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Anna Karenina

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Anna Karenina (rusă: Анна Каренина) este un roman scris de Lev Tolstoi și publicat în foiletoane, în intervalul 1875 - 1877. Cu „Anna Karenina”, atenția lui Tolstoi se îndreaptă spre viața contemporană. În raport cu „Război și pace”, aici sfera de realități și probleme se restrange: este un roman al vieții de familie. „Anna Karenina” este considerat cel mai „cinematografic” roman al lui Tolstoi, beneficiind de numeroase ecranizări. Nefericita Anna a fost întruchipată de actrițe celebre: Greta Garbo (1935), Vivien Leigh (1948), Jacqueline Bisset (1985), Sophie Marceau (1997).

Ca și în „Război şi pace”, cadrul social (aproximativ 150 de personaje) este și aici amplu și atent investigat. Problemele aduse în discuție, ilustrate prin cazul personajelor principale, demonstrate de destinul lor, au un caracter diferit, mai puțin social, mai mult individual, mai nuanțat filozofic: sensul și scopul vieții, condițiile morale ale căsătoriei și vieții de familie, relația dintre viața și moarte, dintre iubire și fericire. Privirile scriitorului se extind însă și asupra unui câmp social vast, cuprinzând intelectuali, negustori, țărani, etc. În primul plan însă rămâne lumea nobilimii, în cadrul căreia, cu subliniate tendințe moralizatoare, Tolstoi ține să pună în relief corupția lumii mondene, a aristocrației citadine, căreia îi este opusă, într-un viu efect de contrast, viața simplă, sinceră, pură, a nobilimii rurale, reprezentată de familia Levin.

În 1873, Tolstoi a început să lucreze la următorul lui roman de mari proporții, inspirat parțial din niște evenimente ce au avut loc la o moșie învecinată, unde amanta respinsă a unui nobil s-a sinucis aruncându-se în fața unui tren. Acest subiect, pe fundalul recitirii poeziilor lui Pușkin copiilor săi l-a inspirat să scrie despre o familie cu adevărat nefericită.

Succesul ecranizării din 1935 a romanului lui Tolstoi a făcut din Greta Garbo imaginea Annei Karenina, cunoscută în toată lumea.

După câteva luni, la finalizarea manuscrisului, în loc să prezinte cartea în forma finală, Tolstoi a decis să dezvolte și să elaboreze textul încă și mai mult. După corectarea și trimiterea acestui exemplar la tipărit, a decis să editeze și să dezvolte textul încă o dată. Stilul lui Tolstoi a fost mereu așa. Fiecare nouă idee îi părea mai strălucită decât cea anterioară și trebuia să revină pe text și să-l corecteze. Totuși, când forma finală a acestui roman ce descria istoria tragică a unei familii a ajuns să fie tipărită, aproape jumătate din text a fost pula, iar întârzierile de tipărire erau inevitabile. În 1877, romanul a fost publicat în cele din urmă în întregime.

„Toate familiile fericite seamănă între ele, fiecare familie nefericită este nefericită în felul ei.” Astfel începe romanul, scris și editat cu minuțiozitate, reflectând modul în care autorul percepea dragostea și tragedia.

Răzvrătita Anna Karenina dă frâu liber pasiunii pentru un ofițer îndrăzneț, contele Vronski, și își părăsește căminul lipsit de dragoste pentru a se arunca în brațele unei iubiri pasionale, dar sortite eșecului. Ea își sacrifică astfel copilul și se supune condamnării de către înalta societate moscovită. Povestea tragică a Annei este întrețesută și contrastează cu idila și căsătoria dintre Constantin Levin și Kitty Șcerbațkaia, foarte asemăntoare cu cea dintre Tolstoi și soția sa. Cautând adevărul, Levin își exprimă opiniile despre societatea contemporană, politică și religie, care sunt adesea considerate ca aparținând autorului.

[modifică] Conţinutul
Este istoria a două iubiri, istorie care se desfășoară paralel, contrapunctic: cea care îi unește pe Kitty și Levin în armonia vieții calme de familie, și iubirea vinovată dintre tânăra soție a bătrânului Karenin și frumosul ofițer, contele Vronski. Rareori în întreaga literatură universală a fost realizat cu atâta finețe și forță de studiu al evoluției sentimentelor - de dragoste pură, de dorință, de suferință, de gelozie, de milă, de remușcare, de obsesii, de disperare - ca cel pe care Tolstoi îl face asupra membrilor triunghiului conjugal. Viața intimă a eroilor se desfășoară pe fondul unor adânci contradicții sociale care le determină în cele din urmă soarta. Problemele sociale fundamentale își găsesc expresia în căutările lui Levin, în incercările lui de a găsi calea cea mai justa în comportare în condițiile dezvoltării capitalismului. Levin suferă la vederea ruinării nobilimii și speră într-o redresare. El se ridică împotriva tendințelor de dezvoltare capitalistă în domeniul agriculturii și luptă pentru găsirea unei limbi comune de înțelegere între mujici și moșieri, în interesul amândurora. Mersul firesc al istoriei contrazice însă teoriile lui Levin și el cade într-un profund pesimism, care-l aduce la un pas de sinucidere. Ca și în „Război și pace”, eroul își capătă liniștea sufletească în urma aflării - tot prin intermediul unui mujic - a „sensului și adevărului” vieții, care pentru el se concretizează în principiul „autodesăvârșirii” morale. Conținutului de idei îi corespunde o măiestrie artistică desăvârșită.
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