Taras Bulba

infobox Book |
name = Taras Bulba
title_orig =
translator = Peter Constantine


image_caption = Recent US paperback edition cover
author = Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol
cover_artist =
country = Russian Empire
language = Russian
series =
genre = Historical, Novel
publisher = Random House (USA Eng. trans)
release_date = 1835 (1st as part of a collection)
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 176 p. (Eng. trans. paperback edition)
isbn = ISBN 0-8129-7119-1 (Eng. trans. paperback edition)
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Taras Bulba" is a romanticized short historical novel by Nikolai Gogol. It tells the story of an old Ukrainian Cossack, Taras Bulba, and his two sons, Andriy and Ostap. Taras’ sons studied at the Kyiv Academy and return home. The three men set out on a journey to Zaporizhian Sich located in Ukraine, where they join other Cossacks and go to war against the Polish nobles.

Taras Bulba is Gogol’s longest short story. The work is classical in nature with characters that are not exaggerated or grotesque as was common in Gogol's later work, though his characterizations of Cossacks are said to be a bit exaggerated by some scholars. This story can be understood in the context of the romantic nationalism movement in literature, which developed around a historical ethnic culture which meets the romantic ideal. It has been cited as the seminal work establishing the concept of the "Russian Soul"You look: there arepeople there also, God's creatures, too; and you talk with them aswith the men of your own country. But when it comes to saying a heartyword--you will see. No! they are sensible people, but not the same;the same kind of people, and yet not the same! No, brothers, to loveas the Russian soul loves, is to love not with the mind or anythingelse, but with all that God has given, all that is within you. Ah!"said Taras, and waved his hand, and wiped his grey head, and twitchedhis moustache, and then went on: "No, no one else can love in thatway! [http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext98/taras10.txt Taras Bulba] Text prepared by John Bickers, project Guttenberg] . The story is rich in adventure and battle scenes as well as touches of Gogol’s characteristic humor.

Plot

In the story, Taras Bulba’s two sons, Ostap and Andriy, return home from a Orthodox seminary in Kiev. Of Taras' sons, Ostap is the more adventurous, true to the Cossack spirit, whereas Andriy has deeply romantic feelings stirring within him. While in Kiev, he fell in love with a young Polish noble girl, the daughter of the Governor of Dubno, but after a few meetings, saw her no longer when her family returned home.

As a Dnieper Cossack, Taras Bulba sets out to give his sons the opportunity to go to war as a Cossack. A Cossack is not a man and does not marry until he has seen combat. Taras and his sons reach the Cossack camp at the Zaporozhian Sich, where there is much merrymaking, and Taras works to rouse the Cossacks to go into battle. Taras sets actions underway to replace the existing Ataman when the Ataman is reluctant to break the peace, and works to create the opportunity for combat.

Fortunately they soon have the opportunity to fight the Poles, who rule all of western Ukraine to the Dnieper River. The Poles are accused of atrocities against Orthodox Christians, in which they are aided by Jews. After killing many of the Jewish merchants at the Sich, the Cossacks set off on a campaign against the Poles. Ultimately they reach the fortress-town of Dubno, which they besiege. Surrounded by the Cossacks and short of supplies, the inhabitants begin to starve.

One night a Tatar woman comes to Andriy and rouses him. He finds her face familiar and then recalls she is the servant of the Polish girl he was in love with from his youth. She advises him that all are starving inside the walls. He accompanies her through a secret passage starting in the marsh that goes into the monastery inside the city walls. Andriy brings loaves of bread with him for the starving girl and her mother. He is horrified by what he sees and in a fury of love, forsakes his heritage for the Polish girl.

Meanwhile, several companies of Polish soldiers march into Dubno to relieve the siege, passing through and killing or capturing a regiment of Cossacks, who are too drunk to stop them. A number of battles ensue and Taras learns of his son’s forsaking his Cossack heritage from Yankel the Jew, whom he saved from Cossacks earlier in the story. During one of the final battles, he sees Andriy riding in Polish garb from the castle and has his men draw him to the woods, where he takes him off his horse. Taras then shoots his son from close range. Taras and Ostap continue fighting the Poles and the latter is captured while the former is knocked out.

