Once upon a time there was an “enlightened, moderately liberal” pisar. Smart parents, dying, left him to live, looking at both. Piskar realized that he was in danger from everywhere: from large fish, from neighbors-piskaray, from a man. Piskar built a hole for himself, where no one except him could fit, at night he swam … Read more
The action takes place in Seville in the “era of beautiful costumes.” Father Don Juan, Tenorio, complains to his father Diego that his son, a twenty-year-old young man, absolutely not interested in women. His soul belongs entirely to geometry. And even in a brothel, he plays chess. This conversation takes place during the masquerade, preceding … Read more
Early spring. The end of the century. In Russia there is a train. In the car there is a lively conversation; merchant, clerk, attorney, smoking lady and other passengers argue about the women’s question, about marriage and free love. Only love covers marriage, says the smoking lady. Here, in the middle of her speech, a … Read more
GD Toro Walden, or Life in the Forest In this book, Thoreau describes his own life, the period when, for two years alone, he lived on the shore of the Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, and, in addition, shares his views on sense of being and about the most rational way of combining spiritual activity … Read more
July 11, 1856 in a room of one of the large St. Petersburg hotels find a note left by a strange lodger. The memo says that its author will soon be heard on the Liteiny Bridge and that no one should have any suspicions. The circumstances are being clarified very soon: at night a certain … Read more
Birth of Cuchulainn Once upon a land of uladov birds of an unknown breed flew and began to devour all the fruits, cereals, grass, all the greenery to the very root. Then, in order to save their livelihood, the ulas decide to equip the nine chariots and set out to hunt the birds. On the … Read more
“Russian man on rendez-vous” refers to the journalism and has a subtitle “Reflections on reading the story of Mr. Turgenev” Asya “. In this article Chernyshevsky gives a broader picture associated with contemporary Russian society, namely, with the image of a “positive hero” of novels and novels, which in some situations shows unexpected negative properties … Read more
On the sea, Grandfather Agafon and Andreika are fishing in the boat. They pull the fish caught in the net. The boy unintentionally releases the carp into the water, for which the grandfather painfully beats his tarred rope. Andrei is an orphan. When his father left for the Kuban and disappeared, the mother, along with … Read more
George Bernanos Under the Sun of Satan Germain Malorty, nicknamed Mushette, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the Campanian brewer, once entering the dining room with a full bucket of fresh milk, felt unwell; parents immediately guessed that she was pregnant. The obstinate girl does not want to say who the father of the future child is, … Read more
The narrator, at the request of M. de P., goes to the Catalan town of Ill. He must examine all the ancient monuments in the area, which will indicate the local lover of antiquity, M. de Peyrorad. On the way the narrator learns from his guide that a copper idol of the pagan goddess has … Read more
MA Bulgakov The White Guard The novel takes place in the winter of 1918-19 in a certain City, in which Kiev is clearly guessed. The city is occupied by German occupation forces, the hetman of “All Ukraine” is in power. However, from day to day the city of Petliura can enter the city – the … Read more
The main hero of the story – Alexander Vasilyevich Maltsev – was considered the best locomotive driver in the depot. He was quite young – about thirty years – but already had the status of a first-class machinist. And no one was surprised when he was appointed to a brand-new and very powerful passenger locomotive … Read more
The action unfolds in a small village on the shore of the Gulf in the Mexican part of California. The protagonist, Kino, the poor pearl-bearer, wakes up in his modest reed hut; next to him his wife Juan and baby Coyotito, sleeping in a box suspended from the ceiling. Having fed the child, Juan again … Read more
Chapter first. Lady Mavra Ermolaevna Mitya Myshkin lived in the village of Zakopanka. When the boy turned ten years old, a misfortune happened – the lady decided to sell the whole Myshkin family. Bidding was in the market in Chudovo, in a row next to the cattle. Krivoy Sawa, who was also sold, taught Mitya … Read more
NS Leskov Lefty After the end of the Viennese Council, the Emperor Alexander Pavlovich decides “on Europe to travel and in different states of miracles to see.” Consisting of the Don Cossack Platov “outlandish” is not surprised, because he knows: in Russia “its no worse”. In the latest kunstkammer, among the “nymphosoria” collected from around … Read more
The governor gathers all the officials of his city and reports that he received a letter from his friend, in which he writes that an inspector is going to come to their city, and incognito. The governor gives everyone orders to put in order all the places of interest – the court, the hospital, etc. … Read more
Plaut Bragging warrior In this comedy, the main thing is not the plot, but the hero, the “boastful warrior”. In the old days in Greece there were no professional soldiers, there were militiamen. And then, when the war became a profession, there were dashing mercenaries who went to serve anyone, even to the ends of … Read more
