Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin is a realist writer, his name is one of the most famous and famous names of the early twentieth century. His works “Pomegranate Bracelet”, “Moloch”, “Duel”, “Gambrinus” (a brief summary and analysis of which will be presented below) and others are included in the golden fund of Russian literature. Kuprin was a very colorful figure. He constantly craved impressions, so he often wandered and tried himself in various industries, professions - from the dentist to the loader.
Cases from his own life became the basis for many works of Alexander Ivanovich. Most of the writer's work is imbued with sympathy for people who are doomed to carry a heavy fate in a wretched, inert environment. Kuprin expressed this sympathy not only in the depiction of the life of the lower layers of society (a novel about the life of women of easy virtue “Pit”), but in the images of suffering, intelligent heroes. The writer possessed not only the highest mastery of the literary landscape, the visual perception of being, but also a literary character. The author worked out speech, portrait and psychology very carefully - this is noticeable even in the depth and complexity of the images of animals that Alexander Ivanovich loved to write about. The narrative in the works of Kuprin often addresses existential issues. His thoughts on the will to live, hatred and love, weakness and strength, despair recreate the spiritual world of the “little man” at the end of ages.
Drama of life
The story “Gambrinus”, the brief content of which is known to everyone else by the school curriculum, was created by A. Kuprin in the chaotic historical period of time between the two revolutions that took place in Russia. He became a vivid realistic reflection of the inextricable relationship of the common people with their culture. The content of the work conveys to the reader the drama of the life of visitors to a beer house with the German name "Gambrinus" located on the famous Deribasovskaya Street in Odessa. Original and vivid images of heroes, the central character among which is a unique musical nugget - the talented Sasha-violinist, fill the atmosphere of that time with inimitable color and charm. The inspirational and sparkling play of the musician against the backdrop of the tragic and terrible events that excited the whole of Russia and distorted the fate of many of its citizens looks contrasted.
A man is a reed, but thinking
An interesting literary device was used by Kuprin. “Gambrinus” based on the plot contains an idea that touches on the eternal theme of immortality and the triumph of art over any manifestation of immorality, meanness and cruelty. The brilliant French scientist B. Pascal, with his philosophical thought, defined the individual: a man is a reed, but a thinking reed. This thought was picked up by Kuprin and transferred to his literary work. The words of the central character that a person can be crippled, but real art will surely endure and conquer everything, are a kind of transcription of Pascal's words, sounding like the apotheosis of courage and perseverance.
Special magic
Gambrinus is a short story, a little over twenty pages in it. But each phrase is permeated with special magic and energy of the literary skill of the author. The story excites the reader, keeping him in unrelenting tension, without leaving indifferent, indifferent to the dramatic events in the Russian Empire of that time. An inexorable wave of Jewish pogroms in a matter of days destroyed the cheerful atmosphere of respectful, benevolent relations between residents, plunging the once-cheerful streets of the coastal city into the poisonous abyss of xenophobia. Kuprinovsky's “Gambrinus,” a brief summary of which cannot convey the author's journalistic accuracy, describes the acts of vandalism of the atrocious Black Hundreds. The author describes in sufficient detail how they, drunk, brazenly broke into private houses, apartments, shamelessly rummaged in dressers and beds, extorted money, demanded vodka, or the performance of an anthem. In each descriptive line, the reader feels the journalistic talent of the writer.
civil position
Kuprin’s civil position is unmistakably guessed by the reader from the description of one of the key scenes when, at the height of the pogrom, the Odessa bricklayer mercilessly kills the beloved dog Sashka the violinist. In this tragic episode with the powerful contrasting expressiveness of neorealism, the author shows the implacable fury of the senseless and stupid anger of the people. Ordinary people, deceived and used by power structures and revolutionary movements for their political goals, are becoming a victim of future dramatic events. The writer expressed his indignation and pain not only in this work. Citizenship is conveyed by the tales of Resentment and Delirium, which Kuprin also wrote. Gambrinus differs from others in a special emotional and juicy style. This is a real standard of literary expression: all events and objects described by the author have a finished form, forming an internal logical connection with each other.
Creativity rating
The work "Gambrinus" received mixed reviews. A remarkable assessment of the literary creation of Kuprin at one time was given by Leo Tolstoy, noting his bright tone. Maxim Gorky proposed assigning the writer the honorary title of singer of the revolution. However, when Kuprin emigrated abroad after the October events, the opinion of him and his work changed radically, and the writer himself never again returned to revolutionary subjects in his works. Perhaps this fact is one of the reasons why you should read the story "Gambrinus". The summary can not fully convey the skill of the author.