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Uncle’s Dream by Fyodor Dostoyevsky was written following his five year exile to Siberia where he was sent to serve in a hard labor camp. Following what could only have been a harrowing and harsh existence in Russia’s infamous prison for political and social prisoners, one would expect Dostoyevsky’s work to have been dark and bitter. Rather, Uncle’s Dream is a humorous and yet scathing commentary on Russian provincial high-society.The story of elderly Prince K. who comes to visit the town of Mordasoff, lorded over by the imperious Maria Alexandrovna, is one of love, hate, deceit and ...

Erzählt wird diese Petersburger Geschichte von einem jungen, einsamen Träumer, der aus seiner selbst geschaffenen Welt durch eine unerwartete Begegnung gleichsam herausgeschleudert wird: Er trifft auf das unglückliche Mädchen Nastenka, und zwischen ihnen entsteht eine besondere Freundschaft.... (Zusammenfassung von Hermann)

Lawrence summarised the plot of Sons and Lovers in a letter to Edward Garnett in 1912:“It follows this idea: a woman of character and refinement goes into the lower class, and has no satisfaction in her own life. She has had a passion for her husband, so her children are born of passion, and have heaps of vitality. But as her sons grow up she selects them as lovers — first the eldest, then the second. These sons are urged into life by their reciprocal love of their mother — urged on and on. But when they come to manhood, they can't love, because their mother is the strongest power in ...

The Second Book of Machabees is not, as the name might suggest, a continuation of the First, but covers part of the same ground. The book proper is preceded by two letters of the Jews of Jerusalem to their Egyptian coreligionists. The first dated in 124 B.C., contains only an invitation to the Jews of Egypt to celebrate the feast of the Dedication of the Temple. The second which is undated, is from the senate and Judas Machabeus to the counsellor of Ptolemy, and to the Jews in Egypt. It informs them Egyptian Jews of the death of Antiochus, and invites them to celebrate the feasts of the ...

Although titled The Possessed in the initial English translation, Dostoyevsky scholars and later translations favour the titles The Devils or Demons. An extremely political book, Demons is a testimonial of life in Imperial Russia in the late 19th century. As the revolutionary democrats begin to rise in Russia, different ideologies begin to collide. Dostoyevsky casts a critical eye on both the radical idealists, portraying their ideas and ideological foundation as demonic, and the conservative establishment's ineptitude in dealing with those ideas and their social consequences. This form of ...

This is an exceptional collection of superb and introspectively distinct poems from the pen of master author D. H. Lawrence. Never failing to both delight and amaze, Lawrence's poems exhibit an insight that elevates them to a level of splendid uniqueness. These are poems that come from the heart and mind of one who has watched the unspeakable destruction of war wreak havoc across Europe, one who has witnessed the devastation inflicted on his country by an immense power that must be overcome and defeated. This is a also a poet who knows that despite unimaginable privation, everyday life must ...

This is a collection of short stories written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Dostoevsky), who is arguably better-known for his lengthy, contemplative novels. Several of his trademark philosophical, political and religious themes are interwoven throughout these short stories, for example: "Dream of a Ridiculous Man" critiques European nihilism; "The Crocodile" has notes of Russian political commentary; and "Bobok" is critically acclaimed as top-rate Menippean satire. Dostoevsky also provides a Christmas story ("The Heavenly Christmas Tree") with a biting social commentary. - Summary by jvanstan

In this classic novella, the life of a drab office clerk named Golyadkin begins to be haunted by his "doppelgänger," a man identical to him possessing all the charm and charisma Golyadkin lacks. This double shows up over and over again, succeeding in the things Golyadkin has failed to do throughout his life. As this double infiltrates himself more and more into Golyadkin's life, the reader is left wondering who he is and what his purposes might be. - Summary by Magda Wilde

Notes from Underground is an 1864 novella by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Notes is considered by many to be the first existentialist novel. It presents itself as an excerpt from the rambling memoirs of a bitter, isolated, unnamed narrator (generally referred to by critics as the Underground Man) who is a retired civil servant living in St. Petersburg. The first part of the story is told in monologue form, or the underground man's diary, and attacks emerging Western philosophy, especially Nikolay Chernyshevsky's What Is to Be Done?. The second part of the book is called "Àpropos of the Wet Snow," and ...

Two love stories are set against the backdrop of high society in Tsarist Russia. Anna awakes from a loveless marriage to find herself drawn irresistibly to the dashing cavalry officer, Count Vronsky. Levin struggles with self-esteem, and even flees to the country, before gaining courage to return and offer himself to the beautiful and pure Kitty. Through troubled courtships, reconciliations, marriage and the birth of each one’s first child, Anna and Levin experience joy and despair as they each struggle to find their place in the world and meaning for their lives. (Introduction by MaryAnn)

This is a collection of poems, in the form of an entire community speaking from beyond the grave about their lives, and, in some cases, gossiping about their neighbors' lives. It's interesting to hear how other people perceive a particular character, and how that character responds.

