Antonov Apples by Ivan Bunin. Short summary

5 seconds

The author recalls life in the old homesteads: hunting on the first snow, soulful evenings by candlelight, the old noble way of life, similar to peasant life, and the ubiquitous smell of Antonov apples.

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The author recalls the warm autumn days in the village and the smell of Antonov apples, which are poured into barrels by hired workers. On holidays, villagers come to the orchard. The owner cheerfully and jokingly sells apples. In the fall, in a good harvest year, the village is transformed: people walk around happy and well-dressed.

There are many long-livers and wealthy peasants in Vyselki. The author sometimes finds the life of a peasant pleasant and similar to the ways of the old gentry. He often visits his aunt’s estate, where serfdom is still felt. Anna Gerasimovna’s house also smells of Antonovka.

By October, the weather changes: wind and rain stroll through the gardens. It’s hunting time. The writer hunts with a noisy company led by his uncle Arseny Semenovich. All this is already in the past. The smell of apples disappears from the estates. The estates are getting smaller, but life there is just as attractive. Neighbors gather for hunting at the first snowfall, and in the evening they sit in some hut by candlelight. Someone sings with a guitar, and the others pick up on it.