Sredni Vashtar
- For the film, see: Sredni Vashtar (film)
"Sredni Vashtar" is a short story written by Saki (Hector Hugh Munro) between 1900 and 1911 and initially published in his book The Chronicles of Clovis. It has been adapted for opera, film, radio and television.
The story concerns a ten-year-old boy called Conradin, who lives with his strict cousin and guardian, Mrs. De Ropp. Conradin rebels against her and invents a new religion for himself, which centres on idolising a polecat-ferret he calls Sredni Vashtar; a vengeful, merciless god. Conradin keeps the polecat hidden in a cage in the garden shed, and worships the idol in secret. The story comes to a climax when his cousin sets out to discover his god.
Adaptations
"Sredni Vashtar" has been adapted as a chamber opera three times. In 1988 the composer Robert Steadman and the author Richard Adams wrote the 75-minute Sredni Vashtar.[1] In 1996 Cuban-born composer Jorge Martin and librettist Andrew Joffe with the American Chamber Orchestra produced Beast and Superbeast, a group of four chamber operas based on stories by Saki, including "Sredni Vashtar".[2] Martin also composed a Piano Fantasy on Sredni Vashtar [3] In 2010 the story was again adapted by Nicholas Pavkovic and Jim Coughenour and performed at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
This story was adapted for American television and aired on a ghost anthology series called Great Ghost Tales, in the summer of 1961. It was the basis of the 1979 horror film The Orphan, also known as Friday the 13th: The Orphan, by the director John Ballard. In 1981, the short film Sredni Vashtar by British director Andrew Birkin won a BAFTA award and was nominated for an Oscar.[4] In 2003 Angela M. Murray produced a version of the story in the Tartan Shorts series for the BBC, set in Scotland and including shadow puppetry.[5] "Sredni Vashtar" was further adapted with two other Saki stories for a 2007 broadcast on BBC4 titled Who Killed Mrs De Ropp?[6]
This story also inspired film directors of the Czech Republic three times: Vaclav Bedrich made a cartoon film in 1980, Martin Faltyn made a graduating featuring movie in 1981 (graduating VGIK) and in 1995 also Pavel Marek made this story like a graduating film on FAMU.[7]
It was adapted as a single narrative song for the Musical "Saki Shorts" by John Gould and Dominic McChesney. The one serious item in the show, it stays faithful to the story with the addition of a twist at the last line that hints it is being sung by (the adult) Conradin himself.
Plot
Conradin, a sickly ten year old boy who lives with his cousin and guardian, Mrs. De Ropp, secretly takes care of a polecat-ferret whom he calls Sredni Vashtar. He invents a religion of his own with Sredni Vashtar as the god of the religion, a merciless and vengeful god. Mrs. De Ropp notices that Conradin has been visiting the shed (where the ferret and a Houdan hen lives) in the garden and announced to Conradin that the hen was sold and taken that night. Destressed, Conradin begs his god to do something for him. His cousin noticed again that the visits did not cease and decided to clear out whatever Conradin was keeping in the shed. Conradin was ordered to stay in the house and he defiantly calls out a hymn: "Sredni Vashtar went forth, his thoughts were red thoughts and his teeth were white. His enemies called for peace, but he brought them death. Sredni Vashtar the Beautiful. " Later, he sees the ferret with dark wet stains around its mouth taking a drink. While people screamed outside, Conradin made himself a piece of toast.
References in pop culture
The name "Sredni Vashtar" plays an important role in Raymond Postgate's 1940 mystery novel Verdict of Twelve.
The Burning Season, the 2003 studio album by the Gothic rock band Faith and The Muse, features a song titled "Sredni Vashtar."
The Seattle punk band Steel Tigers of Death also has a song titled "Sredni Vashtar." The lyrics reference the story, including the chorus, "Sredni Vashtar, do one thing for me! Sredni Vashtar, kill!"
Wevie Stonder's 2002 album Drawing on Other People's Heads includes a track called "Shredni Vashtar" [sic], in which a woman's voice recites some lines from the short story.
Stephen Fry references the story in The Liar (novel).