“Lefty” - a summary of the work of N. S. Leskov

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Often talents are not appreciated in their native land! This is exactly what the work of Nikolai Leskov “Lefty” (a tale about a Tula oblique left-hander and a steel flea), published in 1881, which describes the life of a brilliant, amazing Tula gunsmith in a fantastic manner, is about.

The main characters of the story "Lefty"

Lefty- a Tula gunsmith who managed to do the incredible - to shoe an English mechanical flea with microscopic horseshoes.

Platov- served under Alexander Pavlovich and Nikolai Pavlovich, - Russian emperors, was the chieftain of the Don Cossacks. He proved to the first tsar that Russians are more talented than foreigners.

Alexander Pavlovich- Russian emperor. While he was traveling in England, he received an unusual gift - a clockwork flea and put it in a snuffbox. After his death, Nikolai Pavlovich ascended the throne.

Nikolai Pavlovich- the Russian emperor, who ordered the Tula masters to improve the English flea.

Chapter One: Alexander Pavlovich's Passion

To admire various foreign curiosities - that was the passion of the Russian Emperor Alexander Pavlovich. At the same time, he leveled the fact that there are also many gifted craftsmen in his homeland. However, Platov, the Don ataman, who was with him on a trip, did not agree with him in any way. At the end of the journey they arrived in England.

Chapter Two: The King's Delusion

When the British began to demonstrate the latest technology to the Russian sovereign, Alexander was delighted with the fact that, thanks to scientific progress, foreigners can do it.

But at the same time, he believed that in his state they were by no means capable of such skillful craftsmanship. Platov did not share his opinion. He was sure that the Russian people were also very talented, and this could be proven. It turns out that the pistol of an unknown master, demonstrated by foreigners, belonged to none other than Tula Ivan by the name of Moskvin, as evidenced by the inscription inside. Since then, the British have made a decision: to create something that would surpass the Russians.

Chapter Three: Disagreements between Platov and Tsar Alexander

In the morning, both the Russian Tsar and Platov set off on their way to inspect the English sugar factory. But it was not he who attracted the attention of important visitors, but the last cabinet of curiosities, in which there was nothing: it surprised with mineral stones and nymphosoria collected from all over the world, all sorts of outlandish stuffed animals stood here. But most of all, the tsar and chieftain were surprised by the empty tray from the last room, which was held by the workers in their hands. It turns out that he was wearing a microscopic nymphosoria with a winding and a spring that danced. The sovereign was touched and gave the British a million, while noting that they are the best craftsmen, and no one can dispute this ..

For this reason, the disagreements between Tsar Alexander and Platov intensified enormously. The tsar put the outlandish thing in his snuffbox.

Chapter Four: Investigations of the New Tsar Nicholas

Alexander Pavlovich died, and the snuffbox with the outlandish nymphusoria, which the British presented, was first handed over to his wife, and only then to the new ruler, Nikolai Pavlovich. At first, the king did not pay absolutely no attention to the novelty of technology, and then he began to think: “Why did my brother need it? What does it mean?" To investigate this difficult matter, he called an English chemist, who confirmed that the souvenir was made of steel and the masters were strangers. However, there was no information on this case in the files or in the lists. Then, unexpectedly for Nikolai Pavlovich, Platov appeared. “I came to report about this nymphosoria that they found,” he said. And started a strange flea. The tsar saw the delicate and interesting work, and instructed Platov to investigate whether the Russian masters could not surpass the English in skill by improving their work.

Chapter Five: Tula Gunsmiths' Promises

"How can we be now?" Platov asked the Tula gunsmiths. And they promised to find some way out so that the British would not be exalted before the Russians. They only asked to give them time, which made Platov a little upset.

Chapter Six: Tula masters set off

Three Tula gunsmiths, including an oblique left-hander, set off on the road. Hiding from the city, they went towards Kyiv, but not only to worship the saints, as those around them thought. And they did not even think of hiding from them, contrary to the opinion of some.

Chapter Seven: Secret Work

The gunsmiths were heading not to Kyiv at all, but to Mtsensk, a county town of the Oryol province, where the ancient stone-cut icon of St. Nicholas was located. And, going into one of the houses to the left-hander, they began to work in front of the image of Nicholas, hiding from the eyes of the people, keeping everything in great secrecy. No matter how curious the neighbors were, they could not find out what they were doing in the mysterious dwelling.

Chapter Eight: Platov's ambassadors

Platov hurriedly went to Tula. Chasing the horses, we very quickly reached the city, but no matter how I sent the whistlers for the Tula masters, who were supposed to show the work, nothing came of it.

