Books
automatic translateA summary of "The Other Way" by Boris Akunin
This philosophical novel was published in 2015The narrative alternates the protagonist’s theoretical reflections on the nature of true feeling with everyday scenes from Moscow in 1925–1926. The reader sees the underbelly of the early Soviet era through the prism of human attachments, professional duty, and agonizing moral choices.
A summary of Dubrovsky by Alexander Pushkin
The classic Russian author’s novel describes the conflict between two landowners and the tragic fate of their children. The work was created in 1833. The writer left the drafts without final edits, and the text was published posthumously under an editorial title.
"Bad Blood" by Dakha Taratorina, summary
A dark romantic fantasy novel published in 2022, this book tells the story of a crippled mercenary and a naive village witch, whose destinies intertwine despite mutual mistrust and mortal danger.
"Spiritual Mines" by Ivan Okhlobystin, summary
The events revolve around parish life and the unconventional Orthodox priest Father Savva. The story was written in 2008. The protagonist has a paradoxical way of thinking, and his advice always hits the mark.
"Smoke" by Ivan Turgenev, summary
Published in 1867, Ivan Turgenev’s novel offers a sharply satirical portrayal of the conservative Russian aristocracy and the pseudo-revolutionary intelligentsia. Amid heated ideological debates, the dramatic love story of a young landowner who comes to the spa town of Baden-Baden unfolds.
Donut Hole for Harms Award Winners
ST. PETERSBURG. The first season of the Daniel Harms Award has kicked off.
"Breath of the Gods" by Bernard Werber, summary
French writer Bernard Werber created a science fiction novel in which familiar Earthly history becomes a learning sandbox for student gods. Humans here are ward tribes whose survival depends on the strategic decisions of their patrons on the planet Earth-18.
A summary of "The Devil and God" by Jean-Paul Sartre
This dramatic play unfolds in Germany during the Reformation and the rebellions of the sixteenth century, exploring the path of the military leader Götz, who seeks the limits of pride first in crime, then in holiness.
Hans Christian Andersen’s "Thumbelina" Summary
This fairy tale is the story of a diminutive girl forced to overcome harsh environmental and social obstacles to survive. Hans Christian Andersen published the work in 1835.
A summary of "Uncle’s Dream" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The story was written in 1859 during the author’s Siberian exile. The writer embraced the genre of satirical comedy of manners, exposing the greed, vanity, and hypocrisy of provincial noble society through the story of a cynical matrimonial intrigue.
"Eva" by Arturo Perez-Reverte, summary
This spy novel explores a secret intelligence battle during the Spanish Civil War over the remnants of the Republic’s gold reserves. The plot centers on former smuggler and cynical Francoist intelligence agent Lorenzo Falco.
"The Gospel of Love" by Colleen McCullough, summary
The Australian writer has created a dystopia about a man-made messianism against the backdrop of a new glaciation gripping North America. This book is a merciless anatomy of state manipulation of human faith, reducing sacred myth to political calculation.
"Eugénie Grandet" by Honoré de Balzac, summary
The novel "Eugénie Grandet," written in 1833, reveals the pernicious power of money over the human soul and the depths of unrequited loveThe work is distinguished by the realistic precision of its portraits, where the everyday stinginess of the French provinces is contrasted with the uncompromising spiritual purity of the protagonist.
"His Fan" by Anna Jane, summary
Anna Jane’s novel "His Fan" was published in 2020; it’s part of the "Musical Love Spell" series and focuses on characters whose personal histories had previously remained in the shadowsThe action opens in St. Petersburg on New Year’s Eve, where twenty-year-old Nellie Radova sits alone in a dark apartment, drinking tea, gazing at the festive city, and trying to cope with the news that her longtime love, Phil, guitarist for the band "On the Edge," is supposedly planning to marry Kristina.
"Her Majesty the Cat" by Bernard Werber, summary
French writer Bernard Werber has created a post-apocalyptic novel that depicts the collapse of human civilization through the eyes of a domestic cat named BastetThe book’s distinctive feature lies in its unusual synthesis of a dynamic dystopian adventure with popular science fragments from the fictional "Encyclopedia of Relative and Absolute Knowledge" created by Professor Edmond Wells.