In the club of a large industrial city – sold-out. The hall is packed full, people are standing in the aisles. The event is uncommon: a novel by a young local writer has been published. Participants in the readership conference praise the debutant: workdays are reflected accurately and brightly. The heroes of the book are … Read more
IOLANTA Lyrical opera in one act1 Libretto by M. I. Tchaikovsky Characters: Rene, the King of Provence Robert, Duke of Burgundy Vaudemont, Earl, Burgundian Knight Ebn-Hakia, a Moorish doctor Almeric, the squire of King René Bertrand, the gatekeeper of the palace Iolanthe, daughter of King René (blind) Marta, Bertrand’s wife, Iolanthe’s nurse Bass Baritone Tenor … Read more
Among the main gods, the Egyptians especially singled out a married couple – Osiris and Isis. Osiris was revered for teaching the Egyptians various crafts, treatment, showing how to build cities and houses, to grow cereals and grapes. Isis was the goddess of fertility. It was addressed to women with the help of the birth … Read more
Saul Bellow Duke Fifty-year-old professor of history and literature Moses Herzog wrote letters, wrote decisively to everyone in the world – people personally familiar and unfamiliar, living and deceased, relatives of former and existing, thinkers and presidents, publishers and fellow workers, church leaders and so on, to no one specifically, and then, happened, to himself … Read more
The action takes place in the 1850s. On the Texas prairie there are vans going – it’s moving from Louisiana to Texas, the ruined planter Woodley Poindexter. He is accompanied by Henry’s son, daughter Louise and nephew, retired captain Cassius Colhoun. Suddenly they lose track – before them scorched prairies. The path of the caravan … Read more
It was a long time ago, maybe forty years ago. In the early autumn, I returned from fishing on a mown meadow and near a small, dried-up boschazhina, overgrown with a tamnik, over a summer, I saw a bird. She heard me, sat down in a sloping bristle of sedge, hid, but my eye felt, … Read more
The action takes place in London, at the end of the XIX century Mr. Utterson, a notary, was a self-contained man, taciturn and awkward in society, and yet very sympathetic. He was strict with himself, but he showed indulgence to the weaknesses of his neighbors, preferring to help, not to blame. So he often had … Read more
Lucian Icaromenipp, go Zaoblachny flight Menippus tells the Friend about 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 sky – the dwelling of the gods of the Olympians. It turns out that Menippus only returned to Earth today; … Read more
Yu. G. O’Neill The Moon for the stepsons of fate Events take us to Connecticut, the farmer’s house, Phil Hohen. The action takes place in early September 1923 and at the dawn of the next day. The three sons of Hogan fled from the house in turn, very disagreeable in the father’s way, and the … Read more
The tragedy takes place in the Netherlands, in Brussels, in 1567-1568, although in the play the events of these years unfold in a few weeks. In the city square, the townspeople compete in archery, they are joined by a soldier from the army of Egmont, he easily beats everyone and treats himself at his own … Read more
I moved to an old house in the center of Broadway. The upper floors of the house where I rented an apartment have long been empty. It was the realm of dust and cobwebs, solitude and silence. I was confused by the silence and neglect of the house, as if I disturbed the peace of … Read more
The tragedy “Boris Godunov” by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was written in 1824 – 1825. In the work the author described the historical events of 1598-1605 that took place in the Russian state, namely the rule of Boris Godunov and the invasion of False Dmitry. Stylistically, the drama is close to the historical chronicles of W. … Read more
Poor district of Petersburg 60’s. XIX century, adjacent to the Haymarket and the Catherine Canal. Summer evening. Former student Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov leaves his closet in the attic and assigns to the old woman the interest-bearing Alena Ivanovna, who is preparing to kill, the last valuable thing. On the way back, he goes into one … Read more
On the shore, near the ferry, stood a small wooden board house. In the room ferryman Cyril slept and a boy of 10 Vasya. Early in the spring, Vasya’s mother brought Kirill to her house. Vasya worked only for bread. Early in the morning they knocked on the house and asked for a ferry. Cyril … Read more
“There were times worse, But there was no base”, – the author reads about the 70s. XIX century. In order to see this, it is enough to look into one of the expensive restaurants. In the hall number 1 dignitaries gathered: the jubilee of the administrator is celebrated. Among the main merits of the jubilee … Read more
“Sandro from Chegem” is a cycle of 32 stories united by a place, and distant ones – Moscow, Russia, etc.), time and heroes: the inhabitants of the village of Chegem, in the center of which there is the Khabuga family and Uncle Sandro himself, as well as some historical characters from the times of Uncle … Read more
