Garshin, V. M. (Vsevolod Mikhailovich)
"Punainen kukka y. m. kertomuksia" by V. M. Garshin is a collection of short stories written in the late 19th century. The pieces are intense psychological and moral studies marked by compassion and despair, moving from madness to wartime trauma. Early tales center on a man in an asylum who fixates on a scarlet flower and a wounded soldier stranded after battle, both grappling with suffering and the value of life.The opening of the collection begins with a brief biographical sketch of Garshin, emphasizing his brief, troubled life, the somber tone of his work, and his high standing among Russian writers. It then presents The Red Flower: a man, committed during a manic break, endures terrifying treatments, becomes convinced a vivid red poppy embodies all the world’s evil, and, attempting to “absorb” and destroy it by pressing it to his chest, ultimately escapes restraint to pluck the final blossom and dies clutching it. Next comes the start of Four Days, in which a volunteer soldier regains consciousness on a battlefield with both legs wounded, lying beside a dead Turk he has killed; he suffers thirst, guilt, and delirium, crawls to drink from the enemy’s canteen, debates suicide versus endurance, nearly gains rescue when Cossacks pass without hearing him, and drifts back into fevered memories and appeals to loved ones. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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