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Boris Leonidovich Pasternak's novel "Doctor Zhivago": summary
Home "Soviet writers" Boris Pasternak "Boris Leonidovich Pasternak's novel "Doctor Zhivago": summary
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak's novel "Doctor Zhivago" has become one of the most controversial works of our time.
They were read by the West and categorically did not recognize the Soviet Union.
It was published in all European languages, while the official publication in the original language was published only three decades after it was written.
Abroad, he brought the author fame and the Nobel Prize, and at home – persecution, harassment, exclusion from the Union of Soviet Writers.
Years passed, the system collapsed, the whole country fell.
The motherland has finally started talking about its unrecognized genius and his work.
Textbooks were rewritten, old newspapers were sent to the furnace, Pasternak's good name was restored and even the Nobel Prize was returned (as an exception!) the son of the laureate.
"Doctor Zhivago" has been sold in millions of copies to all parts of the new country.
Yura Zhivago, Lara, the scoundrel Komarovsky, Yuryatin, the house in Varykino, " Melo, melo all over the earth... – - any of these verbal nominations is an easily recognizable allusion to Pasternak's novel for a modern person.
The work boldly stepped beyond the tradition that existed in the twentieth century, turning into a literary myth about a bygone era, its inhabitants and the forces that ruled them.
Today, the authority of "Doctor Zhivago" and its creator is indisputable.
And the story of Dr. Yuri Andreevich Zhivago began in 1945, when Boris Pasternak sat down to write his main prose work.
History of creation: recognized by the world, rejected by the motherland
The novel "Doctor Zhivago" was created for ten years, from 1945 to 1955.
The idea to write a great prose about the fate of his generation appeared in Boris Pasternak back in 1918 However, for various reasons, it was not possible to implement it.
In the 30s, "Zhivult's Notes" appeared – such a sample of the pen before the birth of the future masterpiece.
In the surviving fragments of the "Notes", there is a thematic, ideological and figurative similarity with the novel "Doctor Zhivago".
So, Patrick Zhivult became the prototype of Yuri Zhivago, Evgeny Istomin – Grommet) - Larisa Fedorovna (Lara).
In 1956, Pasternak sent the manuscript of "Doctor Zhivago "to the leading literary publications – "New World"," Banner","Fiction".
All of them refused to print the novel, while behind the "iron curtain"the book was released in November 1957.
It was published thanks to the interest of Sergio D'Angelo, an employee of the Italian Radio in Moscow, and his compatriot publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.
In 1958, Boris Leonidovich Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize "For significant achievements in modern lyrical poetry, as well as continuing the traditions of the great Russian epic novel".
Pasternak became the second Russian writer, after Ivan Bunin, to be awarded this honorary prize.
European recognition had the effect of an exploding bomb in the domestic literary environment.
Since then, a large scale persecution of the writer began, which did not subside until the end of his days.
Pasternak was called a "Judas", "an unscrupulous bait on a rusty hook", "a literary weed" and a "black sheep" that was bred in a good herd.
He was forced to refuse the prize, expelled from the Union of Soviet Writers, showered with caustic epigrams, organized "moments of hatred" of Pasternak at factories, factories and other state institutions.
It is paradoxical that the publication of the novel in the USSR was out of the question, so most detractors did not see the work in their eyes.
Later, the persecution of Pasternak went down in literary history under the title " I havenot read it, but I condemn it!"
Ideological meat grinder
Only in the late 60s, after the death of Boris Leonidovich, the harassment began to subside.
In 1987, Pasternak was restored to the Union of Soviet Writers, and in 1988 the novel "Doctor Zhivago "was published on the pages of the magazine" New World", which thirty years ago not only did not agree to print Pasternak, but also posted an accusatory letter to him demanding that Boris Leonidovich be deprived of Soviet citizenship.
Today, "Doctor Zhivago" remains one of the most widely read novels in the world
It gave rise to a number of other artistic works – dramatizations and films.
