Rock Bottom - Donzoko (English spelling) На дне/Na dne

A four-act play by Russian/Soviet writer Gorky. It was conceived in 1900, finished in 1902, and premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre in December of the same year. The story begins with the hopeless lives of the downtrodden - a self-proclaimed baron, a thief, a prostitute, a failed actor, and a couple of locksmiths - staying in a boarding house run by a greedy former soldier. Then Luka, a pilgrim with a shady past, appears and preaches comfort to each of them. He listens to the prostitute's false love story, comforts the dying locksmith's wife Anna by saying "death is rest," encourages the alcoholic failed actor to rehabilitate himself by saying "there are free sanatoriums," and comforts the thief Pepel by saying "even Siberia is paradise," before disappearing without a trace. But his consolation is in vain, the actor hangs himself, Anna dies, the prostitute goes missing, and the thief kills the landlord and is sent to Siberia. Only the drunkard Sachin denies the consolation, crying out, "Man, this, how extravagant it sounds!" The theme of the play is "to raise the question of whether truth or sympathy is better" (the author's words). Although the play is generally gloomy, the dialogue is lively and powerful. In Japan, a certain style was established in the direction of Osanai Kaoru (1910, 1924), which imitated the direction of the Moscow Art Theatre, and it has become an important part of the new theater repertoire.

[Kiyorō Sato]

"The Rock Bottom, translated by Jinzai Kiyoshi (included in the Green Edition of the Complete Works of World Literature I 37, 1962, Kawade Shobo Shinsha)" ▽ "The Rock Bottom, translated by Nakamura Shiraba (Iwanami Bunko)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ロシア・ソ連の作家ゴーリキーの四幕戯曲。1900年に発想、1902年脱稿、同年12月モスクワ芸術座初演。強欲な軍人あがりの男が経営する木賃宿に寝泊まりする零落者たち――自称男爵、泥棒、売春婦、役者くずれ、錠前屋(じょうまえや)夫婦らの希望のない生きざまがまず示され、そこへいわくありげな過去をもつ巡礼ルカーが現れ、ひとりひとりに「慰め」の説教をする。売春婦の嘘(うそ)の恋物語の聞き手になってやり、死にかけている錠前屋の女房アンナを「死は安息だよ」と慰め、アル中の役者くずれには「無料療養所がある」と更生を勧め、泥棒ペーペルには「シベリアだって極楽さ」と慰め、いつの間にか姿を消してしまう。しかし彼の慰めはむなしく、役者は首を吊(つ)り、アンナは死に、売春婦は行方不明、泥棒は木賃宿の主人を殺してシベリア送りとなる。飲んだくれのサーチンだけが慰めを否定し「人間、こいつは、なんて豪勢な響きだ！」と叫ぶ。劇のテーマは「真実がいいか、同情がいいかを提起することだ」（作者のことば）。全体に暗鬱(あんうつ)な劇だが、台詞(せりふ)が生き生きとして迫力がある。日本ではモスクワ芸術座の演出を模した小山内薫(おさないかおる)の演出（1910、1924）で一定の型ができ、新劇の重要レパートリーの一つとなっている。

［佐藤清郎］

『神西清訳『どん底』（『グリーン版世界文学全集Ⅰ　37』所収・1962・河出書房新社）』▽『中村白葉訳『どん底』（岩波文庫）』

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