In the provincial town of S. lives the educated and talented, according to local residents, the Turkin family. The head of the family, Ivan Petrovich Turkin, “a full, handsome brunette with beacons, arranged amateur theatricals for a charitable purpose, played the old generals himself and at the same time he coughed very funny.” He knew … Read more
I-VII This strange, mysterious thing happened on June 19, 19 … Cornet Elagin killed his mistress, actress Maria Sosnovskaya. Elagin was born like an officer – ten generations of his ancestors served. When he was deprived of an officer’s rank, he sobbed. Elagin came from a rich and rich family. His mother, a very exalted … Read more
England, the beginning of the XIX century. Europe is at war with Napoleon, but this does not prevent a lot of people, possessed by ambition, to pursue the pursuit of worldly goods – status, titles, ranks. Vanity Fair, the Bazaar of everyday life Fuss boils day and night. Two young girls leave the boarding house … Read more
Several years have passed. The hero works for glossy magazines. His life is empty. There are no friends, women come and go. He remembers his Friend and decides to find her. For this, the hero again goes to the hotel “Dolphin”. But everything changed there, as if by magic. In place of the old hotel … Read more
The most famous story Garshin. Not being strictly autobiographical, he nevertheless absorbed the personal experience of the writer, suffering from manic-depressive psychosis and suffered an acute form of the disease in 1880. A new patient is brought to the provincial psychiatric hospital. He buen, and the doctor can not remove the severity of the attack. … Read more
The action takes place in Aulis, in the camp of Agamemnon. The yearning king awakens the faithful servant of Arkas. He is extremely surprised by the dejected kind of his master: the descendant of the gods Agamemnon favors in everything – not without reason his daughter wants to marry the unshakable warrior Achilles, the most … Read more
Astrakhan Tsar Timur, his family and power suffered a terrible misfortune: the ferocious sultan of Khorezm defeated the Astrakhan army and, bursting into a defenseless city, ordered the capture and execution of Timur, his wife Elmaz and son Calaf. That under the guise of commoners managed to escape to neighboring lands, but there they were … Read more
“Comparative biographies” – this is 23 pairs of biographies: one Greek, one Roman, beginning with the legendary kings of Theseus and Romulus and ending with Caesar and Antonius, of whom Plutarch heard from live witnesses. For historians, this is a precious source of information; but Plutarch wrote not for historians. He wanted people to learn … Read more
The action refers to the middle of the 16th century, to the period of the Reformation. Michael Kolhaas, the protagonist of the story, earns a living by breeding and selling horses. It is a simple and just man, highly appreciating his honor and dignity. Once he goes to Leipzig and, passing across the border, sees … Read more
G. Senkevich The Flood 1655. The Lithuanian lands that are part of the Commonwealth. Rich and noble nobleman Bilevich, dying, leaves almost all of his estates to the orphan granddaughter, nineteen-year-old blonde and blue-eyed beauty Aleksandra (Olenka), only Lyubich’s estate announces to the son of his friend, the young Croatian Orshansky Andrzej Kmitsits, desperate arrogant, … Read more
In the autumn I wandered with a gun through the fields. A fine and cold rain made me look for some kind of shelter. At the ancient old man who guarded the pea field, I learned the way to the nearest village. Finally, I reached a large village with a stone church. I went to … Read more
A tale of how Lee’s righteous went to the Sky-Gates In ancient times, Li Tsin, the head of the most extensive family, rich and owner of several painted, was to be seventy years old. Chad and his family prepared gifts for him, but the old man asked everyone to give him a piece of strong … Read more
Maxim Gorky Boy Speech from the author. “It’s hard to tell this little story – it’s so simple.” On Sundays, the lyrical hero gathered children in spring and summer, and in the morning took them to nature. “As a shepherd, he walked behind the carefree lambs.” At noon the younger slept, and told the elders … Read more
PO Beaumarchais The Seville Barber, or Vain Precaution On the night street of Seville in the suit of a modest bachelor Count Almaviva waits for the object of his love to appear in the window. A nobleman, tired of court debauchery, for the first time wishes to win the pure impartial love of a young … Read more
Morning. Above Sapun Mountain is an incredibly beautiful dawn: a dark blue sea, a light chill and fog. There is no snow, but the frost still burns his cheeks, and the sound of the sea is interrupted by shots in the city of Sevastopol. When you look at this beautiful city, the thought of a … Read more
To the Sherlock Holmes, the King of Bohemia appeals for help. Once the king had a stormy romance with the famous opera diva Irene Adler, but now he is going to marry a woman of his descent. Irene blackmails his former admirer, threatening to send a compromising photo to the bride’s family and upset the … Read more
