"Damned days" Bunin: a brief summary Chapter by Chapter

Reading «Cursed days» (Bunin, a brief summary follows), inadvertently catch myself thinking that in Russia instead of one «cursed days» come endless new, “cursed”… Outwardly they seem to be different, but their essence remains the same – the destruction, desecration, abuse, endless cynicism and hypocrisy, who do not kill, after death – this is not the worst outcome in this case a maimed soul, turning life into a slow death without values, without humanity, with only one immense void. Scary when you suggest that something similar is happening in the soul of one person. And if you imagine that “virus” multiplies and spreads, infecting millions of souls for decades destroying a whole nation all the best and most valuable? Creepy.

Moscow, 1918

From January 1918 to January 1920, the great writer of Russia Bunin Ivan Alekseevich («Cursed days») was recorded in the form of a diary – live notes contemporary - all that was in his eyes in post-revolutionary Russia, all that he felt and experienced, that suffered and till the end of his days did not break up – incredible pain for their country.

The Initial entry is made on the first of January, 1918. Single “damn” a year behind, but no joy, it's impossible to imagine what will happen to Russia next. No optimism, and even any slightest hope for a return to the "old order" or imminent change for the better is melting with each new day. In conversation with polishers writer quotes one “curly” that today only God knows what will become of us all… Because from prisons, mental hospitals released criminals and crazy people who pet her instinctively sensed the smell of blood, infinite power and impunity. “the King took off”, jumped on the throne and is now run by great people and rampant in the vast expanses of Russia in Simferopol, say, soldiers and workers are punished indiscriminately, “right knee-deep in blood to go”. And worst of all – there are only some hundred of thousands and millions of people, and can do nothing about…

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Impartiality

Continue summary («Cursed days», Bunin I. A.). Not just the public both in Russia and in Europe accused the writer of subjectivity in his judgments about those events, arguing that only the time can be impartial and objective in the assessment of the Russian revolution. To all these attacks Bunin answered clearly – impartiality in the truest sense of the word no and never will be, and it “bias”, they suffered in those terrible years is the most that neither is impartial.

He has the full right and hatred, and bitterness, and anger, and condemnation. Very easy to be “tolerant”, when watching from the far corner and know that no one and nothing can destroy you or, even worse, destroy your dignity, to cripple beyond recognition the soul… And when you find yourself in the midst of the most terrible events, when you leave the house and not know if alive when evicted from his own apartment, when famine, when you give “the ounces of crackers”, “chew them – the stench of hell, soul burn”, when the unbearable physical suffering did not go to any comparison with the mental anxieties and incessant, exhausting, taking all without the rest the pain that ‘our children, grandchildren will not be able even to imagine the country Empire, the Russia in which we once (yesterday) lived that we are not appreciated, not understood - all this might, complexity, wealth, happiness...”, “passion”, can not be, and it becomes thus the true measure of good and evil.

Feelings and emotions

Yes, «Cursed days» Bunin in the compendium is also filled with devastation, oppression and intolerance. However, prevailing in the description of people in those years, events and their own internal state of dark paint can and should be perceived not familiar with “minus”, with the sign “plus”. The black and white picture, devoid of bright, saturated colors, more emotional and with the deeper and thinner. The black ink of hatred for the Russian revolution and the Bolsheviks against the white wet snow, “they covered the girls go – beauty and joy” is the painfully beautiful contrast, simultaneously transmitting and disgust, and fear, and this incomparable love of the homeland, and the belief that sooner or later, “Holy man”, “a Builder of high-strength” overcome the “rebels” and “the destroyer" in the soul of the Russian people.

Contemporaries

The Book «Cursed days» (Ivan Bunin) is filled, and even overflowed, the statements of the author about his contemporaries: Blok, Gorky, Gummere-Sukhanov, Mayakovsky, Bryusov, Tikhonov… Judgments, mostly, unkind, sarcastic. Couldn't of I. A. Bunin to understand, accept and forgive them ‘prohibitionist” before the new authorities. What can be the case among honest, intelligent man and the Bolsheviks?

What are the relations between the Bolsheviks and all the company – Tikhonov, Bitter, Himmer-Sukhanov? On the one hand, they “fight” with them, openly calling them ‘company of adventurers”, which for the sake of power, cynically under the guise of “the interests of the Russian proletariat” betrays the Motherland and “rude to the vacant throne of the Romanov dynasty”. And the other? And on the other – live “home” in requisitioned Tips «National hotel” on the walls the portraits of Trotsky and Lenin, and at the bottom – protection of the soldiers and issuing passes Bolshevik "the commandant".

Bryusov, Blok, Mayakovsky, openly joined the Bolsheviks, and all, according to the author, people are stupid. With the same zeal they extolled as autocracy and Bolshevism. The works of their “simple”, it “fence literature”. But most of all oppresses that “diversion” this gets blood kin almost the whole of Russian literature, they hedged almost all of Russia. Worryingly one – will be ever possible from under the fence to get out? Last, Mayakovsky, can't even behave decently all the time necessary “exposed” like “a boorish independence” and “stupid directness judgment” is an essential “attributes” talent.

Lenin

Brief contents Continue – «Cursed days» Bunin Ivan Alekseevich. The utmost hatred in the piece impregnated with the image of Lenin. The author does not skimp on the severe epithets against «Bolshevik leader” – “miserable”, “con”, “Oh, what animal is this!”… Not just talking, and the town was plastered with posters that Lenin and Trotsky – normal “villains”, traitors, bribed by the Germans. But Bunin is not too believe in these rumors. He sees them as “fanatics”, piously believing in “world on fire”, and it is much worse, as fanaticism – there is a frenzy, an obsession that blurs reasonable and putting on a pedestal the only object of his adoration, and thus the terror, and unconditional destruction of all who disagree. The traitor Judas calms down after getting them to “honored thirty pieces of silver" a fanatic is going to end. Evidence of that was enough: Russia was kept in a continuous “tense”, was beset by terror, civil war, blood and violence was welcomed, as it was considered the only possible means of achieving the “great goal”. The Lenin most feared “fire” everywhere he “imagined conspiracies”, “in awe” of his power and life, because they do not expect and still couldn't quite believe the victory in October.

