''The Seven Who Were Hanged'' (russian: Рассказ о семи повешенных) is a 1908 novella by Russian author

Leonid Andreyev Leonid Nikolaievich Andreyev (russian: Леони́д Никола́евич Андре́ев, – 12 September 1919) was a Russian playwright, novelist and short-story writer, who is considered to be a father of Expressionism in Russian liter ...

. The book is believed to have influenced the assassins of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914.

Plot

A minister learns of a foiled assassination plot on him by five leftist revolutionaries, and the trauma this inflicts on his peace of mind. The novella then switches to the courts and jails to follow the fates of seven people who have received

death sentences Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

: the five failed assassins, an Estonian farm hand who murdered his employer, and a violent thief. These condemned people are awaiting their executions by

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging ...

. In

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

, each of the prisoners deals with their fate in his or her own way.

The seven prisoners

Assassin group

*Tanya Kovalchuk. Leader of the terrorist group and motherly figure, who worries more for her friends' fate than her own. *Werner (full name unknown). A morose and internally bitter man, he learns to feel sympathy and love at the novellas end. *Musya (full name unknown). Youngest member of the group, who finds solace in the idea of martyrdom. *Sergei Golovin. Ex officer, who copes with his approaching execution by concentrating on his health and an exercise routine called the Müller system. *Vasily Kashirin. Most terrified of death amongst the conspirators.

Other prisoners

*Ivan Yanson. An Estonian farm hand at a Russian estate. He kills his master and tries to rape the master's wife. He appears confused and mentally weak. *Tsiganok Golubets. A Russian bandit and thief from Orel. He is to be executed for murder and is proud of his brutal acts, acting mostly jovially towards his execution.

English translations

*''Seven Who Were Hanged'' translated by

Herman Bernstein Herman Bernstein ( yi, הערמאַן בערנשטײן, September 21, 1876 – August 31, 1935) was an American journalist, poet, novelist, playwright, translator, Jewish activist, and diplomat. He was the United States Ambassador to Albania and ...

(1909) *''The Seven That Were Hanged'' translated by Thomas Seltzer (1925) *''Seven Hanged'' translated by Anthony Briggs (2016) * The story was dramatised by

Derek Marlowe Derek William Mario Marlowe (21 May 1938 – 14 November 1996) was an English playwright, novelist, screenwriter and painter. Life Derek Marlowe was born in Perivale, Middlesex, and lived there and in Greenford as a child. His father was Fre ...

and performed by the 60 Theatre Group at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1961. A later London production, titled ''The Scarecrow'', won a Foyle award.

Film adaptions

*''Rasskaz o semi poveshennykh'' (Story of Seven Who Were Hanged), dir. Pyotr Chardynin (1920) Russian silent film. *''Balada o siedmich obesených'' (The Seven Who Were Hanged) dir. Martin Hollý (1968) Slovakian black and white film.

References

External links

* *
Full text of the novel
1908 Russian novels Russian novellas Works by Leonid Andreyev Psychological horror {{1900s-horror-novel-stub