Chapter Nine: work completed

And the Tula masters were just finishing their work. No matter how the ambassadors knocked on them, they did not open and insisted that very soon the work would be done in full. Then the couriers went to extreme measures: they decided to remove the roof from the house, after which Platov came out and said that the work was completed.

Chapter Ten: Platov's disappointment

To his disappointment, Platov saw nothing in the golden snuffbox: only the same steel flea that had been. He was very upset and began to scold the Tula masters, especially since with his stubby fingers he could not take the key and open the “abdominal factory” in any way. But the Tula craftsmen are also not born with a bast: they told Platov that only the sovereign would be revealed the secret of the craftsmanship that they managed to do. The chieftain got angry and vented all his anger on the left-hander, grabbing him and throwing him into his carriage, forcing him to go to St. Petersburg.

Chapter Eleven: Platov Appears Before the Tsar

Platov was very afraid to appear before the king, because he thought that skilled craftsmen had done nothing. When the time came, and he went to the ruler, tried to distract him with extraneous conversations, but no such luck. The tsar remembered the Tula craftsmen and demanded a report. Platov reported with disappointment that nothing could be done, but Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich did not believe him. I guessed that “something beyond the concept has been done here,” I thought.

Chapter Twelve: The Injured Lefty

At first, the tsar could not do anything with the flea (although he managed to get her, she did not dance as before), and the enraged Platov grabbed the poor left-hander and began to pull his hair. Then the gunsmith offered to look through the melescope so that they could see what the main secret of the work was.

Chapter Thirteen: Lefty's Mystery

Hearing from Platov about the melescope, Nikolai Pavlovich was delighted that the Russians still turned out to be honest people. And he ordered Levsha to be brought to him. He revealed the main secret: it turns out that you need to look through the melescope not at the whole flea, but at its paws, which turned out to be shod in real horseshoes. Seeing this, the king was extremely happy, and even kissed the left-hander, despite the fact that he was in an unsightly state.

Chapter Fourteen: Amazing Horseshoes

But this was still not the most surprising: it turned out that the name of the Russian master was inscribed on each horseshoe. And the left-hander did the most delicate work - he forged the smallest carnations that you cannot see with an ordinary melescope. But the eyes of the master see surprisingly better than any magnifying apparatus.

Since then, the attitude towards Lefty has completely changed, they even honored him - and they took him to London.

Chapter Fifteen: Lefty in England

And Lefty went to England with a special courier. From St. Petersburg to London, they drove without stopping, and when they arrived at the place, the casket with nymphosoria was handed over to whoever needed it, and the left-hander was seated in a hotel. And then they fed, but not everything could be eaten by the one who ate differently all his life.

And those who examined the outlandish flea in the most powerful melescope wanted to see him. But they were even more amazed to learn that he did not know arithmetic.

After talking with this amazing Russian master, the British decided to leave him for a stay.

Chapter Sixteen: Longing for the Motherland

Lefty stayed in England for a while, but he still yearned for his homeland. They could not keep him by force: they had to send him back to Russia on a ship, after dressing him very warmly and rewarding him with money. And maybe everything would be fine if it weren’t for a fellow half-skipper who can speak Russian. It was he who persuaded Lefty to make a bet: who will drink more.

Chapter Seventeen: The Bet

And so the betting began. Neither Lefty nor half-skipper yielded to each other, but they drank themselves to delirium tremens and harmed themselves.

Chapter Eighteen: Sick Lefty

However, the attitude towards the Englishman and Lefty in Russia was completely different: the first was called both by the doctor and the pharmacist, given medicines, put to bed; and the gunsmith first lay on a cold paratha, then they took him to hospitals, uncovered by anything, and dropped him all the time. Alas, the poor, exhausted man was nowhere to be accepted. But then the “English half-skipper” began to recover, and as soon as he felt well, he decided to find a “Russian comrade” at all costs.

Chapter Nineteen: Unsuccessful Attempts to Help

No matter how hard the Englishman tried for Lefty, he could not help. He decided to ask Platov to help, but the chieftain no longer had the powers that he had before. And so the poor gunsmith died, not recognized in his native land.

Chapter Twenty: Unique talents are not valued on Russian soil

Alas, unique talents on Russian soil are now not valued at all: "machines have equalized the inequality of talents." But their memory will live on forever. And the thoughtful reader will benefit from this unusual work.

“Lefty” - a summary of the work of N. S. Leskov

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