The main character of VN¡¯s play Izobretenie Val¡¯sa (¡°The Waltz Invention,¡± 1938), Salvator Waltz (whose real name we never learn but can guess: Leonid Viktorovich Barbashin) has no cousins. The ¡°surname¡± Val¡¯s (Waltz) clearly hints at Val¡¯singam (Walsingham), in Pushkin's little tragedy Pir vo vremya chumy ("Feast in the Time of the Plague," 1830) the feast¡¯s Chairman who composed Gimn v chest¡¯ chumy (A Hymn in Honor of the Plague). At the end of VN¡¯s play Sobytie (The Event, 1938) the portrait painter Troshcheykin compares a late tea after Antonina Pavlovna's birthday party to pir vo vremya chumy. The name Salvator means ¡°savior.¡± In Feast in the Time of the Plague the Priest mentions svyataya krov¡¯ Spasitelya raspyatogo za nas (¡°the sacred blood of the Savior who was crucified for us¡±):
§Á §Ù§Ñ§Ü§Ý§Ú§ß§Ñ§ð §Ó§Ñ§ã §ã§Ó§ñ§ä§à§ð §Ü§â§à§Ó§î§ð
§³§á§Ñ§ã§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§ñ, §â§Ñ§ã§á§ñ§ä§à§Ô§à §Ù§Ñ §ß§Ñ§ã:
§±§â§Ö§â§Ó§Ú§ä§Ö §á§Ú§â §é§å§Õ§à§Ó§Ú§ë§ß§í§Û, §Ü§à§Ô§Õ§Ñ
§¨§Ö§Ý§Ñ§Ö§ä§Ö §Ó§í §Ó§ã§ä§â§Ö§ä§Ú§ä§î §Ó §ß§Ö§Ò§Ö§ã§Ñ§ç
§µ§ä§â§Ñ§é§Ö§ß§ß§í§ç §Ó§à§Ù§Ý§ð§Ò§Ý§Ö§ß§ß§í§Ö §Õ§å§ê§Ú.
§³§ä§å§á§Ñ§Û§ä§Ö §á§à §ã§Ó§à§Ú§Þ §Õ§à§Þ§Ñ§Þ!
Now I beseech you by the sacred blood
Of the Savior who was crucified for us:
Break up your monstrous feast if you do hope
To meet in heaven beloved souls that you
Have lost on earth. Go to your homes!
In ¡°The Event¡± Troshcheykin and Ryovshin mention Margarita Semyonovna Gofman (Troshcheykin¡¯s late mistress). In his Silhouettes of Russian Writers the critic Yuli Ayhenvald calls Victor Gofman (1884-1911) poet val¡¯sa (¡°the poet of waltz¡±) and quotes Gofman¡¯s most famous poem in which the word val¡¯s (waltz) is repeated several times:
