1928 Berlin. Bruno Krechmar, a successful connoisseur of painting, who has his wife Annelise and daughter Irma, and who has never betrayed his wife for nine years of marriage, is suddenly carried away by a stranger who meets in the cinema. She works there as a chaplain. Her name is Magda Peter. She was sixteen … Read more
The Artamonovs’ Case Arrived in the city of Dremov Ilya Artamonov – a handsome stately man, told residents that he wanted to build a canvas factory on the riverbank. Earlier Ilya served as prikazychikom princes, got the will, for good service gave him money – that’s arrived to build. He has three sons – Peter … Read more
AIDA Opera in four acts (seven scenes) Libretto by A. Gislanzoni Characters: King of Egypt Amneris, his daughter Aida, slave, Ethiopian princess Radames, the head of the palace guard Rumphis, High Priest Amonasro, the king of Ethiopia, the father of Aida Messenger Bass Mezzo soprano Soprano Tenor Bass Baritone Tenor Priests, priestesses, courtiers, soldiers, slaves, … Read more
Karl Erp, the head of the district library in Berlin, the capital of the GDR, a forty-year-old family man with a nascent abdomen, wakes up in his room with a smile on his face. Reading the book at breakfast, he thinks of Fraulein Broder. After graduating from the library school, she, along with another student, … Read more
A fine man Ivan Ivanovich! What a glorious beak he has! When it gets hot, Ivan Ivanovich will throw off the bekesh, rest in one shirt and look at what is happening in the yard and on the street. Melons are his favorite food. Ivan Ivanovich bites into a melon, and collects the seeds in … Read more
VG Korolenko In a Bad Society The childhood of the hero took place in the small town of Knyazhye-Vieno in the South-Western Territory. Vasya – that was the name of the boy – was the son of a city judge. The child grew, “like a wild tree in the field”: the mother died when the … Read more
Teenagers Simon and Lydia were neighbors around the house in Copenhagen. The boys in the yard shouted that Lydia had a whore’s mother; Lidia teased and tore them, and she was beaten, and she fought back, and one day Simon, unable to stand it, rushed to the offenders, and everything disappeared, there was only pain, … Read more
The novel is a continuation of the “Years of Wilhelm Meister’s Teaching.” The hero who, at the end of the previous book, became a member of the Tower Society (or the Renouncers, as they call themselves), receives from his comrades the assignment to go on a journey. At the same time he is given the … Read more
The narrator yearns for times when “Russians were Russian”, and Moscow beauties wore sarafans, and did not flaunt themselves in Gallo-Saxon dresses. To resurrect these glorious times, the narrator decided to retell the story he had heard from his grandmother’s grandmother. Once upon a time in Moscow a rich boyar, Matvei Andreev, lived in Moscow, … Read more
In the spring morning of 1965, a resident of Dublin, journalist Younger, who turns sixty-five on this day, receives a strange message. Its authors. Celestial Celestials, who are in Eternity, inform him that they have chosen him as the “experimental participant in the experiment,” which gives him the opportunity to live life anew. Celestials chose … Read more
John Wayne Hurry Down The action of the novel unfolds in the fifties. A difficult conversation takes place between Charles Lumley and the landlady. She suspected that something was wrong, it was painful to spend time idly, apparently, does not work anywhere. Overtaken by surprise, the young man on the run composes a criminal story, … Read more
Shorty lived in one fantastic city. They were called short men because they were very small. Each short man was a small cucumber. “Babies and babies: Dunno, Znayka, Dr. Pilyulkin, mechanic Vintik and his assistant Shpuntyk, Sakharin Saharinich Syrupchik, hunter Pulka and dog Bulka, artist Tube, musician Guslya, Toropyzhka, Grumbler, Molchun, Donut, Rasteryayka, brothers Avoska … Read more
In this book, Thoreau describes his own life, the period when, for two years, he lived alone on the shore of the Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, and shares his views on the meaning of being and on the most rational way of combining spiritual activity with providing the necessary material living conditions. The hut, … Read more
The name of the ancient Scandinavian hero – Frithiof consists of two parts: fridh – peace, peace and thjofr – a thief, that is, means “The thief of the world”. The main source of the poem is the Old Norse saga of Fridtjof Smel, which developed in the late 13th or early 14th century. It … Read more
Albert Camus Plague Roman is an eyewitness account of an epidemic of the plague that erupted in 194 … in Oran, a typical French prefecture on the Algerian coast. The narration is conducted on behalf of Dr. Bernard Rie, who led anti-plague activities in the contaminated city. The plague comes to this city, devoid of … Read more
The action takes place in the sixties, during the Cold War, when espionage was one of the main means of fighting between the two hostile political systems. The head of the British residency in East Berlin Alec Limas, after the death of one of his main agents, a member of the SED, Karl Rimek, retires … Read more
Kobo Abe Woman in the Sands One day in August a person goes on a three-day vacation to replenish his collection of insects with rare species found in the sands. He gets on the train to station S, transits to the bus and, getting off at the last stop, goes on foot. He passes the … Read more
