place
Vyazma
also: Вязьма
A town in Smolensk province famous for its gingerbread and Shchiptsov's birthplace, which he longs to reach to die as his fatal illness progresses; a symbol of home and origin set against the rootless itinerancy of provincial theater life.
Reading notes
- An Actor's Doom §63 Пряниками прославился
Vyazma was (and remains) famous across Russia for its gingerbread (vyazemskiye pryaniki), a real regional specialty since the 18th century, which Sigayev invokes to comfort the dying Shchiptsov by praising his hometown.