The novel was filmed four times.
The most famous version was shot by a creative trio USA, Great Britain, Germany.
The project was directed by Giacomo Campiotti, the main roles were played by Hans Matheson (Yuri Zhivago), Keira Knightley (Lara), Sam Neill (Komarovsky).
There is also a domestic version of "Doctor Zhivago".
It was released on TV screens in 2005.
The role of Zhivago was played by Oleg Menshikov, Lara Chulpan Khamatov, Komarovsky was played by Oleg Yankovsky.
The film project was directed by director Alexander Proshkin.
Book One: Zhivago and the Antipovs
The novel begins with a funeral.
They say goodbye to Natalia Nikolaevna Vedepyanina, the mother of little Yura Zhivago.
Now Yura has remained a complete orphan.
His father left them with his mother a long time ago, safely squandering the family's million dollar fortune somewhere in the vastness of Siberia.
During one of these trips, after getting drunk on a train, he jumped out of the train at full speed and hurt himself to death.
Little Yura was sheltered by relatives – the professor's family Gromeko.
Alexander Alexandrovich and Anna Ivanovna accepted the young Zhivago as their own.
He grew up with their daughter Tonya – his main friend since childhood.
At the time when Yura Zhivago lost his old family and found a new one, the widow Amalia Karlovna Guishar came to Moscow with her children – Rodion and Larisa.
A friend of her late husband, a respected Moscow lawyer Viktor Ippolitovich Komarovsky, helped organize the relocation of Madame (the widow was a Russified Frenchwoman).
The benefactor helped the family to settle in a big city, arranged Rodka in the cadet corps and continued to visit Amalia Karlovna from time to time, a woman who was narrow minded and amorous.
However, interest in her mother quickly faded when Lara grew up.
The girl developed quickly.
At the age of 16, she already looked like a young, beautiful woman.
A graying lovelace seduced an inexperienced girl – without having time to recover, the young victim was in his nets.
Komarovsky was lying at the feet of a young lover, swearing in love and blaspheming himself, begging to open up to his mother and get married, as if Lara was arguing and disagreeing.
And he continued to shamefully lead her under a long veil to special offices of expensive restaurants.
"Is it when they love, humiliate?"
– Lara wondered and could not find an answer, hating her tormentor with all her soul.
A few years after a vicious relationship, Lara shoots Komarovsky.
It happened during the Christmas celebration at the venerable Moscow Sventitsky family.
Lara didnot get into Komarovsky, and, by and large, she didnot want to.
But without knowing it, she landed right in the heart of a young man named Zhivago, who was also among the invited guests.
Thanks to Komarovsky's connections, the incident with the shot was hushed up.
Lara hastily married her childhood friend Patulya (Pasha) Antipov, a very modest and selflessly in love with her young man.
After playing the wedding, the newlyweds leave for the Urals, in the small town of Yuryatin.
There their daughter Katenka is born.
Lara, now Larisa Fyodorovna Antipova, teaches at the gymnasium, and Patulya, Pavel Pavlovich, reads history and Latin.
At this time, changes are also taking place in the life of Yuri Andreevich.
His named mother Anna Ivanovna dies.
Soon Yura marries Tonya Gromeko, a tender friendship with whom has long since turned into adult love.
The measured life of these two families was disturbed by the outbreak of war.
Yuri Andreevich is being mobilized to the front as a military doctor.
He has to leave Tonya with his newborn son.
In turn, Pavel Antipov leaves his relatives of his own free will.
He has long been burdened with family life.
Realizing that Lara is too good for him, that she does not love him, Patulya considers any options up to suicide.
The war came very handy – the perfect way to prove yourself as a hero, or to find a quick death.
Book Two: The Greatest Love on earth
Having sipped the sorrows of the war, Yuri Andreevich returns to Moscow and finds his beloved city in terrible ruin.
