The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin by Vladimir Voinovich
"The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin" by Vladimir Voinovich is a satirical novel set in the context of World War II, specifically during the early days of the Soviet Union's involvement in the conflict. The story follows the misadventures of Ivan Chonkin, a naive and poorly educated Red Army private tasked with guarding a downed airplane in the village of Krasnoye. As he navigates the complexities of military duty and personal relationships, particularly with a local woman named Nyura, Chonkin finds himself entangled in both comedic and chaotic situations that reflect the absurdities of Soviet life.
The narrative is rich with themes of confusion and miscommunication, as Chonkin's interactions with the suspicious villagers and his own existential musings expose the challenges faced by ordinary citizens under a rigid regime. The plot thickens with the arrival of war, leading to misunderstandings and a series of humorous yet poignant events that highlight the bureaucratic absurdities of the time. The character of Chonkin embodies the struggles and resilience of the common man, making the novel both a critical commentary on Soviet society and an exploration of human relationships amidst turmoil. This work stands out as a significant contribution to post-Stalin Russian literature, showcasing Voinovich's unique voice and satirical perspective.
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The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin by Vladimir Voinovich
First published:Zhizn’ i neobychainye priklyucheniya soldata Ivana Chonkina, 1975 (English translation, 1977)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Satire
Time of plot: Summer, 1941
Locale: Krasnoye, Soviet Union
Principal characters
Ivan Chonkin , a Russian soldier guarding a military planeNyura Belyashova , the postmistress, Chonkin’s loverKuzma Gladishev , a pseudoscientist raising hybrid plantsIvan Golubev , a manager of the collective farmCaptain Milyaga , a secret-police officer
The Story:
At the end of May, 1941, amid rumors of war, the short, bowlegged Red Army private Ivan Chonkin is sent to the village of Krasnoye to guard an airplane that was forced to land near the village. Chonkin is a poorly educated lad. He has trouble understanding questions properly and asks himself impertinent questions, such as whether Stalin has two wives. He is met in Krasnoye by inquisitive and distrustful villagers, including Nyura Belyashova, a postmistress. They are perplexed by the purpose of Chonkin’s mission, since his looks do not inspire respect.
Facing the plane, Chonkin does not know what to think or do. He knows that a sentry is forbidden to eat, drink, smoke, laugh, sing, talk, or relieve himself while on duty, but he soon breaks this rule. He is pleasantly surprised to see Nyura working on her potatoes. He is immediately attracted to her and helps her in her work. Nyura is all alone in the world, and she is loved only by her cow Beauty and her pig Borka. Chonkin’s friendliness is enough for her to reciprocate. She invites him to a modest dinner, and he accepts, despite sentry rules. He moves into her modest house. He even rolls the plane into her yard.
After ten days, Chonkin feels right at home guarding the plane, but he begins to worry as he receives no communications from his superiors about a post that seems to be permanent. He was sent to Krasnoye with sufficient rations for only one week. Chonkin turns for advice to Kuzma Gladishev, a pseudoscientist working on a potato-tomato hybrid. Gladishev is a learned and erudite man—a wooden outhouse in his garden has a sign on it reading “water closet” in English. Chonkin asks Gladishev to write a letter for him to his commander asking for unlimited rations and a new uniform. Nyura never delivers the letter, however, fearing that the army will recall Chonkin, even though he forces her to make love several times each night and day.
One day, Chonkin is told by a villager named Burly that Nyura has been having sex with her hog. The enraged Chonkin decides to leave Nyura, and she, embarrassed and hurt, lets him go without attempting to reconcile with him. Chonkin has a terrible dream that night, sleeping in hay by the plane. Among the terrifying images he experiences is that of Nyura’s wedding to a young man. After waking up, Chonkin is invited by Gladishev to share food and beverages, declaring proudly that they are made of fecal matter. Chonkin makes up with Nyura just as the Germans attack their country.
