Nikolai Semenovich Leskov very short biography. Creativity and personal life

/ "Lefty"

Chapter 1

Emperor Alexander Pavlovich wants to “travel” around Europe in order to see miracles in various states. And Platov went with him, who was not surprised by anything shown by foreigners. To all the miracles, he said: “and we have no worse food at home.”

And so, the sovereign said that they would visit the weapons chamber of curiosities, where there are real “natures of perfection.”

Chapter 2

The Emperor and Platov arrived at the Kunstkamera. The Emperor looks at Platov, sees if he is surprised. The same one walks with his eyes downcast. The Emperor is surprised by everything, but for Platov, all this shown means nothing.

They bring the pistol to the emperor, he cannot stop looking at it. Platov opens the pistol with a screwdriver and shows a dog with an inscription in Russian. Platov was glad that he embarrassed the foreigners and raised Russian masters to the highest position.

Chapter 3

The next day they went again to see unusual things. The foreigners show the heroes sugar, and Platov asks if they have word of mouth. The British are embarrassed, and Platov ironically invites foreigners to Russia to drink tea with Molvo.

Then the sovereign and the Don Cossack went to another cabinet of curiosities, where the nymphosoria were collected. The Emperor is not surprised, but rather pleases Platov. So they enter the last room, where foreigners are standing with an empty tray. There is a tiny speck lying on it - a steel flea, and next to it is a microscopic key that makes the flea dance.

The emperor was surprised, ordered to pay for this miracle, and also called the foreigners the best masters in the world.

Later, the emperor became melancholy from military affairs, and the heroes, each in his own thoughts, returned to Russia.

Chapter 4

Alexander Pavlovich soon died. And the box with the flea ends up in the hands of the new emperor - Nikolai Pavlovich. At first he did not pay attention to her, but then he became interested and asked where this nymphosoria came from. Platov comes to the Emperor and tells everything about the English miracle. He offers to take that flea to the Tula craftsmen. Nikolai Pavlovich, confident in the Russian people, agrees and sends Platov to Tula.

Chapter 5

Platov and the Tula residents agreed, each wondering how long it would take to transform the mechanism.

Chapter 6

Three Tula residents volunteered for work, one of whom was Lefty. The entire Russian nation was now counting on these skilled people, so as not to be embarrassed in front of the British.

Chapter 7

All three of them came together to Lefty’s house, they worked without rest, didn’t go out anywhere, didn’t tell anyone anything. The work was carried out in complete secrecy.

Chapter 8

Platov quickly arrived for the flea, urging the whistlers to the Tula masters as quickly as possible.

Chapter 9

The craftsmen were just finishing their work. They hurry towards Platov, Lefty in his hands carries the royal box with a flea.

Chapter 10

Platov did not see what the Tula masters had done and was angry with them. But the Tula people refused to reveal the secret, they said to take them straight to the sovereign, who would understand and see everything. Platov took Lefty with him.

Chapter 11

Nikolai Pavlovich asked Platov about nymphosoria, he said that the Tula masters could not do anything unusual. The Emperor began to question him, not believing that this was really the case. He ordered to show the flea, because, in his opinion, the people could not deceive him.

Chapter 12

Seeing the old flea, but without losing faith in the Russian people, the sovereign decided to call his daughter. She got a flea, and it stopped dancing. Then Platov ran to Lefty, shouting that they had ruined a precious thing. The left-hander replied that they had not spoiled anything, you need to look through the strongest microscope.

Chapter 13

And under the microscope the sovereign did not see anything. But without losing hope, he ordered the master himself to be brought. Lefty came and said that they had shoed a flea. The Emperor was delighted and kissed the master as he was: uncleaned and unwashed. The sovereign knew that his people would not deceive him.

Chapter 14

Lefty also said that the names of the workers are engraved on each horseshoe. The Emperor was surprised at how small the work was. He sent this flea back to England so that they could see that the Russian people could do even more amazing things. He also sent Lefty there so that he could show them the miracle.

