"Sun of the Dead": a brief summary. "The Sun of the Dead" by Ivan Shmelev

There are books, reading which grieves, leads to sad thoughts. One of them in the early twenties of the last century was created by the Russian writer Ivan Shmelev. In this article - its brief content. "The Sun of the Dead" is a work of a man of rare talent and an incredibly tragic fate.

History of creation

Critics have called the "Sun of the Dead" one of the most tragic literary works in the history of mankind. In what conditions was the book created?

A year after Ivan Shmelev left his homeland, he began writing the epic "The Sun of the Dead." Then he did not know that he would never return to Russia. And still hoped that his son was alive. Sergei Shmelev was shot without trial and investigation in 1921. He became one of the victims of the "Red Terror in the Crimea". One of those to whom the writer dedicated the "Sun of the Dead" unconsciously. Because the fate of his son Ivan Shmelev learned many years after writing this terrible book.

Morning

What are the first chapters of the book? It is not easy to convey a summary. "Sun of the Dead" begins with a description of the morning nature of the Crimea. Before the eyes of the author - a picturesque mountain landscape. But the Crimean landscape only brings to nostalgia.

The local vineyards are half ruined. The houses located near, were emptied. The Crimean land is drenched in blood. The author sees the dacha of his friend. Once a luxurious house now stands as if orphaned, with beaten windows, sprinkled with whitewashing.

"What to Kill Walk": a summary

"The Sun of the Dead" is a book about hunger, suffering. It depicts the agony experienced by both adults and children. But the most terrible pages of Shmelev's book are those where the author describes the transformation of a person into a murderer.

The portrait of one of the heroes of the Sun of the Dead is astonishing and horrible. Call this character Shura, he likes playing in the evenings on the piano, calls himself a "falcon". But with this proud and strong bird it has nothing in common. No wonder the author compares it with a vulture. Shura sent many to the north or - even worse - to the next world. But he eats milk porridge every day, plays music, races on horseback. While people around are dying of hunger.

Shura is one of those who were sent to kill. Strange to destroy their mass, they sent, oddly enough, for the sake of a high goal: to achieve universal happiness. Begin, in their opinion, followed with a bloodbath. And those who came to kill fulfilled their duty. Every day hundreds of people went to the cellars of the Crimea. During the day they were taken to be shot. But, as it turned out, happiness, for which it took more than one hundred thousand victims, was an illusion. The working people, who dreamed of occupying a lordly place, were dying of hunger.

About Babu Yaga

This is the title of one of the chapters of the novel. How to deliver her summary? "Sun of the dead" - a product that is the reasoning and observation of the writer. Scary stories are set out in an impartial language. And that's why they become even more terrible. It is possible to outline in brief the individual stories told by Shmelev. But the spiritual devastation of the author is unlikely to be given a summary. "The sun of the dead" Shmelev wrote when he no longer believed in his future, or in the future of Russia.

Not far from the dilapidated house where the hero of the novel lives, there are cottages - deserted, cold, neglected. In one of them lived a retired treasurer - a kind absent-minded old man. He lived in a house with a small granddaughter. He liked to sit by the shore, to catch steers. And in the mornings the old man went to the market for fresh tomatoes and cheese. Once he was stopped, taken to the basement and shot. The treasurer's guilt was that he wore an old military overcoat. For this he was killed. A little granddaughter sat in an empty cottage and cried.

As already mentioned, one of the chapters is called "About Babu Yaga." The above story about the treasurer is its brief content. "The sun of the dead" Shmelev devoted to the fate of people who suffered from an invisible "iron broom". In those days, there were many strange and frightening metaphors in everyday life. "Put the Crimea with an iron broom" - a phrase that the author recalls. And it seems to him a huge witch that destroys thousands of human lives with the help of his fairy-tale attribute.

What does Ivan Shmelev say in the following chapters? "The Sun of the Dead", the summary of which is set forth in the article, is like a cry of the soul of a doomed to death. But the author does not say much about himself. "The Sun of the Dead" is a book about Russia. Short tragic stories - details of a big and scary picture.

"Creators of a new life ... Where are they from?" Asks the writer. Also does not find the answer. These people came, plundered what was created for centuries. They defiled the tombs of saints, tore up the very memory of Russia. But before you destroy, you must learn to create. Destroyers of Russian and Orthodox traditions did not know this, and therefore were doomed, like their victims, to certain death. Hence the name given to the book by Ivan Shmelev - "The Sun of the Dead".

The summary, description, plot of the work can be conveyed in this way: one of the last Russian intelligentsia, being on the verge of death, observes the birth of a new state. He does not understand the methods of the new government. He will never fit into this system. But the hero of the book suffers not only from his personal pain, but also because he does not understand why destruction, blood and suffering of children are needed. As history has shown, the "Great Terror" had many negative consequences for the entire Soviet society.

Boris Shishkin

In "The Sun of the Dead" Shmelev talks about the fate of his brother, a young writer Boris Shishkin. Even in the years of terror, this person dreams of writing. Paper and ink can not be found. He wants to devote his books to something bright, clean. The author knows that Shishkin is extremely talented. And also, that in the life of this young man there was so much grief, how many would be enough for a hundred lives.

Shishkin served in the infantry. During the First World War he was on the German front. He was taken prisoner, where he was tortured, starved, but miraculously survived. He returned home to another country. Since Boris chose a lesson for himself: he picked up orphans from the street. But the Bolsheviks soon arrested him. Again, avoiding death, Shishkin was in the Crimea. On the peninsula, he, sick and dying of hunger, still dreamed that one day he would write good, bright stories for children.

End of ends

This is the title of the final chapter of the book. "When will these deaths end?" The author asks the questions. The neighbor professor died. His house was immediately plundered. On the way the hero met a woman with a dying child. I complained about fate. He could not hear her story and ran away from the mother of the dying baby into her grape beam.

The hero of the book is not afraid of death. Rather, he is waiting for her, believing that only she alone can save the suffering. Proof of this is the phrase said by the author in the last chapter: "When will he cover with a stone?" Nevertheless, the writer understands that, despite the fact that the time has come, the cup is not yet drained.

What do modern readers think about the book that Ivan Shmelev wrote in 1923?

"The Sun of the Dead": reviews

This work does not apply to literature, popular among modern readers. Reviews about it a little. The book is filled with pessimism, the cause of which can be understood, knowing the circumstances of the writer's life. In addition, he knew about terrible pages in Russian history not by hearsay. Those who read The Sun of the Dead agree that it is hard to read this book, but it is necessary.

Is it worth reading?

It is almost impossible to reproduce the plot of the work. One can only answer the question about what theme was dedicated to Ivan Shmelev "The Sun of the Dead". The summary ("Brifli" or other Internet sites containing a retelling of works of art) does not give a complete idea of the features of the work that has become the pinnacle of the writer's work. In order to answer the question of whether it is worth reading this heavy book, you can recall the words of Thomas Mann. The German writer said the following about her: "Read it if you have the courage."