Books
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A summary of Andrei Amalrik’s "Rasputin"
This documentary novel by Soviet historian and dissident Andrei Amalrik, completed in the late 1970s, is a meticulous study of the phenomenon of Grigori Rasputin and his influence on the collapse of the Russian Empire.
"The Russian People and the State" by Nikolai Alekseev, summary
Nikolai Alekseev’s treatise was written in exile after the 1917 Revolution. The work explores in detail the political worldview of the Russian masses, sharply distinguishing it from the Westernizing views of the upper classes.
"On the Properties of Things" by Bartholomew English, summary
"De proprietatibus rerum" ("On the Properties of Things") is a medieval encyclopedia compiled around 1250 by the Franciscan monk Bartholomew Anglia (born c. 1190).
"Heat" by Lucy Taylor, summary
Published in 1995 in the landmark collection "Safety of Unknown Cities," this short story is a masterpiece of extreme horror and transgressive prose, exploring the connection between pyromania and masochistic sexual desire.
"The Tale of Rama, Sita, and the Flying Monkey Hanuman" by Svyatoslav Sakharnov, summary
This literary retelling of the ancient Indian epic "Ramayana" by Soviet writer Svyatoslav Sakharnov is an adaptation of this monumental work for a general readershipThe text preserves the basic plot of the heroic narrative, removing the complex philosophical digressions of the original and focusing on the dynamic events, ethical dilemmas, and battle scenes.
Avant-garde in Russian Literature: Main Representatives and Works
The Russian literary avant-garde of the early 20th century became a phenomenon that radically changed the concept of poetry and the boundaries of artistic creativityThe movement spanned the period from 1908 to the first half of the 1930s, giving rise to numerous literary groups and talented authors who experimented with language, form, and content.
Dystopian elements in Yevgeny Zamyatin’s "We" and their influence on Russian literature
In 20th-century Russian literature, Yevgeny Zamyatin’s novel "We" occupies a special place as an architectural blueprint for a totalitarian model of the futureCreated in 1920, the work not only reflected the realities of War Communism but also articulated key elements of the dystopian genre, which subsequently became canonical in world literature.
Aeschylus’s "The Suppliants," a summary
The Suppliants is one of the oldest surviving tragedies by Aeschylus, dedicated to the theme of refuge and divine protection.
How did contemporaries react to Pushkin’s novel "The Captain’s Daughter"?
The novel "The Captain’s Daughter" proved to be a work of paradoxical fate. Published in the poet’s final days, it was met with near-death silence from the reading public. The very text that would later be recognized as the pinnacle of Pushkin’s prose seemed to go unnoticed by his contemporaries.
Existentialism in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground occupies a special place in the history of world literature and philosophical thought. Created in 1864, the work became a kind of bridge between the Russian realistic tradition of the 19th century and the existential philosophical trends of the 20th century.
Leo Tolstoy and his philosophical views in "War and Peace"
This is a monumental work that embodies the author’s profound philosophical ideasThe novel is a synthesis of artistic narration, historical research and philosophical treatise, in which Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy) sets out his views on the nature of history, free will, the meaning of life and human morality.
Russian Futurism: Main Ideas and Representatives
Russian Futurism was a vibrant and distinctive artistic movement of the early 20th century that became one of the most important trends in the Russian avant-gardeThis literary and artistic movement emerged in Russia in the 1910s and united poets, writers, and artists who sought to create a new language of art that would meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
Symbolism in Russian poetry of the early 20th century
Symbolism was the first and most significant modernist movement in Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, also known as the Silver Age of Russian literature.
Social Criticism in Ivan Turgenev’s Novel "Fathers and Sons"
The novel Fathers and Sons by IS. Turgenev is a multifaceted artistic study of the social contradictions of Russia in the mid-19th century. The work, created at a turning point in history, reflected the deep conflicts of the era: the clash of generations, ideological confrontation, social inequality and the struggle for the future of the country.
Psychologism in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is considered one of the greatest masters of psychological prose in world literatureHis novel Crime and Punishment is a profound study of the human soul, revealing the most complex processes of consciousness and subconsciousness, motives for actions and their psychological consequences.