Girl with matches. the true meaning of this story

Mayu Lassila

For matches

CHAPTER FIRST

– And what, the black cow calved at Vatanen? - said Anna-Liisa, the wife of Antti Ihalainen, who lives in the village of Kutsu, in Liperi.

She said this as if to herself, putting the loaves into the oven. This thought flashed through her head just like that, unexpectedly.

“They say she has already calved,” answered Miina Sormunen, who accidentally came to visit and now, noisily sipping, was drinking coffee. Then, thinking that Anna-Liisa was talking, perhaps, about Antti Vatanen's cow, she asked again:

– Are you talking about Jussi Vatanen's cow?

“Yes,” Anna-Liisa answered. Then Miina confirmed again:

- They say she has already calved.

- Oh, that's how...

For some time Anna-Liisa fiddled with her loaves, then asked again:

Did she bring a heifer or a bullock?

– Jussi Vatanen's cow? - Yes…

“They say she brought a heifer,” Miina said.

- Heifer, then ... But what, Jussi left her or stabbed her? Anna-Liisa continued to ask questions.

Sipping her coffee, Meenah said:

Looks like he stabbed her.

“That Jussi has a big herd already. Why else would he leave them?

There was a long silence. The owner himself, Antti Ihalainen, with a pipe in his teeth, was lying on his belly on a bench. His eyes were half-closed, and the pipe nearly fell out of his mouth.

However, he heard the conversation and even through a dream he understood what was being discussed. Of course, he did not understand everything with sufficient clarity, but he did understand something. And he even muttered in his sleep:

- Enough cattle from Jussi. How many dairy cows does he have now?

“Ah, I woke up,” said Anna-Liisa. Miina Sormunen started counting cows:

“Perhaps he will have fifteen, along with that black cow that he bought from Voutilainen.

“Ah, fifteen,” Antti muttered, and plunged back into sweet Dreams. And his pipe, swaying, seemed about to fall.

Meena repeated:

Jussi has fifteen milk cows.

- Well, milk in his house! - Anna-Liisa said with surprise and after a moment added: - It would not hurt to have a mistress in such a house ...

Taking a bite of sugar, Meenah said in turn:

– Just wait, this Jussi is getting married. It's almost a year since the death of his Loviisa.

“Yes, it’s time for him to get married,” agreed Anna-Liisa. And after a little fiddling with the loaves, she, on reflection, asked:

- How old is this very daughter of Pekka Hyväri-nen?

“Hyvärinen from Luos?” Meena asked cautiously.

- Yes, from Luos ...

“Won’t she… Excuse me, she’s the same age as Ida Olkkola!” Meena exclaimed.

“Ah, that's it… Well, then it's time for her to leave her parents. They have enough workers even without her... Isn't Jussi Vatanen thinking about her?

- About this, or something, Hyvärinen's daughter? Antti muttered again through his sleep.

“They say he means her,” Meenah replied. – Yes, but will it make any sense?

Then Anna-Liisa, standing up for Hyvärinen's daughter, said:

“For Jussi, she would be a suitable wife. After all, Jussi himself is far from young.

And then, wanting to clarify the age of Jussi, she asked: - And how old is this Jussi?

Meena started counting.

- Yes, the old man Voutilainen has gone sixty since the meeting. Is it not in those years that our Jussi?

- He's exactly his age. Now I remember it,” Anna-Liisa confirmed. And then, embarking on the path of memories, she put into play the entire store of her information.

Friday, October 23, 2009

A great little story with an expected yet unexpected ending.

You may think that borrowing a match on the street is a simple thing. But any person who has ever attempted to do so will assure you that this is not the case, and he will be ready to swear to the authenticity of my experience that evening.

I was standing on a street corner with a cigar I wanted to light. I didn't have a match. I waited until a decent, ordinary looking man walked down the street. Then I said:

“Excuse me, sir, but could you do me a favor by lending me a match?”