Vladimir Tendryakov’s childhood passed in the bleak epoch of post-revolutionary Russia and Stalin’s repressions, all the horror of which remained in his memory a gloomy trace of childhood memories that formed the basis of the story “Bread for a Dog.” Perhaps, it was the effect of children’s impressions that helped the author to describe so … Read more
The abundant island of Sicily, the “horn of Bacchus, the garden of Pomona” is beautiful, its fertile fields are golden, like the white wool of sheep grazing on mountain slopes. But there is a horrifying place on it, “a shelter for a terrible night,” where there is always darkness. This is the cave of the … Read more
The story of Mikhail Sholokhov “The Fate of Man” tells about the life of a soldier of the Great Patriotic War, Andrei Sokolov. The raging war has taken from the man everything: family, home, faith in a bright future. The strong-willed character and firmness of spirit prevented Andrei from breaking down. Meeting with the orphaned … Read more
Wilkie Collins Moonstone Moonstone – a huge yellow diamond – from time immemorial decorated the bosom of the moon god in one of the temples of the sacred Indian city of Somnaut. In the XI century, saving the statue from the Mohammedan conquerors, the three brahmins transported it to Benares. It was there that the … Read more
In the foreword the author informs the reader that these notes belong to the pen of his friend Maksudov, who committed suicide and ordered him to straighten them, to sign by his own name and publish it. The author warns that the suicide had no relation to the theater, so that these notes are the … Read more
The beginning of the last century. A certain traveler, making a trip to Italy, gets acquainted with a sad young man in one of the provincial towns. When a young man becomes ill, the traveler takes care of him, and the one who has recovered grants him his manuscript in gratitude. Confident that the diary … Read more
In the chapter “For the reader”, the author appears as a frontier worker, shaking hands with representatives of all parties and camps. His acquaintances are darkness-darkening, but they have nothing to look for, except “good intentions,” it would be good to understand them. Let them hate each other, but they often say the same thing. … Read more
E. V. Limonov It’s me, Eddie Young Russian poet Eduard Limonov will emigrate with his wife Elena to America. Elena – a beauty and romantic nature, fell in love with Eddie for his, it seems to him, an immortal soul and for his sexual abilities. Edichka and Elena are very fond of having sex, they … Read more
AI Herzen The Soroca-thief Three people are talking about the theater: the “Slav”, cropped in a circle, “European”, “not at all shorn,” and a young man standing outside the parties, cropped under a comb (like Herzen), who suggests a topic for discussion: why Russia does not have good actresses. That the actresses are not good, … Read more
Action first The firm “Friend of a beggar” – the institution of Jonathan Jeremy Pichem. Mr. Picham is concerned that it becomes more difficult to make money in compassion for the unfortunate. People are stale, and the company bears losses. It is necessary to improve the work of equipping the beggars to cause at least … Read more
A. Moravia Chochara Italy, 1943-1944 Cesir is thirty-five years old, she was born in Chocharia, a mountainous area lying to the south of Rome. A young girl she married a shopkeeper, moved to Rome, gave birth to a daughter and at first was very happy – until she did not discover the true face of … Read more
May 5, 1838 a young woman throws a newborn girl into the house of Prince Dmitry Shadursky. The thirty-eight-year-old prince is little surprised at the appearance of the foundling; knowing the way of life of the prince, does not see anything strange in this, and his wife Tatyana Lvovna. Shadursky decides to get rid of … Read more
In the Volyn province, not far from the town of Hlebno, above the winding river is the village of Lozishchi. All its inhabitants bear the surname Lozinsky with the addition of different nicknames. There are legends that once Lozinsky were Cossacks, they had some privileges, but now all this has been forgotten. Osip Lozinsky Oglobla, … Read more
Sasha Sokolov School for Fools The hero studies in a special school for mentally retarded children. But his illness differs from the state in which most of his classmates live. Unlike them, he does not hang cats on the fire escape, does not behave stupidly and wildly, does not spit on anyone in the face … Read more
An accidental shot from a naval gun made by the English lieutenant Bailey Land prevented the capture of the Crimea by units of the Red Army in 1920. And now, during the reign of Brezhnev, the Crimea turned into a prosperous democratic state. Russian capitalism has proved superior to Soviet socialism. Impressive Impressive Simferopol, stylish … Read more
The valley surrounded by mountains, in it huts and altar of Abel. Adam prays at the altar, and his son, Seth, and one of the great-granddaughters, Zelima, speak to each other. Zelima is happy – after all, today Adam must “bring her into the marriage room”, she goes beyond the wise Heman, whom she herself … Read more