§°§Õ§Ú§ß §Ú§Ù §Ö§Ô§à §Ý§ð§Ò§Ú§Þ§í§ç §á§â§Ú§×§Þ§à§Ó, §ï§ä§à -- §á§à§Ó§ä§à§â§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö §à§Õ§ß§Ú§ç §Ú §ä§Ö§ç §Ø§Ö §ã§Ý§à§Ó, §à§Õ§ß§à§Ô§à §Ú §ä§à§Ô§à §Ø§Ö §ã§ä§Ú§ç§Ñ ("§Þ§ß§Ö §ç§à§é§Ö§ä§ã§ñ, §Þ§ß§Ö §ç§à§é§Ö§ä§ã§ñ §ã §ä§à§Ò§à§Û §à§ã§ä§Ñ§ä§î§ã§ñ §Ó§Þ§Ö§ã§ä§Ö... §Þ§ß§Ö §ç§à§é§Ö§ä§ã§ñ §ß§Ñ§Õ§Ö§ä§î §ä§Ö§Ò§Ö, §Þ§à§Ö§Û §ß§Ö§Ó§Ö§ã§ä§Ö, §ß§Ñ §á§Ñ§Ý§î§é§Ú§Ü §Þ§Ñ§Ý§Ö§ß§î§Ü§Ú§Û §Ü§â§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ó§à§Ö §Ü§à§Ý§î§è§à... §Þ§ß§Ö §Ü§Ñ§Ø§Ö§ä§ã§ñ, §Þ§ß§Ö §Ü§Ñ§Ø§Ö§ä§ã§ñ, §é§ä§à §Þ§í §Õ§â§à§Ø§Ú§Þ §Ó§Ý§ð§Ò§Ý§×§ß§ß§à, §Õ§Ó§Ñ §Ó§Ý§Ñ§Ø§ß§í§Ö §è§Ó§Ö§ä§Ü§Ñ -- §Ó §ã§Ú§â§Ö§ß§Ö§Ó§à§Þ §ã§Ñ§Õ§å; §Ú §ä§Ú§ç§à §ñ §ê§Ö§á§é§å: §à§ã§ä§Ñ§Ó§î §ã§Ó§à§Û §ã§ä§Ö§Ò§Ö§Ý§î §ã§à§ß§ß§í§Û §Ú §á§â§Ú§ç§à§Õ§Ú §Ü§à §Þ§ß§Ö; §Ú §ñ §Ü §ä§Ö§Ò§Ö §á§â§Ú§Õ§å"); §ß§à §Ú§Þ§Ö§ß§ß§à §á§â§à§ã§ä§à§ä§Ñ §Ú §Ü§Ñ§Ø§å§ë§Ñ§ñ§ã§ñ §ß§Ñ§Ú§Ó§ß§à§ã§ä§î §ï§ä§Ú§ç §á§à§Ó§ä§à§â§Ö§ß§Ú§Û §Õ§Ñ§×§ä §à§é§Ö§ß§î §ç§å§Õ§à§Ø§Ö§ã§ä§Ó§Ö§ß§ß§í§Û §Ú §Ñ§â§Ú§ã§ä§à§Ü§â§Ñ§ä§Ú§é§Ö§ã§Ü§Ú§Û §ï§æ§æ§Ö§Ü§ä. §©§Ñ§ä§Ö§Þ §Ü§â§å§Ø§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö §ã§Ý§à§Ó, §Ú§ç §Ó§ã§ä§â§Ö§é§Ñ §á§à§ã§Ý§Ö §á§â§à§Û§Õ§Ö§ß§ß§à§Ô§à §Ü§â§å§Ô§à§à§Ò§à§â§à§ä§Ñ §Ö§ë§× §å§ã§Ú§Ý§Ú§Ó§Ñ§ð§ä §ä§à §Ó§á§Ö§é§Ñ§ä§Ý§Ö§ß§Ú§Ö, §é§ä§à §¤§à§æ§Þ§Ñ§ß -- §á§à§ï§ä §Ó§Ñ§Ý§î§ã§Ñ, §ß§à §Ó§Ñ§Ý§î§ã§Ñ §ã§Þ§ñ§Ô§é§×§ß§ß§à§Ô§à §Ó §ã§Ó§à§×§Þ §ä§Ö§Þ§á§Ö §Ú §Þ§å§Ù§í§Ü§Ñ§Ý§î§ß§à-§Ù§Ñ§Þ§Ö§Õ§Ý§Ö§ß§ß§à§Ô§à. §±§Ñ§Ø §Ú§ß§æ§Ñ§ß§ä§í §Ú §á§â§Ú§â§à§Õ§í §Ó §ã§Ñ§Þ§å§ð §å§á§à§Ú§ä§Ö§Ý§î§ß§à§ã§ä§î, §Ó §Ò§Ö§Ù§å§Þ§Ú§Ö §Ò§Ñ§Ý§Ñ §Ó§ß§à§ã§Ú§ä §Ò§Ý§Ñ§Ô§à§â§à§Õ§ß§å§ð §ä§Ú§ê§Ú§ß§å §Ú §Ù§Ñ§Õ§å§Þ§é§Ú§Ó§à§ã§ä§î §Õ§å§ç§Ñ, -- §Ú §Ó§à§ä §Þ§í §é§Ú§ä§Ñ§Ö§Þ:
§¢§í§Ý §ä§Ú§ç§Ú§Û §Ó§Ö§é§Ö§â, §Ó§Ö§é§Ö§â §Ò§Ñ§Ý§Ñ,
§¢§í§Ý §Ý§Ö§ä§ß§Ú§Û §Ò§Ñ§Ý §Þ§Ö§Ø §ä§×§Þ§ß§í§ç §Ý§Ú§á.