“A match? - he said. “Why not, of course.” Then he unbuttoned the buttons of his overcoat and thrust his hand into the pocket of his waistcoat. “I know I have one,” he continued. - I'm almost ready to swear that she's in bottom pocket- or, don't leave, although, I guessed, she might be in the top - just wait until I put these bags on the sidewalk.

"Oh, don't worry," I said, "it really doesn't matter."

“Yes, no worries, I will have it in a minute; I know that somewhere around here I must have one, - he rummaged with his fingers in his pocket when he expressed this, - but, you understand, this is not the vest that I mostly ... ”

I saw that this man was getting more and more excited about this. “Well, it's okay,” I protested, “if it's not the vest that you wear for the most part - why would it be, it doesn't matter.”

“Don't go now, don't go! the man called. "I've got one of those damn things around here somewhere." I believe she may be inside my watch. No, she's not here either. Wait while I check my coat. If only that damned tailor were smart enough to sew a pocket in such a way that it could be reached!”

He was already quite aroused. He threw away his cane and rummaged through his pockets. false jaw. “It's all my damned boy,” he hissed, “all because of his foolishness in my pockets. I swear to God! I hope I don't beat him too hard when I get home. I'll tell you, I'm willing to bet it's in my back trouser pocket. Just hold the flaps of my coat for a second while I…”

“No, no,” I protested again, “please don’t take all this trouble on yourself, it really doesn’t matter at all. I am sure that you should not take off your coat, and, oh, I beg you, do not throw your letters and things out of your pockets into the snow and tear your pockets down to the bottom in this way! Please, please don't trample on your coat or crush boxes. I really hate to hear you vilify your little boy with that particular whining in your voice. Don't tear - please don't tear your clothes so violently."

Suddenly, the man let out a roar of exaltation, and threw his hand up from behind the inner lining of his coat.

“I found her,” he shouted. - There she is!" Then he held her up to the light.

It turned out to be a toothpick.

Obeying an instantaneous impulse, I pushed him under the wheels of a trolley bus and ran away.

Synopsis for "Tricks with Matches"

The main rule by which tricks were selected for this edition is the simplicity of the secret of execution and the impact of the external effect. The author refrained from publishing tricks with a primitive external effect in the brochure.

The publication presents mainly magic tricks, not puzzles or entertaining physical experiments.

The publication presents automata magic tricks that do not require additional training and special manual dexterity, which anyone who knows their secret will get. At the same time, they are quite effective. Some of them can serve as the basis for creating large-scale illusions.

Focuses, if possible, are modernized and, as the author hopes, will contribute to a meaningful leisure time for readers.

Total pages - 163, tricks - 33, puzzles, jokes, practical jokes - 7, color illustrations - 224, the edition contains a glossary.

Age restrictions: 18+

NB: Book in in electronic format in .pdf format.
After payment, the book is sent by e-mail.

Izotov Mikhail Vladimirovich has 14 USSR copyright certificates and 3 RF patents for inventions. 15 of them are devoted to illusion topics. The author of an illusory invention introduced into practice, for which he received the badge "Inventor of the USSR". Awarded with the badge of the Central Council of VOIR "Excellent Worker of Invention and Rationalization in 1989".
In 1977 he graduated from the Riga Higher Red Banner Military School. Marshal Soviet Union Biryuzova S.S. Specialty - automated control and monitoring systems, qualification - military electronics engineer.
In 1990 he graduated from the Central Institute for Advanced Training of Executives and National Economy Specialists in the Field of Patent Work, Leningrad. He defended his thesis on the totality of his illusionary inventions on the topic: "Some questions of creating new technical solutions in the field of illusionism." Specialty - patent specialist (specialist in the protection of intellectual (industrial) property).
2004-2007 — RGGU (Russian State University for the Humanities), lawyer.
Contact Information:

Once upon a time, we did not touch on topics related to literature and cinema ...
Therefore, I propose to talk about the work "For Matches", especially since the story itself this year turned exactly 100 years old, and Gaidai's brilliant film adaptation - 30 years old.

