That Spark of Life facts for kids

"That Spark of Life" (Russian: Живинка в деле, tr. Zhivinka v dele) is a short story by Pavel Bazhov. It was first printed in a newspaper called Krasny Borets in October 1943. Later, it became part of his famous book, The Malachite Casket collection. In the 1950s, Eve Manning translated it into English.

This story is one of the most popular from the collection. It even created a Russian catchphrase "spark of life." This phrase means "creativity," "initiative," or having a "great interest in something." In 1968, a film called Tales of the Ural Mountains (Russian: Сказы уральских гор, tr. Skazy uralskikh gor) included a live-action version of "That Spark of Life."

How the Story Was Published

The story "That Spark of Life" first appeared in the newspaper Krasny Borets on October 17, 1943. It was also published in Uralsky Rabochy on October 27, 1943.

A famous Soviet poet, Demyan Bedny, helped get the story published in bigger newspapers. He loved the story very much. In a letter, he called it "a small masterpiece" and "a charming little thing!" He helped it get noticed by the editors of Pravda, a very important newspaper.

The story was eventually published in both Pravda and Trud on November 21, 1943. It was then added to The Malachite Box collection in 1944.

What the Story Is About

The main character is a young man named Timokha Maloruchko. His name means "Smallhand." Timokha is very quick to learn new things. He is good at almost everything he tries. He decides he wants to try every single job in his area.

Other people try to tell him that it's better to be really good at one job. They say that no one lives long enough to master everything. But Timokha doesn't listen. He makes a plan for himself. He plans to spend two winters learning to cut trees. Then, two springs for floating logs down rivers. After that, two summers for looking for gold. He also plans to try mining, factory work, farming, hunting, fishing, and even cutting gems.

People laugh at his big plans. But Timokha is hardworking and smart. So, everything goes well for him. He slowly tries many different jobs. He gets married and has children. One day, he decides to try making charcoal. His wife thinks it's a dirty job and there's nothing special to learn.

Timokha finds an old master named Nefyod. Nefyod is known for making the best charcoal around. He loves his job very much. Nefyod agrees to teach Timokha. But he has one rule: Timokha must not leave until he can make charcoal better than Nefyod himself. Timokha agrees to this challenge.

Timokha watches and learns from Nefyod. He starts to like both Nefyod and the job. Timokha learns how to make the best charcoal. But, to his surprise, he doesn't want to leave. Nefyod tells him: "You'll never go anywhere else now, lad. You're caught wi' the spark of life, and it'll keep ye till your death. [...] You always looked down, looked at what ye'd done; but when you started to look up, to look for ways to do it all better, then that spark caught ye. It's there in every sort of work, it runs ahead of skilled mastery and beckons a man after it."

Timokha continues to work as a charcoal burner. After Nefyod passes away, Timokha becomes the best charcoal master in the area.

Main Ideas of the Story

"That Spark of Life" was written during World War II (1941–1945). During this time, the author, Pavel Bazhov, started writing more realistic and patriotic stories. He felt it was his duty to write about his country.

When Bazhov talks about the "spark," he means a creative spark. It's about being passionate and wanting to do your best. Bazhov really admired skill, hard work, and a desire to learn. He believed these were important qualities of the people in the Ural Mountains. He often wrote about amazing craftsmen. Most of his stories are about the skills, creativity, and good qualities of the Ural miners. Bazhov believed that anyone could become an expert, even in the dirtiest or lowest-paying jobs.

The teacher who shares his knowledge is a special character in Bazhov's stories. The teacher, like old master Nefyod, should not just be copied. Instead, they should inspire you to be creative. Before meeting Nefyod, Timokha tried many jobs. But his knowledge was not deep; he wasn't a true master. Nefyod teaches Timokha to look for the "spark" in his work. Bazhov thought that every craftsman should also be an artist at heart. You can see similar ideas in another story called "Ivanko Krylatko".