Books
Euripides’s "Heraclides," a summary
This tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright describes the wanderings of Heracles’ children, seeking refuge from the persecution of the Argive king. The work was written around the spring of 430 BC.
"Heroes Are Not Killed" by Elena Topilskaya, summary
"Heroes Are Not Killed" is a detective novel by Elena Topilskaya, published in 2002Topilskaya is an active investigator in the St. Petersburg prosecutor’s office, and this professional experience lends the book a rare authenticity: the legal proceedings, the work of the investigators, detectives, and forensic experts are described without fictional embellishment.
Richard Wagner’s "Götterdämmerung" (The Twilight of the Gods), summary
The musical drama "Götterdämmerung" was composed by Richard Wagner between 1848 and 1874. The opera serves as the final chord of the monumental tetralogy "Der Ring des Nibelungen."
Xenophon’s Hiero, Summary
The work is a fictional dialogue written by the ancient Greek historian and philosopher Xenophon, probably after 365 BC (the action of the dialogue is dated to 474 BC
A summary of "The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin" by Alexei Tolstoy
This book is a science fiction novel by Alexei Tolstoy, written in 1926–1927 and expanded by the author in 1937. The plot revolves around the construction of a device that emits a destructive heat beam.
"Guitar, dice, and brass knuckles. All these young men are sad…" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, summary
In his 1926 collection of short stories, F. Scott Fitzgerald captured the emotional crisis of the Jazz Age’s "Lost Generation." Translated into Russian in 2015, the edition brings together works written by the author between 1922 and 1925, as well as a later memoir from 1933.
"Hitler’s Europe vs. the USSR: The Unknown History of World War II" by Igor Shumeiko, summary
Igor Shumeiko’s book, published in 2009, reexamines established views on the extent of European nations’ responsibility for the strengthening of the Third Reich. The author shifts attention from purely military operations to diplomatic maneuvers, economic collaboration, and the surrender of national interests.
A Brief Summary of "A Breath of Sunlight" by Evgeny Veltistov
This science fiction book was written in 1967. The story tells of humanity’s unique encounter with an alien machine intelligence, whose actions resemble a hostile invasion.
"Stupid for Others, Smart for Yourself" by Lope de Vega, summary
This comedy is a classic work by the Spanish playwright, published in 1635. The play’s protagonist is forced to play the role of a village idiot to save her life, outwit numerous enemies, and secure her rightful throne.
"The Wilderness" by Boris Vasiliev, summary
This 2001 novel chronicles the life of an unnamed narrator in a provincial town during the global upheavals of the late twentieth centuryThe degradation of social institutions and the fusion of local authorities with criminals are depicted through the personal story of a former military representative at a defense factory.
"The Head of Professor Dowell" by Alexander Belyaev, summary
This 1937 science fiction novel explores the reanimation of severed human heads. The work reveals the tragedy of a mind isolated from the physical world and sternly warns of the criminal ambitions of unscrupulous scientists willing to transgress moral standards for the sake of glory.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s "The Blue Carbuncle," a summary
"The Blue Carbuncle" is a short story by English writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in 1892. It is one of Sherlock Holmes’s most famous cases, in which the detective is confronted with an unusual mystery involving the theft of a valuable gemstone.
"Naked People" by Kir Bulychev, summary
Kir Bulychev’s 1977 science fiction novella is an original fusion of ironic fantasy, spy detective fiction, and satire on Soviet reality, couched in the form of a pseudo-documentary report.
"Vertical Racing" by the Vainer brothers, summary
This book is a detective novel by Arkady and Georgy Vainer, first published in 1974. The most important feature of the text is its dialogic narrative structure. The authors alternately give the floor to two antagonists: Moscow criminal investigation inspector Stanislav Tikhonov and recidivist thief Alexei Dedushkin.
"The Hounds of Lilith" by Christina Stark, summary
"The Hounds of Lilith" is the debut novel by Russian author Christina Stark, a dark romantic thriller. Published in 2016, it follows twenty-year-old Skye Polanski from Dublin, a girl with few illusions about herself and the world around her, who is gradually drawn into a web of manipulation.