I don’t think it’s necessary to retell the plot, because whoever didn’t watch / read it is unlikely to be interested in everything that is written further ... :-)

By the way, Gaidai's film is already the second adaptation of Lassil's story, the first black-and-white film "Tulitikkuja lainaamassa" was filmed in Finland back in 1938.

Following the chronology of events, we note that the bright satirist Mikhail Zoshchenko translated "For Matches" into Russian in 1951 - after being expelled from the Writers' Union, in parallel with his work in a shoe artel.

Mikhail Mikhailovich was very proud of his translation, and this was the well-deserved pride of a well-worked craftsman. In Finland, this translation was highly appreciated, and in Finnish literary and critical circles it was said that the artistic significance of the work of the interesting and original Finnish writer Lassil became especially clear and weighty for Finnish connoisseurs of literature when Zoshchenko's translation of his story appeared. ( Tomashevsky Yu. — Remembering Mikhail Zoshchenko)

In the summer of 1978, at the highest level, it was decided to instruct Mosfilm to shoot another full-length feature film in collaboration with Finnish filmmakers. It was then that the Finns offered a script based on the story of their classic as a dramatic material. Initially, Georgy Danelia was supposed to film it, but he was busy staging "Autumn Marathon", then they turned to Leonid Gaidai, who, not finding anything seditious in this (which was relevant for him after the torment with the film adaptation of Gogol's "Inspector General"), immediately agreed .

In the agreement with Suomi-Film, it was clearly stipulated that the film should have two directors, from the Finnish side it was CEO film companies - director and producer Risto Orco. In addition, the actors were also supposed to be equally divided: 7 Soviet, and the same number of Finnish (the main role - Ihalainen - should be played by a Soviet actor, and Vatanen - Finnish). Since the field shooting was to be in Finland, Suomi-film undertook to equip the film crew with high-quality equipment: a camera car, a camera crane, and portable recording equipment. And even the costumes for their actors, the Finns volunteered to sew themselves.

Nevertheless, during the preparatory period, the Soviet side achieved a numerical superiority in acting - Vatanen was also to be played by our actor, and the Finns were left with only two main roles and all the episodes. The following actors were nominated for the screen test from our side: Evgeny Leonov for the role of Ikhalainen; for the role of Vatanen - Vyacheslav Innocent, Donatas Banionis, Leonid Kuravlev (the latter still starred in the episode); Kenonen - Georgy Vitsin, Vladimir Basov, Borislav Brondukov, Rolan Bykov, Georgy Burkov, Igor Yasulovich; Kaisa Karhutar - Galina Polskikh, Natalya Gundareva; Anna-Kaisa - Elena Sanaeva, Vera Ivleva; Hyvyarinen's wife - Nina Grebeshkova; police chief - Mikhail Pugovkin; old man Hyvyarinen - Sergey Filippov.

From the Finnish side, actors were chosen for the main roles - Rita Polster (Anna-Liisa), Ritva Valkama (Miina) and the giant Leo Lastumäki for the role of Partonen and others. To do this, the director's assistants had to visit several theaters where the performances of "For Matches" were going on.

Filming began at Mosfilm with pavilion episodes, the film crew went to Finland to shoot on location. The review of the scriptwriting and editorial board of the association of musical and comedy films about the performance of the role of a tailor by G. Vitsin has been preserved ("Ai da Tahvo, ai da Kenonen!"): " His excessive eccentricity is alarming, he stands out from the general ensemble of actors, since the work of the rest of the actors is comedy-realistic ..." :-)

The "noisy, bustling and mysterious" city of Yoki was filmed in Porvoo, which was the best suited for filming the beginning of the century: stone pavements, ancient courtyards and wooden houses with small garden plots behind a fence. Fans of this film in 2008 conducted a painstaking investigation: what the shooting locations look like now - I recommend taking a look!

The film was shot in about a year, and in March 1980, the premiere of the film took place at the largest cinema in Helsinki, the Ritz, after which Yevgeny Leonov was elected an honorary member of the Theater Society of Finland.