The reunited Zhivago family decides to leave the capital and go to the Urals, to Varykino, where the factories of Kruger – Antonina Alexandrovna's grandfather used to be located.
Here, by coincidence, Zhivago meets with Larisa Fedorovna.
She works as a nurse in a hospital, where Yuri Andreevich gets a job as a doctor.
Soon, a connection is formed between Yura and Lara.
Tormented by remorse, Zhivago returns to Lara's house again and again, unable to resist the feeling that this beautiful woman causes in him.
He admires Lara every minute: "She does not want to be liked, to be beautiful, captivating.
She despises this side of the female essence and, as it were, punishes herself for being so good…
How good everything she does is.
She reads as if this is not the highest human activity, but something simple, accessible to animals.
It's like she's carrying water or peeling potatoes."
The love dilemma is solved again by the war.
One day, on the way from Yuryatin to Varykino, Yuri Andreevich will be captured by Red partisans.
Only after a year and a half of wandering through the Siberian forests, Dr. Zhivago will be able to escape.
Yuryatin is captured by the Reds.
Tonya, her father in law, her son and daughter, who were born after the doctor's forced absence, left for Moscow.
They manage to get the opportunity to emigrate abroad.
Antonina Pavlovna writes about this to her husband in a farewell letter.
This letter is a cry into the void, when the writer does not know whether his message will reach the addressee.
Tonya says that she knows about Lara, but does not condemn the still dearly beloved Yura.
"Let me cross you," the letters cry out, " For all the endless separation, trials, uncertainty, for all your long, long dark path."
Having lost forever the hope of reuniting with his family, Yuri Andreevich begins to live with Lara and Katenka again.
In order not to flash once again in the city that has raised red banners, Lara and Yura retire to the forest house of the deserted Varykino.
Here they spend the happiest days of their quiet family happiness.
Oh, how good it was for them together.
They liked to talk for a long time in a low voice, when a candle was comfortably burning on the table.
They were united by the community of souls and the gap between them and the rest of the world.
"I'm jealous of your toilet items," Yura confessed to Lara – " For the drops of sweat on your skin, for infectious diseases that are carried in the air…
I am crazy, without memory, I love you endlessly."
"We were definitely taught to kiss in the sky," Lara whispered, " And then we were sent to live at the same time as children to test this ability on each other."
Komarovsky bursts into the Varykin happiness of Lara and Yura.
He informs them that all of them are threatened with reprisal, he conjures them to escape.
Yuri Andreevich is a deserter, and the former revolutionary commissar Strelnikov (aka the supposedly deceased Pavel Antipov) fell out of favor.
His loved ones are waiting for an imminent death.
Fortunately, a train will pass by the other day.
Komarovsky can arrange a safe departure.
This is the last chance.
Zhivago flatly refuses to go, but for the sake of saving Lara and Katenka, he goes to deceit.
At the instigation of Komarovsky, he says that he will go after them.
He himself remains at the forest house, without really saying goodbye to his beloved.
Poems by Yuri Zhivago
Loneliness drives Yuri Andreevich crazy.
He loses count of the days, and drowns out his furious, bestial longing for Lara with memories of her.
During the days of Varykinsky seclusion, Yura creates a cycle of twenty five poems.
They are attached at the end of the novel as "The Poems of Yuri Zhivago":
"Hamlet" ("The hum has subsided.
I went to the stage");
"March";
"On Strastnaya";
"White Night";
"The Spring Wanton";
"Explanation";
"Summer in the city";
"Autumn" ("I let my family leave...");
"Winter Night" ("The candle was burning on the table...");
"Magdalene";
"The Garden of Gethsemane", etc.
One day a stranger appears on the doorstep of the house.
This is Pavel Pavlovich Antipov, aka the revkom Strelnikov.
Men talk all night.
About life, about the revolution, about disappointment, and a woman who was loved and continues to be loved.
In the morning, when Zhivago fell asleep, Antipov put a bullet in his forehead.
