Books
Vladimir Korolenko’s "The Tsar’s Coachmen," a summary
Vladimir Korolenko’s work, written between 1900 and 1901, recounts a harsh journey along the Siberian Lena River in the late nineteenth century. The essay captures the plight of the Lena River coachmen, marooned on the barren cliffs to maintain the state postal service.
"State and Revolution", V.I. Lenin
The book The State and Revolution was written by Vladimir Lenin, a communist revolutionary.
"The Doomed City" by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, summary
The philosophical and social novel "The Doomed City" was written by the authors between 1972 and 1975 and first published in 1988–1989. The book is an exploration of human nature, social mechanisms, and moral transformations in a closed, experimental society.
"The Count de Chantelean" by Jules Verne, summary
Jules Verne’s novel transports readers to the era of the French Revolution, detailing the historical events of the Vendée rebellionThe work was written in 1864. Georges Hetzel, the writer’s regular publisher, refused to publish the book in a separate edition for ideological reasons, fearing the author’s monarchist and pro-Catholic sympathies.
A summary of "Count Cagliostro" by Alexei Tolstoy
The story was written between 1919 and 1921—begun in Odessa and completed in Paris—and first published in 1922 in a Berlin collection under the title "Moonlit Dampness." It was included in the writer’s collected works under the title "Count Cagliostro."
"The Thundering Brook" by Tatyana Korsakova, summary
"The Thundering Stream" is a mystical novel by Tatyana Korsakova, published in 2020. It revolves around the occupation, the massacre of civilians, and an ancient force that dwells in an old estate, making the horror of war even more terrifying.
A summary of Elvira Baryakina’s "Coffin with Music"
This book is an ironic detective story, written in 2000, set in Nizhny Novgorod around the investigation of the mysterious murder of the director of a major newspaper alliance.
Alexander Ostrovsky’s "The Storm," a summary
This play is a five-act drama written in 1859. It meticulously depicts the stifling atmosphere of the merchant class in the fictional Volga town of Kalinov, where fear, hypocrisy, and blind obedience to one’s elders reign supreme.
Vladimir Torin’s "Gryzlobich," a summary
This book is a 2023 story about a lonely and deranged pneumatic tube cleaner who fakes his own kidnapping by a fictitious serial killer in order to catch the city’s notorious vigilante.
A summary of Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin’s "Provincial Essays"
This book is a satirical chronicle of life in the fictional town of Krutogorsk, written in 1856 and 1857. The work draws on the writer’s personal experience of exile in Vyatka. Saltykov-Shchedrin mercilessly exposes the tyranny, corruption, and stupidity of provincial bureaucracy during the era of serfdom.
"Gum-Gum" by Evgeny Veltistov, summary
This book is a fairy-tale fantasy novel by Yevgeny Veltistov. Created in 1970, the story vividly depicts the conflict between a carefree existence, where machines fulfill all childhood desires, and the joy of independently exploring the real world.
A summary of "The Humanist" by Alexander Shevtsov
"The Humanist" is an original screenplay about a public "human rights activist" who, confronted with the reality of 1937, gradually transforms his personal salvation into complicity with the repressive system.
"Let’s Play, Dragon!" by Dakha Taratorina, summary
This book is a humorous and romantic fantasy about a professional bodyguard, published in 2019. The crucial plot element lies in the paradox of the main characters: a tough mercenary from Earth takes under her wing a weak, naive dragon alchemist from a parallel dimension.
"Distant Rainbow" by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, summary
The story was written in 1962This book is a socio-philosophical fantasy about the events of a single day on the planet-testing ground called Rainbow, where scientists conduct dangerous physics experiments. The fundamental determinant of the plot is a person’s moral choice in the face of an inevitable natural and man-made cataclysm.
A summary of Arkady Gaidar’s "Distant Lands"
This story was written in 1932It depicts the industrialization of a remote region through the eyes of ordinary village boys, whose boring lives are transformed by a large-scale construction project. This book is a detailed chronicle of the uncompromising confrontation between the new collective farm system and the old kulak order.