As for the geographical question "where did Ihalainen and Vatonen live?" international conference in the village of Helyulya (Sortavalsky district), dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the birth of Maya Lassil, they argued that the action of the story "For Matches" could take place in the town of Kurkijoki. The basis of their serious research was the fact that a small match factory operated here, so residents of the surrounding farms often went to Kurkijoki for matches, and the village of Ihala is located 20 kilometers from Kurkijoki, and the name of the protagonist Antti Ihalainen - in translation means "man from Ihala ".

I allow myself to disagree with this point of view and I am ready to offer readers my version.
Let's try to start from the name Liperi - the volost, where all the main characters come from. It also exists in modern Finland, in northern Karelia, not far from Joensuu. And since we need to find " the nearest city of Yoki, which was almost thirty miles away, and in which there were almost three thousand inhabitants, which the people of Liper considered incredibly noisy, fussy and mysterious", then it can only be Jonsuu, in which just 3,000 people lived at the beginning of the 20th century. Moreover, by this time, due to the construction of the Saimaa Canal, it was already one of the largest port cities in Finland and therefore it was quite could have gone to America.
Well, as a last straw: to the east of Yoki-Yonsuu there is a volost that the heroes do not visit, but which is constantly present in the narrative as an opposition to Liperi. It is from there that all the negative characters, including the mare Vatanen, who ran away there ...

The author of the book is also from these places - the town of Tohmajärvi, where he was born, is less than 50 km away. And next to it, you can even find the Luosovaara farm, where Lassila settled the old man Hyvärinnen (not used in the film).

And finally, we must remember the bright song of Derbenev-Zatsepin performed by Kobzon, performed at the closing credits:
"How good it is to climb into the clouds,
Into the clouds, up into the clouds.
Looking at life from afar
Then she is carefree and easy ... "

Maya Lassila. For matches

CHAPTER FIRST

And what, a black cow calved at Vatanen? - said Anna-Liisa, the wife of Antti Ihalainen, who lives in the village of Kutsu, in Liperi.

She said this as if to herself, putting the loaves into the oven. This thought flashed through her head just like that, unexpectedly.

They say she has already calved, - answered Miina Sormunen, who accidentally came to visit and now, noisily sipping, drinking coffee. Then, thinking that Anna-Liisa was talking, perhaps, about Antti Vatanen's cow, she asked again:

Are you talking about Jussi Vatanen's cow?

Yes, Anna-Liisa answered. Then Miina confirmed again:

They say she has already calved.

Ah, that's how...

For some time Anna-Liisa fiddled with her loaves, then asked again:

Did she bring a heifer or a bull?

Jussi Vatanen's cow? - Yes…

They say she brought a heifer,” Miina said.

Heifer, then ... And what, Jussi left her or stabbed her? Anna-Liisa continued to ask questions.

Sipping her coffee, Meenah said:

Looks like he killed her.

This Jussi already has a large herd. Why else would he leave them?

There was a long silence. The owner himself, Antti Ihalainen, with a pipe in his teeth, was lying on his belly on a bench. His eyes were half-closed, and the pipe nearly fell out of his mouth.

Enough cattle from Jussi. How many dairy cows does he have now?

Ah, I woke up, - said Anna-Liisa. Miina Sormunen started counting cows:

Perhaps he will have fifteen, along with that black cow that was bought from Voutilainen.

Ah, fifteen, - muttered Antti and again fell into a sweet dream. And his pipe, swaying, seemed about to fall.

Meena repeated:

Jussi has fifteen dairy cows.

Well, milk in his house! - Anna-Liisa said with surprise and after a moment added: - It would not hurt to have a mistress in such a house ...

Taking a bite of sugar, Meenah said in turn:

Just wait, this Jussi is getting married. It's almost a year since the death of his Loviisa.

Yes, it's time for him to get married, - Anna-Liisa agreed. And after a little fiddling with the loaves, she, on reflection, asked:

How old is this very daughter of Pekka Hyväri-nen?