NR Erdman Suicide The play takes place in Moscow in the 20’s. our century. Semen Semenovich Podsekalnikov, unemployed, awakens his wife Marya Lukyanovna at night and complains to her that he is hungry. Marya Lukyanovna, indignant that her husband does not allow her to sleep, although she works all day “like a horse or an … Read more
AM Volodin The elder sister In Leningrad, there are sisters – Nadia and Lida Ryazayev. They early left without parents and grew up in an orphanage. Now Nadia works at a construction site and studies in a technical school. Lida is a schoolgirl. Having come home one day, Nadia finds Lida’s friend at the school … Read more
Everything happens in the 20s of the 20th century in a six-room apartment Zoya Pelts, a thirty-five-year-old widow. Snei in the apartment lives a young maid Maynushka, which Zoya gives out for her niece, so that her apartment is not “condensed.” In the window of the May evening, Zoya dresses in front of the mirror. … Read more
The action takes place in the XVII century. in Madrid. Arrived in the city, Don Manuel and his servant Cosme are looking for the house of don Juan. Don Manuel and don Juan studied together and fought together, they are old friends. On the street there are two ladies whose faces are covered with veils. … Read more
L. N. Tolstoy Resurrection No matter how people try to gather together in one small place several hundred thousand, mutilate the land on which they huddle, no matter how they pile stones on the ground, so that nothing grows on it, no matter how scraping any trampling grass, no matter how fumed with coal and … Read more
Iyon the Quiet is a famous explorer, captain of long-distance galactic navigation, a hunter for meteors and comets, a tireless explorer who discovered eighty thousand three worlds, an honorary doctorate of the Universities of the two Beards, a member of the Trusteeship of Small Planets and many other societies, a gentleman of milky and nebulae … Read more
Two friends decide if they do not climb a tree to eat chestnuts. Proposed this idea Fedyusha, but Senyusha objected that the tree is very tall, just so it does not climb. Then Fedyusha suggested the idea that a friend put him on the nearest branch so that he could collect chestnuts for two. So … Read more
Grigory Yakovlevich Baklanov (real name Fridman, September 11, 1923, Voronezh – December 23, 2009, Moscow) is a Russian Soviet writer. In 1941 he left for the front as an ordinary soldier. He fought on the North-Western Front in the 387th Artillery Regiment of the 34th Army. From the front he was sent to the artillery … Read more
In the hot summer afternoon the mouse prince Krokhobor drank water from the swamp and met the frog king of Vzdulomord there. He turned to him, as Homer turned to Odysseus: “Wanderer, who are you from what kind of family?” And came from where? ” Word for word, they met, the frog planted a mouse … Read more
Canteen. Morning. A set table with a snack. The action takes place in the estate of the leader of the local nobility. Nikolai Ivanovich Balagolayev invited one of his neighbors, a judge and a former leader in the morning, to resolve the dispute between Kaurova, the 45-year-old widow of the lieutenant and her brother, landowner … Read more
J. F. Cooper Deerslayer, or First Warpath Overcoming 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 … Read more
Mikhail Pryaslin stayed with his sister Tatyana in Moscow. It seems that he was in communism. The dacha is a two-storey, five-room, car. Arriving, he himself began to wait for his brother Petya and Grisha to visit. I showed them my new home. And in the house a polished sideboard, a sofa, a carpet, curtains … Read more
Standing three hundred odd years on the banks of the Angara, Matera saw everything in her lifetime. “By the time of the Angara, the bearded Cossacks ascended the Irkutsk jail up past the Angara, the trading people who were scurrying to and fro on that side, were tugging at it for the night, carrying convicts … Read more
Who in Baghdad does not know the great Giaffar, the sun of the universe? Once, many years ago, he was still a young man, Giaffar was walking around Baghdad. Suddenly a hoarse scream reached his ears: someone was desperately crying for help. Giaffar differed between his peers with prudence and thoughtfulness; but his heart was … Read more
In the beginning of spring 1857 the spouses of Volgina stroll through Vladimirskaya Square in St. Petersburg. Twenty-nine-year-old journalist Alexei Ivanovich Volgin is ugly, clumsy and seems to be a phlegmatic. His wife, twenty-three years old Lydia Vasilievna Volgin, on the contrary, is attractive, curious and used to produce the effect. During the walk, Volgin … Read more
In the big house on Gorokhovaya Street, in one of the apartments the main character of the novel lives – Ilya Ilich Oblomov. He is about thirty-two or three years old, his height is average, his appearance is pleasant, his eyes are dark gray, but they completely lack any idea, while in the whole face … Read more
AP Chekhov Vanka “Vanka Zhukov, a nine-year-old boy, given three months ago to study with the shoemaker Alyakhin, did not go to bed on Christmas Eve.” He wrote a letter to his grandfather Konstantin Makarych. Vanka is an orphan. He thinks about his grandfather – a 65-year-old “skinny and brisk old man with a cheerful … Read more
