“Not by bread alone” Dudintseva in brief summary
Working village in Siberia. The first post-war year. The teacher Nadezhda Sergeevna Drozdova, Nadia, a tall, young, beautiful woman with a constant sadness in gray eyes, hears from her husband about some half-crazy Lopatkin. This eccentric, you see, invented a machine for casting cast-iron pipes and tries to introduce it into production, not realizing that the time of single-geniuses has passed. Husband Nadia listens with confidence – Leonid Ivanovich Drozdov is the director of the plant, he is much older and more experienced than his wife. But soon, when she saw her pupil, Nadya was in the house-dugout of a simple worker Petr Sianov and suddenly meets Dmitry Alekseevich Lopatkin, a tall, lean man with a military bearing and gray eyes of the sufferer. He lives in a tiny room without windows, spending days and nights at the drawing board. Lopatkin tells her how she was born to him, graduate of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty, a former front-line soldier, then a teacher, the
Soon Lopatkin’s efforts bear fruit – after a second consideration of the matter in the ministry, a positive decision was made. And Lopatkin goes to the regional city, where his design project will be finalized in the design bureau. At the same time, Drozdov, having received a post in the ministry, moved with his wife to Moscow.
In the design office Lopatkin cooperates with design engineers Uryupin and Maxyutenko, but soon discovers that designers are trying to design their own car, using his ideas. Lopatkin breaks their plans. Before leaving for Moscow, he receives a letter from Nadi, from which he learns that at the factory they began to make a model of Avdiyev. Lopatkin understands that the struggle is not an easy one. And indeed, at the meeting of the technical council at the central institute “Giprolito” his project with a crash fails Avdiyev’s henchmen – Fundator and Tepikin. Lopatkin uses his usual hand to write a complaint to the ministry. Useless. The complaint comes to his enemies: Drozdov and Deputy Minister Shutik. And again Lopatkin begins his struggle – he writes letters and complaints. Accidentally Lopatkin meets a gray, exhausted old man – a genius, but by the same unrecognized and persecuted inventor, Professor Busko. Busko offers shelter and help. Two inventors begin to lead the ascetic life of single heroes. They get up strictly according to the regime, they have breakfast with tea and black bread and are accepted for work, at exactly twelve Lopatkin leaves the house and passes his daily eight kilometer route, thinking and breathing fresh air; at exactly three, he is already at home, and his lunch is waiting for them – a pot of boiled potatoes and a salted cucumber. Sometimes a bell rings at the door, and neighbors in the communal apartment pass the package from some high authority with another refusal. Carelessly glancing at the paper, the inventors continue their work. Money is earned by unloading carriages and they are spent extremely economically. But one day the postman handed them a packet with a thick bundle of hundred-ruble notes and a note without a signature: “
He began to go to the theater and the conservatory. Chopin’s music, and then Bach helped him formulate important attitudes: a man is not born for fatty food and well-being, it is the joy of worms. Man must be a comet and shine. “Here’s my solution!” Once, at the conservatory, Lopatkin saw a young, beautiful, plump girl with a suede mole and recognized Nadya in it. Their views collided, and Dmitry Alekseevich felt a pleasant gasp. From the conversation with Nadia he learned that she had nothing in common with her husband, Lopatkin’s heroism arouses her admiration, she was the donor of money and is ready to help further. For her there was a constant business – to write on a typewriter and send out at once to several instances applications and complaints of inventors… And now, at last, a multiyear work is finished – a new version of the machine is ready, and Lopatkin decides, that it’s time to reappear on the surface. A familiar secretary makes him meet with the minister. And he, after listening to Lopatkin, ordered the project to be sent to the scientific enemy, Avdiyev. At the new meeting of the technical council, Lopatkin’s project went to cheers. The work on preparation for implementation began to boil. And it was at this moment that the pipes that had been cast by Avdiyev’s car were brought from the factory. The work stops. But Lapatkina’s long-time well-wisher Ph. D. and plant director Galitsky comes to the rescue. Lopatkina is invited for a conversation in an institution, whose director in general form offers work on a secret order. Lopatkin can use his new invention, co-authored with Nadia. He continues to work in “Giprolite”, but in a closed laboratory. And again, at the final stage of the work, there are ominous figures Avdiyev and Uryupin. A denunciation is being written, in which Lopatkin is accused of criminal negligence: he admitted to the secret documentation of an outsider – Drozdov. Lopatkina is tried, sentenced: eight years in prison. It was decided to destroy the papers of the laboratory. But an honest engineer Antonovich saves a handful of documents. Thanks to these documents, the case is being reviewed and Lopatkina is released ahead of schedule after a year and a half. Lopatkin again in Moscow and learns that at the request of Galitsky engineers working under the leadership of Lopatkin, recreated the destroyed drawings and the machine is already built, it successfully produces products. Avdiyev, Shutikov, Uryupin, and others, all overjoyed by their victory, still do not know anything. They have other concerns: serious shortcomings of the car produced under the leadership of Avdiyev were discovered, and the metal was overexploited. And the overexpenditure this brought the country considerable damage. Uriupin suggests Shutiku to apply for changing the standards of metal consumption, that is, to legalize the marriage. At that time it became known about the existence of an economical machine Lopatkin. The offended inventor had the opportunity not only to prove his case, but also to accuse Shutikov, Drozdov and others of deliberate wrecking. Drozdov and the company decide to seize the initiative. An order appears on the ministry, in which the blame for what happened is laid on Uryupin and Maxyutenko, who even tried to hide the marriage and the criminal unprofitability of their car through changing standards. Fundard and Tepikin are also being called to account. Lopatkin’s victory is complete. The minister gives him the opportunity to work in “Giprolite” and guarantees support. Uriupin suggests Shutiku to apply for changing the standards of metal consumption, that is, to legalize the marriage. At that time it became known about the existence of an economical machine Lopatkin. The offended inventor had the opportunity not only to prove his case, but also to accuse Shutikov, Drozdov and others of deliberate wrecking. Drozdov and the company decide to seize the initiative. An order appears on the ministry, in which the blame for what happened is laid on Uryupin and Maxyutenko, who even tried to hide the marriage and the criminal unprofitability of their car through changing standards. Fundard and Tepikin are also being called to account. Lopatkin’s victory is complete. The minister gives him the opportunity to work in “Giprolite” and guarantees support. Uriupin suggests Shutiku to apply for changing the standards of metal consumption, that is, to legalize the marriage. At that time it became known about the existence of an economical machine Lopatkin. The offended inventor had the opportunity not only to prove his case, but also to accuse Shutikov, Drozdov and others of deliberate wrecking. Drozdov and the company decide to seize the initiative. An order appears on the ministry, in which the blame for what happened is laid on Uryupin and Maxyutenko, who even tried to hide the marriage and the criminal unprofitability of their car through changing standards. Fundard and Tepikin are also being called to account. Lopatkin’s victory is complete. The minister gives him the opportunity to work in “Giprolite” and guarantees support. At that time it became known about the existence of an economical machine Lopatkin. The offended inventor had the opportunity not only to prove his case, but also to accuse Shutikov, Drozdov and others of deliberate wrecking. Drozdov and the company decide to seize the initiative. An order appears on the ministry, in which the blame for what happened is laid on Uryupin and Maxyutenko, who even tried to hide the marriage and the criminal unprofitability of their car through changing standards. Fundard and Tepikin are also being called to account. Lopatkin’s victory is complete. The minister gives him the opportunity to work in “Giprolite” and guarantees support. At that time it became known about the existence of an economical machine Lopatkin. The offended inventor had the opportunity not only to prove his case, but also to accuse Shutikov, Drozdov and others of deliberate wrecking. Drozdov and the company decide to seize the initiative. An order appears on the ministry, in which the blame for what happened is laid on Uryupin and Maxyutenko, who even tried to hide the marriage and the criminal unprofitability of their car through changing standards. Fundard and Tepikin are also being called to account. Lopatkin’s victory is complete. The minister gives him the opportunity to work in “Giprolite” and guarantees support. Drozdov and the company decide to seize the initiative. An order appears on the ministry, in which the blame for what happened is laid on Uryupin and Maxyutenko, who even tried to hide the marriage and the criminal unprofitability of their car through changing standards. Fundard and Tepikin are also being called to account. Lopatkin’s victory is complete. The minister gives him the opportunity to work in “Giprolite” and guarantees support. Drozdov and the company decide to seize the initiative. An order appears on the ministry, in which the blame for what happened is laid on Uryupin and Maxyutenko, who even tried to hide the marriage and the criminal unprofitability of their car through changing standards. Fundard and Tepikin are also being called to account. Lopatkin’s victory is complete. The minister gives him the opportunity to work in “Giprolite” and guarantees support.
At a solemn banquet at the institute, Lopatkin meets his undefeated enemies, Avdiyev, Shutikov, Fundator, Tepikin, and he hears from them an offer to drink the world. “No,” he replies, with fervor, “We will fight with you yet!” Lopatkin and Nadya went to the balcony, covered with snow. “What are you thinking about?” Asked Nadia. “About many things,” answered Dmitry Alekseevich, seeing in the dark an endless road that beckoned with its mysterious curves and severe responsibility: “If I tell you:” Let’s go further… ” ? “
Nadya did not answer. Only approached…
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