Abstract

This article looks at a short part of Konstantin Paustovsky's autobiographical opus magnum ,,Povest' o zhizni (The Tale of Life). I argue that ,,Voda iz reki Limpopo can be read on three different levels: a first reading understands the text as not much more than an accumulation of biographical information reaching back to Paustovsky's schooldays. If one reads this part on an intertextual level, however, taking into account the numerous allusions to Pushkin's verse poem ,,Ruslan and Ljudmila, it is transformed into a perfect fictional work: a short story. On a metalevel, finally, the text allows for a third reading, namely a comment on how life becomes literature. It is this idea which is embodied in the fact that Paustovsky's geography teacher makes his pupils believe that he possesses water from exotic rivers from all over the world, while the bottles contain only pure Kievian tap water. Human fantasy can change things; can turn any fact into literature.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call