Antigone (Bunin)
Short summary
Russia, 1940s. A student traveled to visit his wealthy uncle, a disabled general, and aunt at their country estate. Upon arrival, he was struck by the beauty of the general's nurse, whom the general jokingly called his "Antigone."
The student was immediately captivated by her and began fantasizing about winning her love. He discovered that his bedroom shared a wall with hers, which intensified his desire. During a rainy afternoon, they met in the library where she came to change a book. Their conversation quickly turned intimate, and they began a passionate encounter.
She, frowning, began shaking her head, whispering: "No, no, we mustn't, lying down we'll see and hear nothing..." and with eyes grown dim she slowly parted her legs...
The next morning, the student woke in Katerina Nikolayevna's bed. Their affair was discovered when Maria Ilyinishna, the aunt's maidservant, saw the student's shoes beside her bed.
Katerina quickly fabricated a story about her brother being wounded in the war and needing to leave immediately. She left the student a note explaining that all was lost. At three o'clock, she departed for the station, no longer wearing her nurse's headscarf but a pretty hat, leaving the student in despair.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The students journey to his uncles estate
In June, a young student set off from his mother's estate to visit his uncle and aunt. This was a duty he performed every summer to check on his uncle, a general who had lost the use of his legs. He traveled with calm resignation, reading a book in a second-class carriage. The student was dressed in a military-style outfit, though his white peaked cap with a blue band marked him as a student rather than an officer.
Meeting Antigone: First impressions and growing fascination
Upon arriving at his uncle's estate, the student was greeted by his aunt, a large woman with a drooping face and a nose like an anchor. He kissed her hand with feigned joy while inwardly dreading the three days he would have to spend there. As they entered the vestibule, the student was surprised to see his uncle's wheelchair being pushed by a strikingly beautiful young woman in a grey gingham dress with a white pinafore and headscarf.
The General introduced her as his "Antigone," his good guide, though he joked that unlike Oedipus, he was not blind, especially to good-looking women. The young woman merely bowed in response to the student's greeting. After being shown to his room, the student could not stop thinking about her beauty and grace.
While changing clothes, he found himself captivated by the nurse and began to fantasize about her.
Such women really do exist! And what would you give for the love of such a woman! And how with such beauty can you possibly be pushing old men and women around in wheelchairs!
Obsession and opportunity: Seeking moments with the nurse
The student spent about an hour with his aunt and uncle in the latter's study, all the while hoping that Katerina Nikolayevna would appear. When she did not come to serve tea or bring medicine, he grew restless. After leaving the study, he wandered through various rooms of the house and into the park, feeling bored and constantly thinking about the nurse.
At dinner, the student finally saw Katerina again when she wheeled the General to the table, but she immediately left without a word. He wondered where she ate her meals, surely not with the servants. After dinner, he waited for her to return and take his uncle away, hoping for a chance to exchange a few words with her, but again she disappeared quickly after completing her duty.
That night, while preparing for bed, the student discovered a small door in the wall by his bed. Behind it was a second door, locked from the other side. He heard someone moving about and realized it must be Katerina's room. The thought of her nocturnal proximity behind the wall, yet completely inaccessible, made him restless. He slept poorly, waking with thoughts of her still dominating his mind.
Sudden passion: The beginning of a brief affair
The next day was gloomy and rainy. After a dull lunch with only his aunt, the student went to the divan room to browse the bookshelves. As he stood looking out at the rain, he was startled by a voice behind him. It was Katerina, who had come to change a book. She explained that reading was her only pleasure, mentioning her fondness for Maupassant and Mirbeau.
Their conversation quickly turned to the subject of love. When the student commented that all women like Maupassant because everything in his works is about love, Katerina responded with quiet confidence.
"But then what can be better than love?" Her voice was modest, her eyes smiled quietly. "Love, love!" he said, sighing. "There can be some amazing encounters, but..."
The student learned her name and confessed that he had heard her through the wall the previous night. She admitted she had heard him too, chiding him for eavesdropping. Emboldened, he complimented her beauty and seized her hand. She did not pull away but glanced over his shoulder to ensure they were not observed. When he embraced her and moved her toward the couch, she warned that lying down they would see and hear nothing, yet she yielded to his advances. Moments later, their brief passionate encounter ended, and she calmly walked away, commenting loudly about the rain and open windows upstairs.
The next morning, the student woke in Katerina's bed. As he gazed at her lying beside him with her bare arm thrown behind her head, their intimate moment was suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door. It was Maria Ilyinishna, the aunt's maidservant, reporting that something was wrong with the General and an injection might be needed.
Discovery and hasty farewell
The student had fled barefooted to his room, but had left his shoes beside Katerina's bed. Maria Ilyinishna noticed them immediately, her eyes widening like a snake's. Katerina saw both the shoes and the maidservant's reaction.
Maria Ilyinishna's eyes were already becoming rounded like a snake's: while speaking, she had suddenly seen a man's shoes beside the bed – the student had fled barefooted. And she also saw the shoes and Maria Ilyinishna's eyes.
Later that morning, Katerina went to the General's wife and announced she must leave immediately, fabricating a story about her brother being wounded in Manchuria and her widowed father being alone in his distress. The General's wife, already informed by Maria Ilyinishna about what had happened, accepted the excuse with understanding. Katerina then slipped a note to the student: "All's lost, I'm leaving. The old woman saw your shoes beside the bed. Remember me kindly."
At breakfast, the aunt spoke to the student as if nothing had happened, merely mentioning that the nurse was leaving due to family circumstances. At three o'clock, Katerina departed for the station by troika. The student, filled with despair, said goodbye to her on the perron, pretending he had just happened to come out to order a horse to be saddled. She waved a glove to him from the carriage, no longer wearing her nurse's headscarf but a pretty little hat.