Return to Moscow
It is not clear how the doctor's affairs were further, it is only known that he returned to Moscow on foot in the spring of 1922.
Yuri Andreevich settles with Markel (the former janitor of the Zhivago family) and gets along with his daughter Marina.
Yuri and Marina have two daughters.
But Yuri Andreevich no longer lives, he seems to be living out his life.
He abandons his literary activity, is poor, accepts the submissive love of the faithful Marina.
One day Zhivago disappears.
He sends a small letter to his common law wife, in which he says that he wants to be alone for some time, to think about his future fate and life.
However, he never returned to his family.
Death caught Yuri Andreevich unexpectedly in the car of the Moscow tram.
He died of a heart attack.
In addition to people from the inner circle of recent years, an unknown man and woman came to Zhivago's funeral.
These are Yevgraf (Yuri's half brother and his patron) and Lara.
"Here we are together again, Yurochka.
How God brought me to see you again...
– Lara whispers softly at the coffin, - Goodbye, my big and dear, goodbye to my pride, goodbye to my fast river, how I loved your whole day splash, how I loved to throw myself into your cold waves…
Your departure, my end."
We invite you to read the biography of Boris Leonidovich Pasternak, a poet, writer, translator, publicist – one of the most prominent representatives of Russian literature of the twentieth century.
The greatest fame for the writer was brought by the novel "Doctor Zhivago".
Laundress Tanya
Years later, during the Second World War, Gordon and Dudorov they meet with the laundress Tanya, a narrow minded, simple woman.
She shamelessly tells the story of her life and a recent meeting with Major General Zhivago himself, who for some reason found her himself and invited her on a date.
Gordon and Dudorov soon realize that Tanya is the illegitimate daughter of Yuri Andreevich and Larisa Fyodorovna, who was born after leaving Varykino.
Lara was forced to leave the girl at the railway crossing.
So Tanya lived in the care of Aunt Marfusha's caretaker, not knowing affection, care, not hearing a book word.
There was nothing left of her parents in her – Lara's majestic beauty, her natural intelligence, Yura's sharp mind, his poetry.
It is bitter to look at the fruit of great love mercilessly beaten by life.
"This has happened several times in history.
What was conceived perfectly, loftily, became coarse, materialized."
Russian Russian Enlightenment – the Russian Revolution, Tatiana Zhivago turned into a laundress Tanya.
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Biography of the writer, poet and publicist Boris Pasternak
Vitaliy11 November 2014
16 comments
November 13, 2014 Victor Reply
Many thanks for the article, I was born in the USSR and didnot even know who Boris Pasternak was.
About three years ago I found out about him, now I decided to get acquainted with his work.
In my opinion, this is the best novel of the USSR.
It is very bad that earlier our government closed access to this writer.
In general, I liked this novel, I advise everyone.
Tell me more famous and addictive novels (the best in your opinion).
November 13, 2014 Valentin Reply
Thank you for trusting the opinion of our site, it will try to select only the best books.
There were many talented and creative people in the USSR, and only a few of them broke through the concrete of the communist state.
November 13, 2014 Victoria Reply
Just yesterday I started reading "Doctor Zhivago", where the fate of little Yura, who was left without a mother and without a father, is traced from the first pages.
It is good that later Yura found a new family: a professor, his wife and their daughter Tonya, whose friendship develops into adult love, and they become spouses.
If possible, I will try to read "Doctor Zhivago" further to learn the history of the heroes.
November 14, 2014 Maria Reply
A very interesting article.
My acquaintance with the work of Boris Pasternak began at school, when we read and discussed excerpts of his works at literature lessons.
Now, from the height of the past years, I reread his works with great pleasure.
In particular, "Doctor Zhivago" finished reading quite recently.
A life book, a plot, an interesting one.
November 16, 2014 Valentin Reply
How good it is when students do not ignore the school curriculum, but read the books that they ask.
