The Teacher

1 hr. 23 min.

Classics

Language Russian

Author Ivan Bunin

Narrator Di Oswald

“On the eve of Christmas Eve, the zemstvo school teacher in Mozharovka, Nikolay Nilych Turbin, was doing his work very reluctantly. The class was half empty. Turbin strained to keep the lessons going until half past one. Lately, in many troubles and in the exhausting work, he had been supporting himself with tense anticipation of the holiday and the hope of going home. But it turned out there was nowhere to go. Turbin had long understood that he wouldn’t go anywhere, yet telling himself that definitely kept slipping his mind. Now he most of all wanted to stay alone. ‘Let’s discuss, let’s discuss!’ he thought restlessly, covering his eyes, and the boys thought he was either angry or unwell. And indeed, by the end of the lessons, his left side of the head began to ache…”

Sukhodol (narrated by Dmitry Ret) 0. The Teacher