Chapter 15

Lefty showed the savvy flea to foreigners, they were surprised and offered him to stay. However, he, loving his homeland and all its traditions, refuses. He only agreed to stay with them and see the miracles.

Chapter 16

Lefty looked at the sights, telling them that the Russians could do this too, and became very homesick. The British tried to cajole Lefty with all sorts of riches so that he would stay, but he insisted on his own.

Chapter 17

Lefty makes a "bet" with the skipper: who can outdrink whom.

Chapter 18

In St. Petersburg, the Englishman is sent to the embassy house, where a doctor is called. Lefty ends up in the block. There, all the donated wealth is taken away from him and taken to the hospital. The Englishman went to look for him.

Chapter 19

The Englishman, who visited many people, failed to save Lefty; he died in that hospital. His last words were: “Tell the sovereign that the British don’t clean their guns with bricks: let them not clean ours either, otherwise, God bless war, they’re not good for shooting.”

However, no one takes these words seriously, and the guns continue to be cleaned with bricks. And in vain: if these words had reached the sovereign, then the Crimean War would have ended differently.

Chapter 20

There are no such masters as Lefty now. His name is forever lost to posterity, but he is the personification of the national spirit.

Having finished with political affairs, Emperor Alexander Pavlovich decided to travel around Europe and see various state miracles. And in different countries they tried to win over the sovereign. Yes, only the Don Cossack Platov was under the Tsar. He missed his household very much and therefore called the Tsar home all the time. And if Platov noticed that the tsar would be very interested in something foreign, he would immediately say that, they say, there are no worse things in Russia. And so the British invited the sovereign to see their soap-saw and weapons factories. The British show the sovereign a rifle and a pistol. And the king became very interested in the pistol, it was a delicate work. The British praised the pistol, but Platov came up, took the weapon, turned it twice with a screwdriver and took out the mechanism, and showed it to the Tsar. And on the mechanism there is a Russian inscription: “Ivan Moskvin in the city of Tula.” The British were so embarrassed that Alexander himself felt sorry for them.

The next day the king of the Kunstkamera went to look. And the British present him with a speck on a tray, which turns out to be a steel mechanical flea. In order to put it into action, you need to wind it with a key. The king gave the British a million for such a miracle, and bought a case for it from them for five thousand. On the way home, Platov and the sovereign hardly spoke, because “they had completely different thoughts.” The amazing flea remained with Alexander Pavlovich until his death, and after his widow, Empress Elizaveta Alekseevna, only grinned and did not pay attention to it anymore. Later Nikolai Pavlovich, the emperor, became interested in her. However, neither he nor anyone else could reveal the secret of the flea until the Cossack Platov, who was still alive by that time, heard about it. With all the orders, he appeared before the sovereign and told how and under what circumstances this nymphosoria was purchased. Platov advises the emperor to show the miracle of technology to Tula masters. This was entrusted to the Cossack himself.

Platov took a flea and went to the Don, and on the way he turned to Tula. Tula masters marveled at the English wonder and promised to come up with something that could outdo the “English nation.” But no matter how cunning Platov was, he could not find out what exactly the masters would do. At their request, I left the flea, along with the case, gave them only two weeks and went on. Platov left Tula, and the three most talented craftsmen collected their things and, saying goodbye to their comrades, disappeared from the city. There were many rumors about them, but they were far from the truth. Tula people, masters in metal work, were also very pious people. And they went to Mtsensk, where there was an icon of St. Nicholas. We served a prayer service at the icon itself and returned home at night. We locked ourselves in the house of one of them, a left-hander, and worked for two weeks in great secrecy. And no matter how hard people tried to call them out, not one came out. Platov rode from the Don with great haste. When I arrived in Tula, I didn’t even get out of the carriage, but only ordered to invite the craftsmen to whom I left the flea. The left-handers ran to the house, and they tore the shutters and pulled the doors, but neither the shutters nor the doors gave way. And the craftsmen were just finishing their work and driving in the last nail. They brought Platov the royal box, in it there was a diamond nut, and in the nut there was the same flea. Platov became angry and decided that his masters had deceived him. The masters were offended by the Cossack, but they did not tell him the secret of their work, saying that the emperor himself would see “what kind of people he has and whether he is ashamed of us.” Platov did not believe it, but only grabbed the left-handed man by the collar, so that “all his hooks flew off the Cossack, and threw him into his carriage at his feet.” “You will answer me for everyone!”