It is good when a child learns to understand and read a book in advance, this habit can help a lot in the future, it will help to form a good worldview and not get into unnecessary company.
November 14, 2014 Igor Reply
I was writing a test at the institute based on the novel "Doctor Zhivago".
The novel is interesting not only as a description of the revolutionary era of our country, but also allows us to understand the people who lived at that time.
What I like about the novel, it does not, like in M. Sholokhov's "Quiet Don", divide people into red and white.
Each person has his own truth, for which he is fighting.
And the author does not take anyone's side, whitewashing some and denigrating others.
It simply reveals the reality of those years.
November 16, 2014 Valentin Reply
The fact is that in the Quiet Don it is shown that this is an artificial division.
The younger Melikh does not have to choose which circle of people he belongs to, he is carried away to the red then to the white, but his soul does not lie to any one, he just wants simple human happiness, he wants to protect his land.
November 14, 2014 Victoria Reply
Just yesterday I started reading "Doctor Zhivago", where the fate of little Yura, who was left without a mother and without a father, is traced from the first pages.
It is good that later Yura found a new family: a professor, his wife and their daughter Tonya, whose friendship develops into adult love, and they become spouses.
If possible, I will try to read "Doctor Zhivago" further to learn the history of the heroes.
November 20, 2014 Alyona Reply
We passed "Doctor Zhivago" at school, but I could not master it.
Very difficult to read.
I still canot finish reading it: I start and quit.
Because of this, I can not fully understand the genius of the work.
In recent years, I have swallowed Tolstoy, Zola, Chekhov, E. Proust in one gulp, but I canot eat Pasternak.
I have read the summary, but I am sure that it is necessary to read the book itself.
I hope, sometime later, I will be able to enjoy this novel recognized all over the world (except for me).
November 20, 2014 Valentin Reply
In general, of course, if you interrupt reading, you will not be able to catch the spirit of the work.
You may perceive the information, but it will be difficult to keep all the characters in your head, to track the chain of events.
December 22, 2014 Tati Reply
This is a classic!
Everyone should read this great work!
The book is really amazing, it's a whole life!
Incredible love, friendship, honor, self sacrifice, the pain of loss…
The atmosphere is addictive, as if you are experiencing all the events and emotions yourself.
I think everyone should read it and experience it, plunge into amazing events, and, perhaps, rethink their life.
December 29, 2014 Irina Irina Reply
I read the book "Doctor Zhivago" quite recently.
My daughter was asked to read literature at school and I read it with her for one thing to help her understand this book.
The book is easy to read, but it causes very complex feelings.
A difficult time, broken destinies, a destroyed country.
That time required a tough, purposeful character, and weak people put a bullet in their forehead or just went with the flow and found themselves in a swamp from which they could not get out.
February 1, 2015 Victoria Reply
I am reading an article by Inna Leschuk "Boys and girls in troubled times" - a review of the book by Boris Pasternak "Doctor Zhivago".
Here is a small excerpt from it, maybe someone will be interested: "...
The author of Doctor Zhivago was not satisfied with his life, his behavior, his creativity.
The creation of the novel was a conscious repentance and a conscious sacrifice."
Pasternak was a Christian and, according to the author of the article, grieved in his novel about the desecration of the most precious thing that the Creator rewarded man with – his God likeness.
February 2, 2015 Valentin Reply
Interesting fact, I didnot know.
Well, it's hard not to agree with him that every year people are trying more and more to destroy the image of God that is in their souls.
November 9, 2015 Olga Reply
I cannot agree with the fact that everyone is trying to destroy the image of God in man.
Those who do not know God and do not seek to meet him are being destroyed.
This happens for various reasons.
Many simply do not know where and who will be able to help at least read and understand the most amazing book of all time, the Gospel, which has everything to preserve the image of God.
November 24, 2015 Valentine Reply
And it is very sad that people do not know about the Gospel.
And it is a pity that the main church of the country pays very little attention to the Gospel in order to convey it to people.
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