Emerald: Stories

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, in the family of hereditary nobility. The father of the future writer died... in 1871, a year after the birth of his son. Hard times came for the family, and the mother was forced to send the boy to an orphanage. In 1880, Kuprin entered the Second Moscow Gymnasium, and in 1887 - the Alexandrov Military School. He had no civil profession, and before he took up the pen, he changed numerous occupations. A.I. Kuprin was an inquisitive person; he was interested in trying himself in various 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 this became known to the authorities, Kuprin was placed in a punishment cell for two days. At that time, he vowed to himself to abandon literary experiments and not to touch a pen and paper again. However, his acquaintance with Bunin, Chekhov, and Gorky in the late 1890s made him forget the vow he had once taken. The stories and novellas of A.I. Kuprin are small in form but remarkably rich in content, characterized by deep psychological insight. The author admires the nobility of spirit, purity of soul and thoughts of both humans and animals, showcasing to readers how terrible it is when a person ceases to be human. Thus, in the story At the Circus, everyone - including Arbuzev, the circus director, and the doctor - knows that going into the arena is mortally dangerous for the strongman. And Arbuzev's opponent, the American strongman, seeing that he is unwell, does not spare him either, easily taking the opportunity to destroy someone he could not deal with in a normal duel. The beautiful stallion Emerald also becomes a victim of human baseness. The strong young stallion, who won the races, was poisoned. According to the author, animals are not only capable of feeling but are sometimes nobler and more loyal than people. The main character of the story, Yu-yu, a smart and beautiful cat, is capricious, like all cats. However, when her little owner Kolya got sick, she did not leave the door of his room until the boy got better.