Platov was never afraid of any enemy, but here he chickened out in front of the sovereign. And he kept hoping that Nikolai would forget about the flea. But no. The Cossack had to admit that the Tula masters could not do anything. The king didn’t believe it: “Give it here. I know that my people can’t deceive me. Something has been done here beyond the pale.” The Tsar called his beloved daughter Alexandra Nikolaevna. She got a flea, but it only moves its antennae, but does not dance as before. Platov attacked the left-hander in a rage. And the left-hander just says that you need to look at a flea through a microscope. But the king didn’t even see anything through the microscope. Here the left-hander explained that you need to look at her legs. And it turned out that the Tula craftsmen shoed the flea. The king beamed, hugged the left-handed man and kissed him. The flea was put back into a diamond nut and sent to England to craftsmen. And the left-hander and the flea were sent together so that he could show what kind of craftsmen there are in Russia.

In England, they tried to persuade the left-hander to stay for a long time, they promised to marry him, but he did not agree. The British found out that the left-handed person did not know either arithmetic or even the rules of addition, and he studied only from the “Half-Dream Book” and the “Psalter”. And if I had known, I would have guessed that horseshoes are heavy for a flea. Because of them, she cannot dance. The left-hander stayed in England to stay with the agreement that he would soon be sent home on a ship.

For a long time the left-hander looked out for all the English production, and was amazed not at how they made new things, but at how they maintained the old ones. And the left-hander began to feel homesick. The British sent him on a ship, where he became friends with the half-skipper. And they started drinking as a bet, and they continued to drink until the end of the journey. And in St. Petersburg their fate separated them. The Englishman to the envoy's house, and the left-hander to the quarter. The half-skipper found the left-hander already in the hospital. He ran to Count Kleinmichel, Platov, and Skobelev for help, but he didn’t get any results. And the left-hander was already finished. And his last words were: “Tell the sovereign that the British don’t clean their guns with bricks: let them not clean ours either, otherwise, God bless war, they’re not good for shooting.”
But they didn’t tell the sovereign.
And if they had brought the words of the left-hander to the sovereign in time, then the outcome of the Crimean War could have been different.

Chapter 1

They can’t do anything and are no good. Upset, Platov drank vodka and went to bed, deciding that the morning was wiser than the evening.

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

• cross-eyed;
• with a birthmark on the face;
• the hair at the temples was torn out.

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

• Lefty - to the poor quarter;
• half-skipper - to the embassy house.

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

The Tale of Lefty is the story of the destinies of many talented people. A summary helps you see the storyline of the work, but you can only understand the peculiarities of Nikolai Leskov’s language while reading the full text of the story.

This concludes the brief retelling of the story “Lefty”, which includes only the most important events from the full version of the work!

After the end of the Vienna Council, Emperor Alexander Pavlovich decides to “travel around Europe and see wonders in different states.” The Don Cossack Platov, who is with him, is not surprised at the “curiosities”, because he knows: in Russia “his own is no worse.”

In the very last cabinet of curiosities, among the “nymphosoria” collected from all over the world, the sovereign buys a flea, which, although small, can “danse” dance. Soon Alexander “got melancholy from military affairs,” and he returned to his homeland, where he died. Nikolai Pavlovich, who ascended the throne, values ​​the flea, but, since he does not like to give in to foreigners, he sends Platov along with the flea to the Tula masters. Three Tula residents volunteer to support Platov “and with him all of Russia.” They go to venerate the icon of St. Nicholas, and then lock themselves in the house of the slanting Lefty, but even after finishing the work, they refuse to give Platov the “secret”, and he has to take Lefty to St. Petersburg.

