Youth by Ivan Bunin. Short summary

5 seconds

A student leads the life of a well-to-do man of high society in St. Petersburg. A gymnasium mate finds him on the outskirts in a tiny seventh-floor apartment where he lives with his mother and sister.

1 minute

The well-dressed student is seen in many rich homes. He is welcomed as one of their own. Always cheerful and amiable, he shows with all his appearance his readiness to oblige. The young man does not miss a single first performance, easily communicates with the youth of high society.

A high school friend of the young man arrives in St. Petersburg. He searches for his friend somewhere on the Shlisselburg highway in huge houses with many tiny apartments. The student lives with his mother and sister on the seventh floor. The comrade takes a long climb up the gloomy staircase and takes a long time to call the apartment.

A gray-haired woman opens the door and, without inviting him to come in, inquires about the reason for his visit. She does not recognize her friend Vitya, but lets him in nevertheless. Victor keeps his narrow, cold room in perfect order and cleanliness. Even his textbooks are laid symmetrically on the table and his clothes are covered with a clean sheet. At home, the student looks serious. He sometimes looks out the window at the dull snowy fields and is sad.