The Russian revolution

«Cursed days» Bunin - analysis of the work does not end there. A lot of the author's reflections about the nature of the Russian revolution, which is intimately connected with the soul and character of the Russian people, “because the true God and the devil are replaced every minute in Russia”. On the one hand from the earliest times of the earth Russian famous “razboyniki" different “manner” - “cranks, Murom, Saratov, arigi, runners, rebels against everything and everyone, sowers all sorts of quarrels, lies, and unrealistic expectations”. On the other – were “Holy man”, a farmer, a hard worker and Builder. It was “unceasing struggle” with the brawlers and destroyers, it was surprising subservience to “any quarrel, sedition, bloody confusion and nonsense” which in an unexpected way was equivalent to ‘great grace, novelty and originality of future forms".

Russian Orgy

From what stemmed such blatant nonsense? Building on work Kostomarov, Soloviev about the time of troubles, thinking of F. M. Dostoevsky, I. Bunin sees the origins of all disturbances, fluctuations and unsteadiness in Russia in spiritual darkness, youth, dissatisfaction, and instability of the Russian people. Russia – typical of the country of Buyan.

Here Russian history "sin" emergency "repeatability". It was Stenka Razin and Pugachev, and Kazi-Mulla… the People, as drawn by a thirst for justice, extraordinary change, freedom, equality, and an early increase of wealth, and many do not really understand, rose and marched under the banner of those same leaders, lzhetsarey, pretenders and ambitious. The people were generally very diverse, but in the end all “Russian Orgy,” a large part of it were the runaway thieves, lazy, bastards, and black. No longer important and long-neglected original purpose – to ground to destroy the old order and in its place erect a new one. Rather, ideas are erased, and the slogans remain until the end – it is necessary to justify the chaos and darkness. Allowed full looting, full equality, full the will from all laws of society and religion. On the one hand people are getting drunk on wine and blood, and on the other – prostrate in front of “leader”, because any slightest disobedience could be punished by death Stateline. «Russian Orgy” surpasses in scope everything before it was done. The magnitude of the ‘futility "and a special, incomparable blind, rude “ruthless” when “the good are taken away from the hands from the evil – unleash all evil” are the main features of the Russian revolutions. And it again appeared inhuge size…

Odessa, 1919

Bunin I. A., «Cursed days» - a summary of the chapters does not end there. In the spring of 1919 the writer moved to Odessa. And once again life becomes a continual expectation of a quick denouement. In Moscow, many expected the Germans, naively believing that they will interfere in the internal Affairs of Russia and liberate her from the Bolshevik darkness. Here in Odessa, people are continually running around at the Nikolaev Boulevard - whether, sereuse away French destroyer. If Yes – so there is at least some protection, hope, and if not – the horror, the chaos , the emptiness, and then it's all over.

Each morning starts with reading newspaper. They are full of rumors and lies, it accumulates so much that it's overwhelming, but the rain, the cold – all the same, the author flees and spends the money. What Is Petersburg? What in Kiev? That Denikin and Kolchak? Questions without answers. Instead of them – the screaming headlines: “the Red Army forward! Marching together from victory to victory!” or “Forward family, do not count corpses!”, and under them a quiet, slender number, as if it is necessary, there are notes on infinite executions of enemies of the Soviets or “warnings” about the imminent outage due to exhaustion of fuel. Well, the results are quite expected… one month, “handled” all in all: ‘no Railways, no trams, no water, no bread, no clothes – nothing.”

The City, once bustling and joyful, all in darkness, except for the places where ‘have an apartment» «Bolshevik hangouts”. There in the power of glow lamps, audible perky balalaika, are seen on the walls and black banners in the background of the white skull with the slogan: “death to the bourgeoisie! But it not only at night but during the day. On the street out a little. The city does not live the big city sits at home. In the air a feeling that the country is conquered by another nation, some special ”, which is much worse than any seen hitherto. And conqueror, this being in the streets, playing the accordion, dancing, “leather Mat”, spitting sunflower seeds, trading from trays and on the face of it, this conqueror, first of all, no routine, no simplicity. It is entirely sharply repulsive, frightening in its evil stupidity, and destroying all life as its “grim and yet servile" calling all…

«Cursed days», Bunin, summary: conclusion

In the last days of January, 1920, I. A. Bunin with his family fled from Odessa. The sheets of the diary were lost. So Odessa notes on this place break…

In conclusion, the article ««Cursed days» Bunin: summary of the work" I want to cite another author's words about the Russian people, who, in spite of his anger, righteous anger, he loved and respected immensely because they were inextricably linked with their homeland-Russia. He said that in Russia there are two types of people: the first was dominated by Rus, another – Chud. But in one, and in the second is amazing, sometimes frightening the changeability of moods and forms, so-called “fragility”. From it, people like wood, can go out and club, and an icon. It all depends on the circumstances and whoever the tree hews: Emelka Pugachev or St. Sergius. I. A. Bunin this “icon” has seen and loved. Many believed that just hated. But no. This anger from love and from pain, such infinite, such evil from what is happening now abuse her. You see, and can not do anything.

Once again I want to remind you that the article dealt with the work ««Cursed days», Bunin. A brief summary cannot convey the subtlety and depth of feeling of the author, so reading diary notes in full is a must.