Gambrinus by Alexandr Kuprin. Short summary

5 seconds

Violinist Sashka plays at the Gambrinus beer hall. In a Jewish pogrom, he is arrested and returns with a crippled hand. The musician begins to play fans’ favorite tunes on his harmonica.

1 minute

The fiddler Sashka is Jewish. He has been playing for visitors to the Gambrinus beer hall for years. The good-natured and cheerful fiddler is beloved by the audience. Everyone is horrified when they learn that their favorite musician is being taken away to fight in the Russo-Japanese War.

The future soldier gives the violin to an acquaintance and entrusts his beloved dog Belochka to Madame Ivanova, a barmaid. Sashka sends all the money he earns to distant relatives, as he has no loved ones. «Gambrinus» loses its charm without the gifted violinist. He is temporarily replaced by an accordionist.

Sashka’s return from the war unharmed is a joy for the beer house regulars, especially Belochka and Madame Ivanova. But during a Jewish pogrom, Belochka is killed. A quarrel erupts in the beer house between Sashka and the detective Motka Gundosy. The violinist is arrested for three months.

The musician comes back to the native pub with his left arm twisted — he cannot play the violin any more. Sashka takes the surviving hand of the harmonica and plays the familiar «Gambrinus» melodies on it. Art conquers all.