bent and that same night writes her daughter a letter asking him to come and visit her before her death. "My beloved. I won’t survive this winter. Come at least for a day." Here is an excerpt from her touching and saddened letter. Manyushka takes her message to the post office.
"Telegram" Paustovsky. Summary: "Daughter"
And Nastya, her own daughter, worked as a secretary in the Union of Artists. Her responsibilities included organizing exhibitions and competitions.
She received a letter from her mother at work, but did not read. These letters evoked mixed feelings in her. On the one hand, relief: the mother writes, which means she is alive. But on the other, each of them was like a silent reproach.
After work, Nastya goes to the workshop to the young sculptor Timofeev. He works in rather poor conditions, the room is cold and damp. The sculptor complains to Nastya that all his efforts go unnoticed, and he himself - unrecognized.
Looking at the sculpture of Gogol, Nastya at some point feels a prick of conscience: the letter from her mother lies in her purse unopened.
Having examined the talent in the sculptor Timofeev, she decides that she will bring this person to the light by any means, and goes to the chairman to organize an exhibition for him. She managed to agree and the next two weeks Nastya is busy with preparations. The letter is postponed to the "long box". Thoughts about the trip, memories of the mother and her inevitable tears, caused only annoyance.
The exhibition is a success. Visitors admire the sculptor’s work, and Nastya, who was able to show sensitivity and care for the artist and helped to bring Timofeev to the light, also gets many flattering words.
And at the height of the exhibition, the courier Dasha gives her a telegram, which says only three words: "Katya is dying. Tikhon." Nastya is so passionate about what is happening in the hall that she does not immediately understand who it is and decides what should be, the message is not addressed to her. However, after reading the address he understands that there is no mistake. The news comes at a moment so unsuitable for her that she crumbles a telegram, frowns, and continues to listen to the speakers.
At this time, eulogy is heard from the department. Noble and respected in the circles of artists, the man Pershiy personally conveys thanks to Nastya. He thanks her for the care and attention to the undeservedly forgotten author Timofeev. At the end of the speech, the speaker bows to Nastya, calling her Anastasia Semenovna, and the whole audience applauds her for a long time, embarrassing to tears.
At this point, one of the artists asks Nastya about a telegram crumpled in her hand: "Nothing wrong?" To which she replies that this is so ... from one friend.
"Telegram" Paustovsky. Summary: "Telegram. Under the gloomy sky"
Everyone looks at the speaker Pershin. But Nastya for a long time feels someone’s heavy and piercing look on herself . She is afraid to raise her head, it seems to her that someone had guessed. Looking up, she sees Gogol looking at her - a statue made by sculptor Timofeev. The figure seemed to tell her through clenched teeth: "Oh, you!"
At the same time, the heroine comes with insight. Having dressed hastily, she runs out of the hall into the street, where wet snow is falling, and a gloomy sky falls and presses on the city and Nastya. She recalls a past letter, kind words addressed to her by her mother: "My beloved!" Later enlightenment comes to Nastya, she understands that no one loved her so much as this abandoned old woman, and that she will never see her mother again.
The girl rushes to the station in the hope of getting to her mother soon. All her thoughts are only about one thing: just to be in time for her mother to see her and forgive. The wind is whipping snow in the face. She is late, all tickets are sold. Nastya struggles to hold back her tears. But by some miracle that very evening she leaves by train to the village.
"Telegram" Paustovsky. Summary: "Did not wait"
While Nastya was bustling over the exhibition, her mother lay down. For 10 days she had not got out of bed, and strangers were with her. Manyushka spent days and nights near Katerina Petrovna. In the afternoon she drowned the stove, which made the room more comfortable, and then my grandmother returned mentally to those times when her daughter was still nearby. These memories cause her a lone tear.
Meanwhile, the good watchman Tikhon, hoping to facilitate the expectation of an elderly woman, decides on a little deception. He arranges with the local postman, takes the telegraph form and writes a message in it in clumsy handwriting. Coming to Katerina Petrovna, he coughs for a long time, blows his nose, and gives out his excitement. With a cheerful voice, he says that it’s good that snow will fall soon and frost will hit, that this will make the road better and Nastasya Semenovna easier to go. After these words he gives a telegram to his grandmother. Telegram, the summary of which is as follows: "Wait, left."
But the woman immediately recognizes his deception, thanks for the kind words and care, hardly turns away to the wall and as if falls asleep. Tikhon sits in the hallway, head down, smokes and sighs. After some time Manyushka comes out and calls the old woman into the room.
Paustovsky, "Telegram". Summary: "Epilogue. Funeral"
The next day, Katerina Petrovna was buried in the cemetery, which was located behind the village, above the river. It froze and snowed. Guys and old women gathered to take her to the last journey. The coffin was carried by Tikhon, the postman Vasily and two other old men. And Manyushka and her brother carried the lid of the coffin.
An important point is the appearance of a young teacher. When she sees the funeral, she recalls that she had the same old mother in her other city. She cannot pass by and joins the procession. The teacher escorts the coffin to the grave. There the villagers say goodbye to the deceased, bow to the coffin. The teacher, too, approaches the body, leans in and kisses the dry hand of Katerina Petrovna, after which she moves to the brick wall. After that, she was still in the cemetery for a long time, listening to the conversations of the elderly and the knock of the earth on the coffin lid.
Nastya arrives in Zaborye the day after the funeral. She found only a fresh grave mound in the cemetery and the cooling room of her mother. Nastya cried all night in this room, and the next morning she hastened to quietly leave Zaborye, so that no one would meet her and ask uncomfortable questions. She understood that no one but her mother could have removed her grave and indelible guilt.
Conclusion
So we sorted the whole story "Telegram". A summary of the chapters illuminated the plot of the book to readers almost completely and, perhaps, even made me think a lot. But in order not to miss the important details that the author put literally in every line of the book, of course, it is worth reading the whole work, especially since it does not take much time. Perhaps this short story “Telegram” will remind the reader that in everyday hustle and bustle we should in no case forget that there are the most important people in our lives - our family and friends. So that later it will not be too late.