Nikolai Pavlovich and his daughter Alexandra Timofeevna discover that the “abdominal machine” in the flea does not work. An angry Platov executes and scolds Lefty, but he does not admit to the damage and advises him to look at the flea through the most powerful “small scope”. But the attempt turns out to be unsuccessful, and Lefty orders “to put just one leg under a microscope in detail.” Having done this, the sovereign sees that the flea is “shod on horseshoes.” And Lefty adds that with a better “small scope” one could see that on every horseshoe the “master’s name” is displayed. And he himself forged carnations that were impossible to see.

Platov asks Levsha for forgiveness. The left-hander is washed in the “Tulyanovskie Baths”, shaved and “shaped”, as if he had some kind of “common rank”, and sent to take the flea as a gift to the British. On the road, Lefty eats nothing, “supporting” himself with wine alone, and sings Russian songs throughout Europe. When questioned by the British, he admits: “We haven’t gotten into the sciences, and that’s why the flea no longer dances, only those who are faithful to their fatherland.” Lefty refuses to stay in England, citing his parents and the Russian faith, which is “the most correct.” The English cannot seduce him with anything, then with an offer to marry, which Lefty rejects and speaks disapprovingly of the clothes and thinness of English women. In English factories, Lefty notices that the workers are well-fed, but most of all he is interested in the condition of the old guns.

Soon Lefty begins to feel sad and, despite the approaching storm, boards the ship and without looking away looks towards Russia. The ship goes out into the “Terraline Sea”, and Lefty makes a bet with the skipper who will outdrink whom. They drink until the Riga Dynaminde, and when the captain locks the disputants, they already see devils in the sea. In St. Petersburg, the Englishman is sent to the embassy house, and Lefty is sent to the quarter, where they demand his document, take away his gifts, and then take him in an open sleigh to the hospital, where “everyone of an unknown class is accepted to die.” The next day, the “Aglitsky” half-skipper swallows the “cutta-percha” pill and, after a short search, finds his Russian “comrade”. Lefty wants to say two words to the sovereign, and the Englishman goes to “Count Kleinmichel,” but the half-speaker doesn’t like his words about Lefty: “even though Ovechkin’s fur coat, so is the soul of a man.” The Englishman is sent to the Cossack Platov, who “has simple feelings.” But Platov finished his service, received “full population” and sent him to “Commandant Skobelev.” He sends a doctor from the clergy of Martyn-Solsky to Leftsha, but Leftsha is already “finished”, asks to tell the sovereign that the British don’t clean their guns with bricks, otherwise they are not suitable for shooting, and “with this fidelity” he crosses himself and dies. The doctor reports Lefty’s last words to Count Chernyshev, but he does not listen to Martyn-Solsky, because “in Russia there are generals for this,” and the guns continue to be cleaned with bricks. And if the emperor had heard the words of Lefty, then the Crimean War would have ended differently

Now these are “things of bygone days,” but the legend cannot be forgotten, despite the “epic character” of the hero and the “fabulous character” of the legend. The name of Lefty, like many other geniuses, has been lost, but the folk myth about him accurately conveyed the spirit of the era. And although the machines do not condone “aristocratic prowess,” the workers themselves remember the past and their epic with a “human soul,” with pride and love.

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Often talents are not appreciated in their native land! This is exactly what Nikolai Leskov’s work “Lefty” is about (a tale about a Tula left-hander and a steel flea), published in 1881, which describes the life of a brilliant, amazing Tula gunsmith in a fairy-tale manner.

The main characters of the story "Lefty"

Lefty- a Tula gunsmith who managed to do the incredible - shoe an English mechanical flea with microscopic horseshoes.

Platov– served under Alexander Pavlovich and Nikolai Pavlovich, Russian emperors, was the ataman of the Don Cossacks. He proved to the first Tsar that Russians are more talented than foreigners.

Alexander Pavlovich- Russian Emperor. While he was traveling around England, he received an unusual gift - a wind-up flea and put it in a snuff box. After his death, Nikolai Pavlovich ascended the throne.

Nikolai Pavlovich- the Russian emperor who ordered the Tula masters to improve the English flea.