At a meeting in Krasnoye, people discuss the war in utter confusion while grabbing any goods they can. The Communist Party members protest, demanding that the townsfolk return their party cards because assembly without party control is forbidden. The local party leader clings to Communist slogans, but the people do not listen to him. Most of them leave before the end of his speech, except for Chonkin, who is still confused by the question of the origins of man, which he had been discussing with Gladishev. Chonkin looks for Nyura, while worrying that the army may send for him now that the country is at war.
The villagers keep arguing and trying to reason with one another. They listen to a speech by a man with a Georgian accent, wondering if he is Joseph Stalin. The speech calls upon all Soviet citizens to defend their country.
Nyura’s cow eats Gladishev’s hybrid plants. He responds by trying to kill both the cow and Chonkin. Gladishev writes a letter to Captain Milyaga, the village’s secret-police officer, accusing Chonkin of desertion and treason and demanding that he be arrested and shot. Milyaga gives an order for the arrest of Chonkin. In the meanwhile, Milyaga must deal with an old man in the village named Stalin, who is suspected of being the real Stalin or being related to him.
Milyaga’s men go to arrest Chonkin, fearing that they may face an entire gang of traitors. Chonkin, standing by the plane, threatens to shoot them, worrying that they have come to capture the plane he has been charged with guarding. He manages to arrest them all. Milyaga comes to see why his men have not returned with Chonkin, and Chonkin arrests him too. The private then visits Ivan Golubev and offers to help run the collective farm with the men he has arrested, since most of the local men have been mobilized by the army. Drinking heavily, Golubev agrees and sends a report in advance to his superiors that the prisoners are working well on the potato harvest.
Still drunk, Chonkin returns to the plane and falls asleep in Nyura’s home. Milyaga seizes the opportunity to free himself, but in the darkness he is struck unconscious by a member of a strike force sent to unravel the confusing situation in Krasnoye. When he comes to, Milyaga thinks he has been captured by German soldiers and tries to speak to them in his broken German. The members of the strike force, in turn, believe they have captured a German soldier. They attempt to interrogate the secret-police officer with their scant German. Milyaga is shot.
Chonkin and Nyura are still defending the plane, but the strike force destroys it. Chonkin and Nyura are dazed in the attack but not killed. The general of the strike force is amazed to find that the plane was guarded not by a gang but only by a man and a woman. These two were able to resist a whole regiment of the strike force. The general expresses his gratitude to Chonkin for his bravery and presents him with a decoration on the spot, but when the general is reminded that Chonkin is supposed to be arrested as a traitor, he rescinds his gratitude and decoration and arrests the private. As Chonkin is led away, Nyura cries and reaches for him, but Chonkin yells to her that he will be back.
Bibliography
Matich, Olga, and Michael Helms, eds. The Third Wave: Russian Literature in Emigration. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Ardis, 1983. Study of Voinovich and other Soviet émigré writers, discussing both their works and their biographies.
Milivojevic, Dragan. “The Many Voices of Vladimir Voinovich.” Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature 30, no. 2 (1979): 55-62. General but useful discussion of Voinovich’s satire.
Porter, R. C. “Vladimir Voinovich and the Comedy of Innocence.” Forum for Modern Language Studies 16, no. 2 (1980): 97-108. Examines Voinovich’s treatment of common Russians, who are often portrayed comicly but deliver a potent satiric message in his work.
Szporluk, Mary Ann. “Vladimir Voinovich: The Development of a New Satirical Voice.” Russian Literary Quarterly 14 (Winter, 1976): 99-121. Details the emergence of Voinovich as a leading satirist in post-Stalin Russian literature.
Terras, Victor. A History of Russian Literature. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1991. Succinct discussion of Voinovich’s role as a leading Russian dissident.
Wakamiya, Lisa Ryoko. Locating Exiled Writers in Contemporary Russian Literature: Exiles at Home. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Study of exiled Russian writers who, like Voinovich, returned to Russia after the fall of the Soviet state and sought to redefine the nature of Russian literary identity in a post-Communist era.