The story "Antonov apples" Bunin wrote in 1900year The author gradually immerses the reader in his nostalgic memories, creating the necessary atmosphere by describing sensations, colors, smells and sounds.
"Antonov apples": a brief content (1 chapter)
The lyrical hero recalls how they used to live inmanor house. He recalls early warm autumn. The garden is dry, it has thinned. The delicate smell of fallen leaves and the fragrance of Antonovka are heard. Gardeners sell apples right in the garden, then put them in carts and send them to the city.
Running out into the night garden and talking to the watchmen,the hero looks for a long time into the deep and dark blue of the sky covered with stars. Looking until the earth begins to spin under their feet. And there will be no feeling of happiness.
"Antonov apples": a brief content (Chapter 2)
If a good harvest Antonov apples - and the bread will be harvested. So the year will be good.
The hero remembers his village Vyselki, whichduring the lifetime of his grandfather, everyone considered rich. There lasted a century old and old women, which was considered the first sign of well-being. The houses of the peasants were sturdy, brick. The life of middle-income courtyards was not much different from the life of rich men. Anna Gerasimovna, the aunt of the hero, the manor was small, solid, although old. Centenary trees surrounded her.
Сад тетки был известен своими чудесными яблонями, singing nightingales and doves, and the thatched roof of her house was incredibly thick and very high. Under the influence of time, it hardened and blackened. The house smelled mostly of apples, and then other aromas were felt: the smell of mahogany of old furniture and lime blossom.
“Antonov apples”: a brief content (Chapter 3)
Remembered the hero-narrator and his deceasedbrother-in-law - Arseny Semenovich. He was a landowner and a desperate hunter. A lot of people gathered in his spacious house. At first, we all had a good lunch, and then we went hunting. Already blew the horn in the yard, there is a multi-voiced dog barking. Favorite host black greyhound jumped on the table and right from the dish eats the hare baked under the sauce. The hero remembers how he rides on a strong, squat and terribly evil Kirghiz: before the eyes of the trees and flashed, and in the distance can be heard doggy barks and cries of other hunters. From deep ravines pulls moisture, smells of mushrooms and raw bark of trees. It begins to get dark, the hunters all vatagoy tumble into the idle manor someone from the company and sometimes live with him for several days.
If you spend the whole day hunting, then the warmth of a densely populated house becomes especially pleasant.
If you accidentally oversleep, the whole daythen you will spend in the host’s library, flipping through magazines and books of past years, examining previous readers' notes in the margin. Sad memories of grandmother's polonaises that she played on the clavichord and her languid reading of Pushkin's poems will fill the soul.
And the old dreamy noble life comes before the eyes ... Beautiful women and girls then lived in large and rich noble estates! Portraits of them today and look from the walls.
"Antonov apples": a brief content (Chapter 4)
But the old men all died in Vyselky, Anna Gerasimovna died away, and Arseny Semenovich shot himself in the forehead.
It is time for the poor, impoverished nobles,owning small estates. But this life, petty local, is good! The hero had the opportunity to observe the life of a neighbor, being his guest. Getting up early, he orders to immediately put a samovar. Then, shod in boots, he goes out onto the porch, where the hounds run to him. Yes, the day promises to be wonderful for hunting! But, the hunter laments, he needs to hunt with greyhounds rather than hounds, but he doesn’t have them! As soon as winter comes, again, as in ancient times, the small places come together. They drink the rest of the money and spend the whole day on winter hunting in the fields. And in the late evening, the windows of some deaf farm glowing in the dark are far visible. In the outhouse dim fire burns dimly, smoke is swirling, there is singing, and the guitar sounds ...
Antonov apples ... a brief description is notis able to recreate the world of an old noble estate. Is it possible, while reading it, to penetrate deep into the subtlest Bunin lyricism, where all old events are experienced by the reader as if occurring before his eyes?