Chapter one: Alexander Pavlovich's hobby

Admiring various foreign wonders was the passion of the Russian Emperor Alexander Pavlovich. At the same time, he neutralized the fact that there are also many gifted craftsmen in his homeland. However, Platov, the Don ataman, who was with him on the trip, did not agree with him. At the end of the journey they arrived in England.

Chapter Two: The Tsar's Delusion

When the British began to demonstrate new technologies to the Russian sovereign, Alexander was delighted with what foreigners could do, thanks to scientific progress.

But at the same time, he believed that his state was by no means capable of such skillful craftsmanship. Platov did not share his opinion. He was confident that the Russian people were also very talented, and this could be proven. It turns out that the pistol of an unknown maker, demonstrated by foreigners, belonged to none other than Ivan from Tula, whose last name was Moskvin, as evidenced by the inscription inside. Since then, the British made a decision: to create something that would surpass the Russians.

Chapter Three: disagreements between Platov and Tsar Alexander

Early in the morning, both the Russian Tsar and Platov set off on their journey to inspect the English sugar factory. But it was not he who attracted the attention of important visitors, but the last cabinet of curiosities, which had everything: it surprised with mineral stones and nymphosoria collected from all over the world, all sorts of strange stuffed animals stood here. But what surprised the king and the ataman most of all was the empty tray from the last room, which the workers were holding in their hands. It turns out that it was wearing a microscopic nymphosoria with a winder and a spring, which danced a dance. The Emperor was moved and gave the British a million, noting that they were the best craftsmen, and no one could dispute this..

For this reason, disagreements between Tsar Alexander and Platov intensified extremely. The king put the strange thing in his snuffbox.

Chapter Four: Investigations of the New Tsar Nicholas

Alexander Pavlovich died, and the snuffbox with the strange nymphusoria, which was presented by the British, was given first to his wife, and only then to the new ruler, Nikolai Pavlovich. At first the king did not pay absolutely any attention to the new technology, and then began to think: “Why did my brother need it? What does it mean?" To investigate this difficult matter, he called an English chemist, who confirmed that the souvenir was made of steel and that the craftsmen were foreigners. However, there was no information on this case either in the files or in the lists. Then, unexpectedly for Nikolai Pavlovich, Platov appeared. “I came to report about this nymphosoria that was found,” he said. And got a strange flea. The Tsar saw the delicate and interesting work, and commissioned Platov to investigate whether Russian craftsmen could surpass the British in skill by improving their work.

Chapter Five: promises of Tula gunsmiths

“What should we do now?” – Platov asked the Tula gunsmiths. And they promised to find some way out so that the British would not boast before the Russians. They just asked to give them time, which made Platov a little upset.

Chapter Six: Tula masters hit the road

Three Tula gunsmiths, including a left-handed scythe, set off on the road. Having disappeared from the city, they went towards Kyiv, but not only to worship the saints, as those around them thought. And they did not even think about hiding from them, contrary to the opinion of some.

Chapter Seven: Secret Work

The gunsmiths were not heading to Kyiv at all, but to Mtsensk, the district city of the Oryol province, where the ancient stone-hewn icon of St. Nicholas was located. And, going into one of the houses of the left-handed man, they began to work in front of the image of Nicholas, hiding from human eyes, keeping everything a huge secret. No matter how curious the neighbors were, they could not find out what they were doing in the mysterious dwelling.

Chapter Eight: Platov's ambassadors

Platov hurriedly went to Tula. Driving the horses, we quickly got to the city, but no matter how much we sent whistlers to the Tula craftsmen who were supposed to show the work, nothing came of it.

Chapter Nine: work completed

And the Tula masters were just finishing their work. No matter how the ambassadors knocked on their door, they did not open the door and insisted that very soon the work would be completely done. Then the couriers took an extreme measure: they decided to remove the roof from the house, after which Platov came out and announced that the work was completed.

