White Poodle

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin 1870–1938 - an outstanding Russian realist writer. He was born in a small provincial town of Narovchat in what is now the Penza region, into a family of hereditary nobility. The future writer's father died in 1871,... a year after his son was born. Difficult times came for the family, and his mother was forced to send the boy to an orphanage. In 1880, Kuprin entered the Second Moscow Military Gymnasium, and in 1887, the Alexandrov Military School. From 1890 to 1894, Alexander Ivanovich served as a lieutenant in the 46th Dnieper Regiment in the Podolian province. In 1894, he retired and moved to Kiev. He had no civilian profession, and before taking up the pen, he changed many jobs. A.I. Kuprin was a curious person, eager to try himself in different roles. He jokingly told his friends that he would like to become a horse, a plant, or a fish for a few days. The first work of A.I. Kuprin - the story The Last Debut - was published in 1889 when he was a cadet at the military school. When the authorities found out about it, Kuprin was put in a disciplinary cell for two days. At that time, he vowed to himself to give up literary endeavors and not to touch the pen and paper. However, his acquaintance with Bunin, Chekhov, and Gorky in the late 1890s made him forget the promise he once made. In 1901, A.I. Kuprin moved to St. Petersburg and began working as a secretary for the Journal for All. By this time, the reading public appreciated his literary talent, and the novella The Duel, published in 1905, finally secured his reputation as a master of words. The plot of the story White Poodle is based on real events; the writer personally knew this group of artists. The story told by Seryozha touched A.I. Kuprin deeply. In this simple plot, two important themes for the writer are outlined - the theme of social inequality and the theme of the relationships between people and animals. The author very clearly contrasts the behavior of Seryozha and Trilly. The son of a noblewoman is awkward and spoiled, indifferent to nature, while Seryozha is agile, strong, and decisive. The young artist does not even consider the thought of abandoning a four-legged friend in trouble; for Trilly, only his own needs exist, and he doesn't even think about the feelings and desires of others.