B. Sh. Okudzhava Be healthy, the student Mozdok steppe. There is a war with fascist Germany. I’m a fighter, mortar. I’m a Muscovite, I’m eighteen years old, the second day at the front line, a month in the army, and I’m bringing the regimental commander “a very responsible package.” Where this commander is unknown. And … Read more
Jeffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales The general prologue In spring, in April, when the earth wakes from hibernation, on all sides of England flock of pilgrims to the abbey of Canterbury bow to the relics of St. Thomas Becket. Once in Tabard’s tavern, in Sauerk, a rather diverse company of pilgrims gathered, all of whom … Read more
CHARLES GUONE 1818-1893 Gounod is an outstanding French composer, who made a significant contribution to the development of national traditions of democratic art. In his best operas, he strove for a true transfer of the life drama of ordinary people, to a colorful sketch of real life. These features of the plot and the means … Read more
The middle of the XIX century. Privolny, rich in forests and crafts people – the upper Zavolzhie. They live here in labor and prosperity, confessing the old faith. There are quite a few peasants who have escaped to the merchants, that they are called thousandths. One of such rich-thousand-captains Patap Maksimych Chapurin dwells behind the … Read more
On April 15, 1927, in the city of N, the mother-in-law of Ippolit Matveyevich Vorobyaninov, the former leader of the nobility, dies. Before her death, she informs him that in one of the chairs of the living room, the headset left in Stargorod, where they fled after the revolution, all the family jewels have been … Read more
The theme that the poet wants to talk about is sung many times. He himself circled in her poetic squirrel and wants to spin again. This theme can even push a cripple to the paper, and its song will ripple in the sun. In this subject, truth and beauty are hidden. This topic is preparing … Read more
The Prestakov estate. Prostakov curses the serf Trishka, since he incorrectly sewed the caftan to her son Mitrofan. The serf explains that he warned beforehand that he had not studied sewing. Mr. Prostakov, who for a long time entered into obedience to his wife, joins his wife and says that the caftan is ugly. In … Read more
Jorge Amadou Dona Flor and her two husbands A resident of a small town of Salvador in the outskirts of Bahia, Floripedes Paiva Guimaraes, a young hostess of the culinary school “Taste and Art,” becomes a widow. Her husband Valdomiro, nicknamed Gulyak, a drunkard, gambler, womanizer and merry fellow, dies in the color of years … Read more
On the fifth day, I stormed. In white from snow and a cold big house there was a twilight and there was a grief: the child was seriously ill. In the heat, delirium, he often cried and asked him to give him some red bast shoes. Mother, who did not leave the bed, also cried … Read more
The poem “Mtsyri” Lermontov wrote in 1839. Already in 1840 it was published in the collection “Poems of M. Lermontov.” The idea of the work “Mtsyri” appears in the poet at the age of 17, when he is going to write a note of a young monk. During his first exile to the Caucasus in … Read more
In ancient Athens, King Theseus rules. Like Hercules, he had two fathers – earthly, the king of Aegeus, and heavenly, the god of Poseidon. His main feat he committed on the island of Crete: he killed in the labyrinth of the monstrous Minotaur and freed Athens from the tribute to him. Assistant to him was … Read more
Gogol’s story “Taras Bulba” is a part of the “Myrhorod” cycle. There are two versions – 1835, and 1842. Gogol was against the publication of the second version without agreeing with him certain points. However, the story was nevertheless published without copyright. Events in the book “Taras Bulba” unfold around the XVII century. It is … Read more
Menippus tells the Friend of his extraordinary journey, striking the interlocutor with precise data on the distance from the Earth to the Moon, to the Sun and, finally, to the very sky – the dwelling of the Olympian gods. It turns out that Menippus only returned to Earth today; he stayed with Zeus. A friend … Read more
Once a month, old Naum Evstigneevich gets drunk, after which he lies for three days on the stove, is ill and “fights in God.” Now he moans and complains to his lodger, eighth-year-old Yurka. Yurka teaches lessons, and responds to the complaints of the old man: “It was not necessary to get drunk”. From conversation … Read more
The action takes place in Ancient Greece. We meet with the main character at a difficult moment in his life: exiled from his native city – Athens, Agathon is sent to the Middle East. Hobbling in the mountains of Thrace, he accidentally falls on the holiday of Bacchus, celebrated by noble women in this region. … Read more
Erich Kestner Fabian Together with the hero of the novel Jacob Fabian, we live a short period of time – maybe a few weeks or even less. During this period, the hero basically suffers losses – he loses his job, loses a close friend, his beloved leaves him. Finally, he loses his life. The novel … Read more
Coming to the story of the life of his hero, whom the author regards as “great people”, he seeks to convince the reader that greatness – contrary to the widespread misconception – is incompatible with kindness. The author considers absurd and absurd the desire of the biographers Caesar and Alexander of Macedon to attribute to … Read more