White Poodle

Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin (1870–1938) was an outstanding Russian realist writer. He was born in a small provincial town of Narovchat (now in the Penza region) into a family of hereditary noblemen. The future writer's father died in 1871, a year after the birth of his son. 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 Alexander Military School. From 1890 to 1894, Alexander Ivanovich served as a second lieutenant in the 46th Dniprovsky Regiment in the Podolsk province. In 1894, he retired and moved to Kiev. He had no civilian profession, and before taking to the pen, he changed many jobs. A.I. Kuprin was a curious man who 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."
His first work, the story "The Last Debut," was published in 1889 when he was a cadet at the military school. When this became known to his superiors, 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 pen and paper. However, acquaintance with Bunin, Chekhov, and Gorky in the late 1890s made him forget the promise he had 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 had properly 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 was personally acquainted with this group of artists. The story told by Seryozha moved A.I. Kuprin. This simple plot highlights two important themes for the writer: the theme of social inequality and the theme of the relationship between humans and animals. The author clearly contrasts the behavior of Seryozha and Trilly. The son of a noblewoman is clumsy and spoiled, indifferent to nature; Seryozha is nimble, strong, and decisive. The young artist does not even consider abandoning his four-legged friend in trouble, while for Trilly, only his own needs exist, and he does not even think about other people's feelings and desires.