Taras awakens in a state of delirium. When he regains his composure he learns that Ostap was among the Cossacks captured and is in the hands of the Poles. Yankel agrees to take him to Warsaw where Ostap is held captive, hiding Taras in a cart of bricks, which he knows no one will tamper with on their journey. Once there a group of Jews help Yankel to dress Taras as a Jew, and they attempt to go into the prison to see his son. They almost succeed, but a guard recognizes Taras as a Cossack, though they convince him otherwise. Still, he does not let them through and only after being paid 100 gold pieces does he allow them to leave, instructing them to go to the execution the following day if they wish to see the Cossacks.

During the execution, Ostap, in fine Cossack form, does not make a single sound, even while being broken on the wheel, and only near the end calls out to his father, asking if he “can hear this?” Taras calls out that he can, and Yankel turns to him, terrified for him revealing their location, to find that the Cossack has disappeared.

Having lost both of his sons, Taras returns home to find all of his old Cossack friends dead and younger Cossacks in their place; unfazed he goes to war again. The new Ataman wishes to make peace with the Poles, which Taras counsels firmly against, warning that the Poles are treacherous and will not honor their words. Failing to convince the Cossacks, Taras takes his regiment away with him to continue the battle independently. As Taras predicted, once the new Ataman agrees to a truce, the Poles betray the Cossacks and kill a number of them. Taras and his men continue to fight and are finally caught in a ruined fortress, where they battle until the last man is defeated.

Taras is nailed and tied to a tree and set aflame. Even in this state, in true Cossack spirit, Taras calls out to his men to continue the fight, advising them that a Russian Tsar is coming who will rule the earth. Defeat and fire are not sufficient to quench his great Cossack soul.

The story ends with Cossacks on the Dniester River who recall the great feats of Taras and his great Cossack spirit.

Film, TV and theatrical adaptations

The story was made into an opera by Ukrainian composer, Mykola Lysenko.

Leoš Janáček (1854-1928): Taras Bulba, a symphonic rhapsody for orchestra, was composed in the years 1915-1918. The composition was first performed on 9 October 1921 by František Neumann, and in Prague on 9 November 1924 by Václav Talich and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

The story has been made into several films, with varying degrees of success. The first silent adaptation was in 1909, directed by Aleksandr Drankov. The second, a 1935 German production, was directed by a Russian director Alexis Granovsky, with a superb decors by Andrei Andreyev. A third, in 1936, was produced in Britain under the title "The Rebel Son", starring Harry Baur with a supporting cast of significant British actors. Another adaptation was made in the US in 1962, starring Yul Brynner and Tony Curtis was directed by J. Lee Thompson.

This latter film featured a significant music score by Franz Waxman, which received an Academy Award nomination. It is a score that Bernard Herrmann called "the score of a lifetime". "The Ride to Dubno" has become a standard concert piece and has been recorded many times. "Sleighride" uses Schedryk, the Carol of the Bells as a counterpoint to Waxman's own melody. The finale, an upbeat march, as the Cossacks ride into Dubno is based on a Ukrainian folk song.

A new Russian-Ukrainian movie directed by Vladimir Bortko starring several Ukrainian, Russian and Polish actors such as Bohdan Stupka (as Taras Bulba), Ada Rogovtseva (as Taras Bulba's wife), Igor Petrenko (as Andriy Bulba), Vladimir Vdovichenkov (as Ostap Bulba) and Magdalena Mielcarz (as a Polish princess) is under production. The movie has been filmed on different locations in Ukraine such as Zaporizhia, Khotyn and Kamianets-Podilskyi during 2007. The film is expected to be premiered during the spring of 2008.

Taras Bulba in popular culture

*In Jane Smiley's 2007 novel "Ten Days In The Hills", the ageing director, Max, is asked to consider filming Taras Bulba by a Russian oligarch.
*The title character has been the basis for the name of the "Darkwing Duck" villain Taurus Bulba.

References and notes

External links

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* [http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/first-footage-from-russian-epic-taras-bulba-positively-stuns/ Taras Bulba 2008 theatrical trailer]