figure
Vanka the cabby
the vanka
also: Petrukha, the cabby
The unnamed night cab-driver of "Vanka" (1883), a generic Moscow "vanka" whose life story -- a spoiled childhood ruined by a thieving uncle -- turns out to be about his own fare.
Reading notes
- Vanka §6 vanka
Generic slang for a cheap night cabman in old Moscow -- not a proper name; the story's ironic title plays on both the type and this particular driver.