Near Rivoli, or the Whims of Fortune by Bulat Okudzhava. Short summary

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In 1968, Ivan Ivanovich came to Paris for the first time with a tourist group. He visits Montmartre and Notre Dame, buys black and white photos of paintings by great masters from a merchant.

1 minute

In 1968, the forty-year-old Ivan Ivanovich comes to Paris for the first time with a tourist group of Moscow writers. The hero marvels at the beauty of the city. The visitors are accommodated in a cheap hotel, near the Rue de Rivoli. Ivan Ivanovich recalls that before going abroad, they were briefed for a long time on how to behave in the capitalist world.

Once in Paris, Ivan Ivanovich visits Montmartre and Notre Dame with his group. Walking around the square, he notices a stranger offering forbidden goods to everyone. Ivan Ivanovich goes to the trader and sees that he is selling a set of postcards with explicit images of women. Ivan Ivanovich bought the goods and ran to the hotel.

He tried to put on an indifferent face, so that no one would guess anything. When everyone had gone to their rooms before dinner, the man locked himself in and took out the purchase. They were black and white pictures of paintings by great masters of the past, depicting naked women.