§´§Ñ§Þ, §Ô§Õ§Ö §â§Ö§Ü§Ñ §à§Ò§â§Ñ§Ù§à§Ó§Ñ§Ý§Ñ
§³§Ó§à§Û §ã§Ñ§Þ§í§Û §Ó§í§á§å§Ü§Ý§í§Û §Ú§Ù§Ô§Ú§Ò.
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§¢§í§Ý §ä§Ú§ç§Ú§Û §Ó§Ñ§Ý§î§ã, §Ò§í§Ý §Ó§Ñ§Ý§î§ã §á§Ö§Ó§å§é§Ú§Û,
§ª §Þ§ß§à§Ô§à §Ý§Ú§è, §Ú §Þ§ß§à§Ô§à §Ó§ã§ä§â§Ö§é.
§°§Ü§â§å§Ô§Ý§à §ß§Ö§Ø§ß§í §Ò§í§Ý§Ú §ä§å§é§Ú,
§¬§Ñ§Ü §à§é§Ö§â§ä§Ñ§ß§î§ñ §Ø§Ö§ß§ã§Ü§Ú§ç §á§Ý§Ö§é.
§¢§í§Ý §ä§Ú§ç§Ú§Û §Ó§Ñ§Ý§î§ã §Þ§Ö§Ø §Ý§Ú§á §ã§ä§Ñ§â§Ú§ß§ß§í§ç
§ª §Þ§ß§à§Ô§à §Ó§ã§ä§â§Ö§é, §Ú §Þ§ß§à§Ô§à §Ý§Ú§è,
§ª §Ò§Ý§Ú§Ù§à§ã§ä§î §é§î§Ú§ç-§ä§à §Õ§Ý§Ú§ß§ß§í§ç, §Õ§Ý§Ú§ß§ß§í§ç,
§¬§â§Ñ§ã§Ú§Ó§à §Ù§Ñ§Ô§ß§å§ä§í§ç §â§Ö§ã§ß§Ú§è.
Margarita Gofman¡¯s patronymic seems to hint at Semyon Marmeladov, in Dostoevski¡¯s ¡°Crime and Punishment¡± (1867) Sonya¡¯s father. Is Barbashin-Waltz a cousin of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov? In VN¡¯s novel Priglashenie na kazn¡¯ (¡°Invitation to a Beheading,¡± 1935) the jailer Rodion enters Cincinnatus' cell and offers him tur val¡¯sa (to dance a waltz with him). In Izobretenie Val¡¯sa general Gerb (whose name means ¡°coat of arms¡±) recites a poem by Turvalski (whose name comes from tur val'sa). The characters of IB include Roman Vissarionovich, the lawyer.
As to Waltz¡¯s telemor (Telemort), it brings to mind Garin¡¯s death ray in Aleksei Tolstoy¡¯s novel Giperboloid inzhenera Garina (¡°The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin,¡± 1927) but also seems to hint at Baratynski¡¯s poem Telema i Makar (1826), an imitation of Voltaire's fairy tale Th¨¦l¨¨me et Macare. According to the editorial footnote appended to Baratynski's poem, in Greek Telema means "desire" and Makar, "happiness."
According to Leo Tolstoy (a letter of Oct. 25, 1891, to M. M. Lederle), among the books that had an influence on him at the age of 50-63 (in 1878-91) was Lalita Vistara (the story of Gautama Buddha from the time of his descent from Tushita until his first sermon in the Deer Park near Benares, trad. Ph. E. Foucaux). Its title has been translated as "The Play in Full" or "Extensive Play."
Alexey Sklyarenko