V. G. Korolenko, A. I. Kuprin

V. G. Korolenko was born on 27 July 1853 in Zhitomir and died on 25 December 1921 in Poltava; he was a humanist writer who defended the downtrodden. In the sketch «Огоньки» (1900) the narrator rows along a Siberian river on a dark autumn evening. At a bend a light shines under the mountains: it seems very near, but the rower says «Далече!» (“Far!”). They row for a long time, and the light still stands ahead, as near and as far as before. The author sees these “lights” as symbols of the dreams and goals of life: they seem near, but the way is long. The sketch ends with «Но всё-таки... всё-таки впереди – огни!..»: the ellipsis shows that the journey goes on and that hope remains.