Books
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A summary of Alexander Ostrovsky’s "A Profitable Post"
This play is a caustic social comedy, written in 1856. Immediately after its publication, the work faced fierce censorship and was banned for six long years.
"DPP (NN) (collection)" by Victor Pelevin, summary
A collection of short stories and novellas by a Russian writer captures the absurdity of business and spiritual life in the era of early capitalism. Published in 2003, the book’s title describes the magic of numbers that governs the financial flows of a vast country.
"Dragon’s Silver" by Marina Surzhevskaya, summary
This book is a fantasy romance novel published in 2019. The plot revolves around the clash between the technologically advanced Confederation and the wild fjords separated by the magical Great Mist.
"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.
Donut Hole for Harms Award Winners
ST. PETERSBURG. The first season of the Daniel Harms Award has kicked off.
"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.
"Joan of Arc" by Dmitry Merezhkovsky, summary
This book is a religious and philosophical reflection on the path of the Maid of Orleans, written in 1938The author compares the Hundred Years’ War with the decline of Europe on the eve of new global catastrophes, seamlessly merging the historical records of the Inquisition’s trial with mystical reflections on the coming Kingdom of the Holy Spirit.
"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.
A summary of "Yellow Arrow" by Victor Pelevin
The collection "Yellow Arrow" brings together an allegorical novella from 1993 and the short story "The Prince of Gosplan" from 1991Both works were written in Pelevin’s early period and are linked by a common theme: reality as an illusion in which people live, oblivious to its structure and the possibility of transcending it.
"The Gall Angel" by Katya Kachur, summary
"The Gallbladder Angel" is a philosophical drama with elements of magical realism set in 2025, published by Eksmo. Katya Kachur created a text in which the mystical plot of the Angel of Death and the modern story of a Moscow writer who has lost the gift of words unfold in parallel—and are inexorably drawn together.
"Living Water" by Andrei Konstantinov, summary
"Living Water" is a screenplay by Andrei Konstantinov, set in Polesia, Belarus, in August 1941. Written as a television series, the text combines war drama with a mystical element: at the center of the plot is a legendary spring, which, according to local legend, is capable of healing mortal wounds.
A summary of "The Life of Monsieur de Moliere" by Mikhail Bulgakov
This book is a novelized biography of the great French playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known as MolièreThe work was written in 1933. The author freely navigates time, blurring the boundaries of centuries, and directly engages in dialogue with historical figures, commenting on their actions from the perspective of an informed descendant.
A summary of "The Life of Insects" by Victor Pelevin
This book is a postmodern novel published in 1993. The chronotope, that is, the time and place of the action, is strictly limited to summertime Crimea, around an old resort boarding house. The characters in the narrative are subject to constant ontological metamorphoses.
"What you seek is what you find" by Alexander Ostrovsky, summary
This comedy is the third part of the original story about the minor official Mikhail Dmitrievich Balzaminov, created in 1861. The work vividly depicts the life of Moscow merchants in the mid-nineteenth century.
"Beyond the Line" by Rex Stout, summary
The story "Beyond the Line" is an early short story by Rex Stout, best known as the creator of the Nero Wolfe detective series. It’s an intimate tale about a single night in the life of a wealthy New York widow, encompassing a decade of unrequited love.