Nicholas comes to Moscow and feels the changes taking place inside him. He begins to experience not only his emotions, but also for others and their problems. He is very happy that he managed to find the strength to forgive his brother, because they were in a quarrel over a trifle. Nicholas could feel and … Read more
The mysterious narrative is preceded by an appeal to the Dream, the “air companion of young days”, whose presence promises a sweet recollection. The first ballad. Thunderbolt In time immemorial over frothy Dnieper sat, twisting, Gromoboy. He curses his sad lot, a beggarly and homeless life, with which he is ready to settle the scores. … Read more
“Well, let’s go, for God’s sake!” Sky, fir and sand – Hey! sit down to me, my friend! So the driver invites the schoolchildren to drive him to the school, which is often far from a small village, in a large village. Then the author gives a description of the one who rushed for knowledge. … Read more
The scene of action is Bonn, the time of action roughly coincides with the date of creation of the novel. The very narrative is a long monologue by Hans Schnir, a comic actor or, more simply, a clown. Hans is twenty-seven years old, and he recently survived the heaviest blow of fate – he left … Read more
Material on the history of Emelian Pugachev, belonging to AS Pushkin, was collected for a long time. He was interested in the question of the largest uprising of the people on the territory of the Russian Empire. In the novel entitled “The Captain’s Daughter” on the basis of historical material, the destiny of the Russian … Read more
Chapter first The portrait of the main character – Eugene Onegin, his brief biography, a description of habits and inclinations is given. Briefly shows his usual pastime. The author outlines the customs of the “high society” and tells how Onegin, not finding himself in the hectic life of St. Petersburg, fell ill with one of … Read more
Italy of the XIX century. Aristocrat Vanin Vanini falls in love with an ardent young revolutionary who escaped from prison. Their feelings are mutual, but Pietro has to make a choice between love and duty to the Motherland… In the spring evening of 182 … the banker, the Duke de B, gave a ball, to … Read more
The novel is a story of the life and aspirations of a Danish intellectual, a contemporary of Jacobsen, whom the author carries over a generation ago – about twenty years. The book opens with a description of the characters of the hero’s parents: his mother is an enthusiastic romantic soul living in a world of … Read more
The tragic story of the artist Chartkov began before a shop in the Shchukinsky yard, where, among the many paintings depicting peasants or landscapes, he discerned one and, having given the last twenty-ruble for her, brought home. This is a portrait of an old man in Asian clothes, it seemed unfinished, but seized by such … Read more
Melnik Alexei Biryukov, a huge, middle-aged man with a clumsy figure and face, smoking a pipe at the threshold of his house. Despite the cold and damp weather, he was dressed easily – apparently, his thick-skinned, “stale as a corn” body did not feel cold. Small, swollen eyes on his red, fleshy face looked sullenly … Read more
While in the “smoke” of Turgenev Potugin said that Venus de Milo is undoubtedly the principles of the 89th year. You can ask about the meaning of the word “undoubted”. This word means that on one line there are principles, and Venus Milo, and village teacher Tyapushkin. Recently I went to the governor’s city. There … Read more
LI Tik Blond Eckbert The action takes place in the German city of Harz in the Middle Ages. Blond Eckbert, a knight of forty, lives with his wife Bertha. They love each other, but they have no children. They live in seclusion, their guests are rare, except for a friend of the family Philip Walter. … Read more
BP Ekimov HOLYUCHINO farmstead The glory of the strongest owner on the Don khutor Vikhlyaevsky is firmly held by the one-legged Kholyusha, according to the passport, Bartholomew Vihlyantsev, seventy years of age. So he survived until the moment when they allowed the peasants, “so all the more kept.” And then, after all, the cunning had … Read more
Maxim Gorky Spouses of the Orlovs The story begins with a description of a terrible fight between the Orlovs in their apartment, which is located in the basement of the old and dirty house of the merchant Petunnikov. Behind the fight watches the whole yard led by Senka Chizhik – pupil of the painter – … Read more
A young man, Mr. Bennet, who is an assistant to the famous professor Presbury and the groom of his only daughter, turns to Sherlock Holmes for help. Professor Presby, the famous European scientist, whose life is the first place in science, is a widower with an impeccable reputation. A few months ago, a professor who … Read more
RB Sheridan Rivals Brave Captain Jack Absolute is in love with the charming Lydia Langwish, and his friend Fockland has a passion for her cousin Lydia Julia. The girls respond to the fans with fervent reciprocity, and, it seems, nothing prevents the cloudless happiness of the heroes. But this happiness was in jeopardy, as the … Read more
B. Blasco Ibáñez Blood and Sand The life of the torero Juan Gallardo begins at the moment when the hero is at the zenith of fame. Not knowing defeats, the favorite of the public comes from his native Seville to Madrid for the opening of the spring season. This is not the first performance of … Read more