Hyvärinen from Luos? Miina asked cautiously.

Yes, from Luos...

Wouldn’t she… Let me, she’s the same age as Ida Olkkola! Meena exclaimed.

Ah, that's it... Well, then it's time for her to leave her parents. They have enough workers even without her... Isn't Jussi Vatanen thinking about her?

About this, perhaps, Hyvärinen's daughter? Antti muttered again through his sleep.

They say he means her,” Miina replied. - Yes, but will it make any sense?

Then Anna-Liisa, standing up for Hyvärinen's daughter, said:

For Jussi, she would be a suitable wife. After all, Jussi himself is far from young.

And then, wanting to clarify the age of Jussi, she asked: - And how old is this Jussi?

Meena started counting.

Yes, the old man Voutilainen has gone sixty since the meeting. Is it not in those years that our Jussi?

He's exactly his age. Now I remember it,” Anna-Liisa confirmed. And then, embarking on the path of memories, she put into play the entire store of her information.

At first, they say, he was going to marry Kaisa Karhutar, but then in the end he got involved with his late Loviisa.

This Jussi Vatanen?

Yes… At first he thought about Karhutar.

Ah, how! Meena was surprised. Anna-Liisa explained:

Karhutar, you know, then married Makkonen. And with him she went to the city of Yoki ... Isn’t she still living with her husband now? .. Well, this Karhutar always dreamed of city life ... But it’s unlikely that she lives better there than in any other place ...

She certainly doesn't feel any better there," Miina agreed. - Here, they say, the Hakulinen family lives there in utter poverty.

I then told Karhutar to follow Jussi Vatanen. In his house she would not have to sit without bread. In addition, Jussi himself is still quite a pleasant man.

He is a man of strong build, - confirmed Miina. - True, his nose looks like a potato. That's precisely why they laugh at him sometimes.

Well, Hyvärinen's daughter's nose is also not particularly beautiful. Plus, she's red. And there is nothing for her to disdain this Jussi. I would take it and marry him.

And then, finally taking Jussi Vatanen under her protection, Anna-Liisa added:

Well, as for the nose, Jussi always got along well with this nose of his and knew how to blow his nose when it was required.

Closing the chimney, Anna-Liisa added:

And what's the point that a man has a beautiful nose if he has more in his soul and there is nothing masculine except his pants.

Miina Sormunen was of the same opinion. Referring to the nose of Aina-Liisa's husband, she said:

It is quite possible to blow your nose, having such a nose. nothing better nose and your Ihalainen.

They have the same noses. And my Ihalainen was great with him too. And my husband and I lived well, and we never lacked food!

Silence fell again as Miina drank her second cup of coffee and Anna-Liisa was busy with her loaves.

However, having dealt with this, Anna-Liisa returned to an interesting topic for her:

My Ihalainen and Jussi Vatanen have been together since childhood. And even they quit drinking at the same time... After that, when they beat this fool Niiranen out of drunken eyes... Then they had to give four cows for his broken ribs... They damaged four of his ribs... This is my Ikhalainen and Vatanen.

So why haven't they been drinking since then? After all, more than twenty years have passed since that time? Miina asked in surprise.

No, they don't even take poppy dew in their mouths, although Vatanen still has half a bottle of wine from that time. Well, my Ihalainen hasn't taken anything resembling wine since then. He even avoids water. Unless sometimes he goes to the bath - rinse his eyes with water.

What are you?

After a pause, Anna-Liisa began to talk about her husband, not without sympathy:

Perhaps there would be no unnecessary talk about the fact that they beat Niiranen, but, you see, this Niiranen himself raised a fuss - he found fault with the peasants for such an empty business as his broken ribs. And even wanted to sue. And then the peasants said that they would give him a cow for each of his ribs that broke there in a fight, unless, of course, he raised a lawsuit because of such trifles. And since then they have become especially friends - my Ihalainen and Jussi Vatanen. Like two drops of water, they are similar to each other, although my Ihalainen is half a year younger than Vatanen.