PG Wodehouse Code of Wusters The hero of a whole series of Wodehouse’s novels is the young Englishman Bertie Wooster, who is always accompanied by his servant Jeeves. In the novels there is such a kind of comedy of positions, and the characters constantly fall into absurd situations, but with honor come out of them. … Read more
The action takes place in the city on the Volga, at the end of the XIX beginning of the XX century. Sixty years ago, on one of the barges, the wealthy merchant Zaev was served by the Ignat Gordeyev. Strong, handsome and intelligent, he was one of those people who do not think about the … Read more
In effect, he disappeared. Aristotle At the station, Gabrielle meets her niece Zazi, whom he agreed to look out for at the weekend. In the subway, where the girl so much wanted to get into, is a strike, and they have to go home by taxi. Carries their friend Gabriel – Charles. Before they go … Read more
The action of the poem takes place in Finland in about 1807-1808. In the spring, at sunset, two people are talking in front of the hut: the young Finn, the “kind Ed” with “golden eyes” and “pale blue eyes” and the Russian “young hussar”, a guest in her house. They are surrounded by majestic paintings: … Read more
Having defeated a barely passable forest thicket, two young men came to the shore of a dazzlingly shining mountain lake. The first of the travelers is the stalwart strongman and the bouncer Harry March, noticing the admiration of his comrade, said that in comparison with the Great Lakes of Canada this is supposed to be … Read more
F. O’Connor A good person is not easy to find The story takes place in the south of the USA in the state of Georgia. The head of the family, Bailey wants to take her children, the eight-year-old son John, the daughter of June, the wife with the baby and her mother to Florida. But … Read more
October was cold and rainy. Katerina Petrovna became very hard to get up in the morning. She lived in an old house, which was built by her father, a famous artist. The building was of cultural value and was under the protection of the regional museum. There was a house in the village of Zaborje. … Read more
NV Gogol Old-world landowners Afanasy Ivanovich Tovstogub and his wife Pulcheria Ivanovna live alone in one of the remote villages, called Old Rus in the Little Russia. Their life is so quiet that a guest who has unexpectedly come to a low bar-house, drowning in the greenery of the garden, the passions and unsettling worries … Read more
“Sprut” is a work about life and struggle for farmers’ rights of the San Joaquin Valley, created on the basis of a real event – an armed clash between farmers and government officials in the county of Musselslaf in 1880. Poet Presley came from San Francisco to this fertile region, where immense fields of wheat … Read more
Julio Cortázar The game precedes the author’s instruction about the possible double reading of his work: one option is the sequential reading of fifty-six chapters forming the first two parts of the novel, disregarding the third, combining the “optional chapters”; another option is a whimsical order of movement according to the chapters in accordance with … Read more
“Thousand and One Nights” is a collection of fairy tales in Arabic, which became world famous thanks to the French translation of A. Gallan (incomplete, published from 1704 to 1717). The question of the origin and development of the “1001 Nights” has not been fully clarified to this day. Attempts to look for the ancestral … Read more
Spring flip-flops – a revolution in the minds of Dyushka – the main character of the narrative. Literally for one day the boy grew up and began to think about the meaning of life, about the transmigration of souls. The thirteen-year-old tried to solve the problem in mathematics, but she did not give in. At … Read more
The “seducer’s diary” is a part of the most famous book of the Danish philosopher and writer Seren Kierkegaard “Ili-Ili”, sometimes printed and separately, in the form of a novel. In the “Preface” to the book, her imaginary publisher Victor Eremita explains: the notes he publishes are found in the old office he bought on … Read more
Maxim Gorky Grandfather Arkhip and Lyonka While waiting for the ferry, the grandfather Arkhip and Lyonka lay in the shade from the shore cliff and looked at the waves of the Kuban River. Lyonka dozed off, and his grandfather, feeling a pain in his chest, could not fall asleep. Lyonka was small, fragile (he was … Read more
Sasha Sokolov Between a dog and a wolf In the summer from the invention of a pin, five hundred and forty-first, when the month is clear, and you can not keep track of the numbers, Ilya Petrikeevich Dzyzyrila writes to the investigator for special affairs Sidor Fomich the Elder about his life. He complains about … Read more
Pio Baroque Scarlet Dawn The novel takes place in the twenties. On the outskirts of Madrid, which is adjacent to several urban cemeteries, live Manuel Alcazar with the widowed sister Ignacia and settled with them Salvador with a young brother Enrique. Manuel works as a typewriter in the printing house, El Salvador works in the … Read more
The novel begins with an appeal to the reader from the last chronicler-archivist. Then follows the story of how the Foolovites settled down. Previously, they were dumbheads, because they had a habit of treading on their heads with everything that comes in their way. Once they decided to call on the kingdom of a wise … Read more