The Clue of the Silken Ladder by Mildred A. Wirt Benson. In THE CLUE OF THE SILKEN LADDER, Penny investigates multiple mysteries. What is the purpose of the singular silken ladder made by the secretive and somewhat sinister old Japanese curio shop owner? How can the "Riverview Star" obtain evidence that a popular troupe of spiritualists really are heartless con artists? Last, who is perpetrating the gravity-defying burglaries that have rocked the town ? Meanwhile, the Parker housekeeper, Mrs. Weems, has come into an inheritance and plans to leave Riverview, much to the Parkers' dismay. Can ...

Behind the Green Door by Mildred A. Wirt Benson. Penny Parker is a teen-aged sleuth and amateur reporter with an uncanny knack for uncovering and solving unusual, sometimes bizarre mysteries. The only daughter of widower Anthony Parker, publisher of the "Riverview Star," Penny has been raised to be self-sufficient, outspoken, innovative, and extraordinarily tenacious. Her cheerful, chatty manner belies a shrewd and keenly observant mind. Penny was the creation of Mildred A. Wirt, who was also the author of the original Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene). Wirt became ...

The Secret Pact by Mildred A. Wirt Benson. PENNY PARKER is a teen-aged sleuth and amateur reporter with an uncanny knack for uncovering and solving unusual, sometimes bizarre mysteries. The only daughter of widower Anthony Parker, publisher of the "Riverview Star," Penny has been raised to be self-sufficient, outspoken, innovative, and extraordinarily tenacious. Her cheerful, chatty manner belies a shrewd and keenly observant mind. Penny was the creation of Mildred A. Wirt, who was also the author of the original Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene). Wirt became frustrated ...

Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola. Thérèse Raquin is Émile Zola's scandalous 1867 novel, a key work of French Naturalism, about a woman trapped in a loveless marriage who has a passionate affair with her husband's friend, leading to murder and a descent into guilt and madness. The story follows Thérèse and her lover, Laurent, as they kill her sickly husband, Camille, but are then tormented by visions and their own psychological torment, which destroys their relationship and drives them to ruin. Zola presents the characters as "human beasts" driven by instinct, using a detached, ...

The Well of Loneliness occupies a singular position in twentieth-century literary history. Published in 1928 in Britain, it stands at the intersection of modernist experimentation, early sexological discourse, religious morality, and emergent queer self-consciousness. It is at once a Bildungsroman, a social protest novel, and a deeply personal meditation on identity, exile, and moral dignity. Though often described simply as the first major English-language lesbian novel, such a label is both accurate and insufficient. The novel is not merely about same-sex love; it is about ontology—about ...

Grabación-homenaje en el cuarto centenario de la obra y de la muerte del autor. Periandro es rescatado de un naufragio y se ofrece para ser vendido, en lugar de una doncella, ataviado como mujer, a unos bárbaros que en cumplimiento de una profecía roban y compran bellas jóvenes para casar con su futuro rey. Summary by Tux

When Thomas Mann was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (1929), the citation made special mention of his first novel, “Buddenbrooks,” published in 1901, describing it as “the first great novel of the 20th century.”Events in the novel center on the Buddenbrook family, bourgeois owners of a wholesale grain enterprise in the northern German city of Lübeck. (The city is never named as such, but detailed references to landmarks leave no doubt that the setting is closely based on Mann’s hometown, just as the story is inspired by the Mann family history.) We follow four generations of ...

Door het lezen van te veel ridderromans is Don Quichot zijn verstand kwijtgeraakt. Denkend dat hij zelf een dolende ridder is, verlaat hij zijn huis en begint een dwaaltocht over de wegen en het platteland van Spanje, op zoek naar avonturen. Als doel heeft hij voor ogen het rechtzetten van alle soorten onrecht, om door deze goede daden beroemd te worden. Op zijn trektocht wordt Don Quichot vergezeld door zijn buurman en dienaar Sancho Panza. (naar Wikipedia)This is a Dutch translation and adaptation of the book: Don Quijote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

Royal Highness is the story of Prince Klaus Heinrich, a member of a struggling German duchy and an exotic American heiress who comes to live as his neighbor. The novel is a microcosm of Europe before World War I, with Mann's depiction of a decaying society that is rejuvenated by modern forces. A true modern day fairy tale. (Summary by Margaret Espaillat)