Chapter
5
The
title of this chapter is “The matter was in Griboedov”.
House
of Griboedov , where the office of MASSOLIT was located, is discussed in great
detail. Bulgakov narrates what all used to take place in that house…like,
providing the best possible facilities to the members of MASSOLIT, which
included the best food, housing in the Writers’ colony in Perelygino, free
travel and holidays to create literary works…..In short this was a place where
the proletarian writers were ‘brought up’. They were kept aloof from the
society and given the best treatment. To possess the Identity Card of MASSOLIT
was a matter of great pride.
Now
come to other things:
Why
Griboedov’s name given to the Building? Bulgakov says that this House belonged
to the aunt of famous writer Griboedov and that he used to read extracts from
his play “Woe from Wit” (GORE OT UMA) to this aunt who would listen sitting on
the sofa in the Hall with Columns. But Bulgakov immediately negates his own
statement by saying, “We don’t know whether Griboedov had any such aunt who
possessed such big, palatial house” and then he says, “whether there was such
an aunt or not, we don’t know…whether he read her extracts from his play or did
not read, we are not sure…may be he read, may be, he didn’t read”
This
is again similar to Berlioz telling the Professor that though his story is
interesting, it does not match with the one given in the Holy Bible…immediately
we infer that the Yeshua-Pontius Pilate episode is not about the real Christ!
Same
thing here.
But
why Griboedov? The building which is referred to here is House of Gertsen..the
name given to it by Bulgakov is Griboedov House. Again the same thing concerned
with thinking/intelligence. Griboedov’s play depicts how an
educated/intelligent/thinking man suffers in the society where others were
illiterates. Here the same thing is referred to for the society contemporary to
Bulgakov.
Ivan
Bezdomnyi arrives in Griboedov- House in search of Professor…
There
were twelve writers waiting for Berlioz (the twelve disciples!)…while waiting
for him in that small, suffocating room. While cursing Berlioz for being late,
they pour out their frustration.
And
when the famous Jazz begins, they come down to have ‘some thing’. Suddenly there
comes the news about Berlioz’s death. The Jazz stops, people stop eating and
drinking for a few minutes and then slowly resume it by saying, how can we help
it? Why to throw away Vodka? He is dead but we are still alive and we should
eat to live. A bitter truth!
Pay
attention to the manager of Griboedov’s house. Bulgakov suggests and then
immediately refutes that he was a pirate! But it is interesting to note the
background of people who were now creating proletarian literature/protecting
proletarian writers.
Note
the reaction of people on seeing Ivan with the Icon, the burning candle
and his funny attire. Note how the manager Archibald Archibaldovich scolds the
watchman for allowing Ivan into the Griboedov. Note the puffy face who was
asking Ivan in his very ear the name of Professor. Note the poet Riukhin.
More
about Riukhin in next chapter.
By
the end of this chapter Ivan is bundled into a truck and taken away to the
Clinic of Dr Stravinsky about which the Professor had already predicted in the
Patriarchy Park.
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