Chapter Ten: Platov's disappointment

To his disappointment, Platov saw nothing in the golden snuffbox: only the same steel flea that was there. He was very upset and began to scold the Tula craftsmen, especially since with his scanty fingers he could not take the key and open the “abdominal plant”. But the Tula craftsmen are also no strangers: they told Platov that only the sovereign would reveal the secret of the mastery that they managed to achieve. The chieftain got angry and took out all his anger on the left-handed man, grabbing him and throwing him into his carriage, forcing him to go to St. Petersburg.

Chapter Eleven: Platov appears before the Tsar

Platov was very afraid to appear before the Tsar, because he thought that the skilled craftsmen had done nothing. When the time came, and he went to the ruler, he tried to distract him with extraneous conversations, but that was not the case. The king remembered the Tula craftsmen and demanded a report. Platov reported with disappointment that nothing could be done, but Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich did not believe him. I finally guessed that “something has been done here that is beyond the pale,” and I thought about it.

Chapter Twelve: Victim Lefty

At first, the tsar could not do anything with the flea (although he managed to get it, it did not dance as before), and the enraged Platov grabbed the poor left-hander and began to pull his hair. Then the gunsmith suggested looking through a melescope so that they could see what the main secret of the work was.

Chapter Thirteen: Lefty's Secret

Having heard from Platov about the meleskop, Nikolai Pavlovich was glad that the Russians turned out to be honest people after all. And he ordered Lefty to be brought to him. He revealed the main secret: it turns out that through the melescope you need to look not at the whole flea, but at its legs, which turned out to be shod in real horseshoes. Seeing this, the king was extremely happy and even kissed the left-handed man, despite the fact that he was in an unsightly state.

Chapter Fourteen: Amazing Horseshoes

But this was not the most surprising thing: it turned out that the name of a Russian master was inscribed on each horseshoe. And the left-handed man did the most delicate work - he forged the smallest nails that cannot be seen with the help of an ordinary melescope. But the master’s eyes see surprisingly better than any magnifying device.

Since then, the attitude towards Lefty has completely changed, they even showed him honor - and took him to London.

Chapter Fifteen: Lefty in England

And Lefty went to England with a special courier. They drove from St. Petersburg to London without stopping, and when they arrived at the place, the box with the nymphosoria was handed over to whoever needed it, and the left-handed man was seated in a hotel. And then they fed him, but not everything could be eaten by someone who had eaten differently all his life.

And those who examined the strange flea with the most powerful melescope wanted to see him. But they were even more amazed to learn that he did not know arithmetic.

After talking with this amazing Russian master, the British decided to let him stay with them.

Chapter Sixteen: Longing for the Motherland

Lefty stayed in England for a while, but he still missed his homeland. They were unable to keep him by force: they had to send him back to Russia by ship, having previously dressed him very warmly and rewarded him with money. And maybe everything would have been fine if not for a fellow traveler, a half-skipper who could speak Russian. It was he who persuaded Lefty to make a bet: who would drink more.

Chapter Seventeen: The Bet

So, the bet began. Neither Lefty nor the half-skipper were inferior to each other, but they drank themselves into delirium tremens and caused harm to themselves.

Chapter Eighteen: Sick Lefty

However, the Englishman and Lefty were treated completely differently in Russia: the first was called both a doctor and a pharmacist, given medicine, and put to bed; and the gunsmith first lay on a cold paratha, then he was taken to hospitals, not covered with anything, and was constantly dropped. Alas, they did not want to accept the poor, exhausted man anywhere. But then the “Aglitsky half-skipper” began to recover, and as soon as he felt well, he decided to find the “Russian comrade” at all costs.

Chapter Nineteen: Unsuccessful Attempts to Help

No matter how hard the Englishman tried for Lefty, he could not help. He decided to ask Platov to help, but the ataman no longer had the same powers as before. And so the poor gunsmith, not recognized in his native land, died.

Chapter Twenty: Unique talents are not valued on Russian soil

Alas, unique talents on Russian soil are no longer valued at all: “machines have leveled the inequality of talents.” But the memory of them will live for centuries. And the thoughtful reader will benefit from this unusual work.

“Lefty” - a summary of the work by N. S. Leskov