"Vanka"
Short story by Anton Chekhov
1953 illustration by Tatyana Shishmaryova
Original titleВанька
CountryRussia
LanguageRussian
Publication
Published inPeterburgskaya Gazeta
Publication date25 December 1886 (old style)

"Vanka" (Russian: Ванька)[note 1] is an 1886 short story by Anton Chekhov.

Publication

The story was first published in Peterburgskaya Gazeta's No. 354 (25 December; new style: 7 January 1887), 1886 issue, in the Christmas Stories section, signed A. Chekhonte (А. Чехонте).[1]

In a slightly revised version, it was included in the 1888 collection Stories (Рассказы, Saint Petersburg) and appeared unchanged in all of its reissues from 1888 to 1899. It made its way into the compilations Children (Детвора, 1889) to be reproduced unchanged in its second and third editions (1890, 1895). In 1900 it appeared with unauthorized cuts in a children's reader, Zolotyie Kolosya (Golden Spikes). Chekhov included the story in Volume 4 of his Collected Works published by Adolf Marks in 1899–1901.[1]

Synopsis

A nine-year-old boy is in desperate need to convince his grandfather, his only relative, to take him back to his home in the country. Stealthily, he writes a letter to him, describing the unbearable life he leads in the house of the shoemaker Aliakhin, whom he serves as an apprentice while suffering from hunger, abuse and humiliation. Finally, very pleased with his effort, he puts it into an envelope and inscribes the address: "The village, to my grandfather, Konstantin Makarych" and drops it into a post-box.

Influence on language

The phrase “The village, to grandfather” (Russian: на деревню дедушке) from the story became an idiomatic expression, which refers to sending something to inaccurate, incomplete, unclear, questionable, or non-existent address, where it will not be delivered or answered.

Notes

  1. ↑ Vanka, Van'ka: a diminutive for Ivan

References

  1. 1 2 Polotskaya, E. A. Commentaries to Ванька. The Works by A.P. Chekhov in 12 volumes. Khudozhestvennaya Literatura. Moscow, 1960. Vol. 4, pp. 568
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