Locations from "Crime and Punishment" novel - part 4.
A place where Svidrigailov "went to America".
First Saturday of July is Dostoevsky Day. It's one of St. Petersburg's literary traditions. l visited some places, took photos - here's "Crime and Punishment" locations - part 5. The corner of Syezhinskaya stree, where Fire Department was and still is.
Quote from the book:
"Thick, milky fog lay over the city. Svidrigailov walked along the slippery, dirty, wooden pavement in the direction of the Little Neva.[...]To the left a tall watchtower caught his eye. “Hah!” he thought,“here's the place; why go to Petrovsky? At least in front of an official witness...” He almost grinned at this new thought, and turned down -sky Street. It was there that the big building with the watchtower stood. By the big locked gates of the building, leaning with his shoulder against them, stood a little man wrapped in a gray soldier's greatcoat and wearing a brass Achilles helmet.(The brass helmets worn by Russian (and not only Russian) firemen in the nineteenth century were descendants of the crested helmets supposed to have been worn by such Greek heroes as Achilles.)[...]
“Zo vat do you vant here?” he said, still without moving or changing his position.
“Nothing, brother. Good morning!” Svidrigailov replied.
“It's de wrong place.”
“I'm off to foreign lands, brother.”
“To foreign lands?”
“To America.”
“America?”
Svidrigailov took out the revolver and cocked it. Achilles raised his eyebrows.
“Zo vat's dis, a choke? It's de wrong place!”
“But why is it the wrong place?”
“Because it's de wrong place!”
“Well, never mind, brother. It's a good place. If they start asking you, just tell them he went to America.”
He put the revolver to his right temple.
“Oi, dat's not allowed, it's de wrong place!” Achilles roused himself, his pupils widening more and more.
Svidrigailov pulled the trigger."
(F. Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment)