Her Lover
The story "Her Lover" by Maxim Gorky is about a student who lives near a woman named Teresa. Teresa is known for being of questionable reputation and is tall, muscular, and has a deep voice. One day Teresa comes to the student and asks for help in writing a letter to her lover Boles. The student agrees and is surprised to learn that Boles has been Teresa's lover for six years. Later, Teresa comes back to ask the student to write a letter from Boles to a woman named Teresa, who is similar to herself. The student agrees to write the letter but feels uncomfortable about it. The story ends with the student wondering about the relationships and lives of the people around him.
The narrator of the story is a student living in Moscow who shares a building with a woman named Teresa, who is known for her questionable reputation. Teresa is a tall, muscular woman with a coarse face and a brutish demeanor. Despite his revulsion towards her, the narrator endures living in the same building due to the comfort of his living quarters. One day, Teresa asks the narrator to write a letter to her lover, Boleslav Kashput, who she claims is a faithful young man who has been her lover for six years. The narrator writes the letter for her but is repulsed by the language Teresa uses to describe herself and her relationship. Later, Teresa asks the narrator to write a letter to a woman named Teresa from her acquaintance, who has a lover just like Teresa. The narrator agrees to write the letter and is surprised when he realizes that Teresa is illiterate. He writes the letter for her, and she thanks him, leaving him feeling disturbed by the encounter.