“The truth is always simple, but people complicate it.” The novel Daniel Stein, Interpreter by Lyudmila Ulitskaya follows the life of Daniel Stein, a Polish Jew who survives […]
Russian literature
The Big Green Tent
“Memory is the only paradise from which we cannot be expelled.” Part One: Childhood and Early Bonds The novel opens in post-Stalinist Moscow, introducing three boys—Ilya, Mikha, and […]
Russian literature
The Return
“A man returns home, but home is no longer the same—nor is he.” Chapter 1: The Homecoming Alexei Ivanov, a Soviet soldier, returns to his village after years […]
Russian literature
Happy Moscow
“Life is not given for happiness, but for the struggle for it.” Chapter 1: Moscow’s Dream The novel opens with Moscow Chestnova, a young orphan raised in Soviet […]
Russian literature
Soul
“A man is alive as long as his soul is alive—even if his body is already dead.” Soul (also known as Dzhan) by Andrei Platonov follows the journey […]
Russian literature
Chevengur
“Man is born for happiness, like a bird for flight.” Part 1: Sasha Dvanov’s Journey The novel begins with Sasha Dvanov, an orphan raised by a fisherman, who […]
Russian literature
The Foundation Pit
“Man is not nourished by bread alone, but by the truth.” Chapter Summaries Chapter 1 The novel opens with Voshchev, a worker dismissed for “thoughtfulness,” wandering the Soviet […]
Russian literature
My Little Leniniana
“Lenin is always with us, especially when we drink.” My Little Leniniana is a satirical and absurdist work by Venedikt Erofeev, blending dark humor with Soviet-era ideological critique. […]
Russian literature
The Notes of a Psychopath
“I drink, therefore I am—or at least, I think I am.” Chapter 1: The Descent into Chaos The unnamed protagonist, a deeply troubled alcoholic, begins his erratic monologue, […]
Russian literature
The Good News
“Life is given to man only once, and one must live it so as not to be painfully ashamed of the years spent meaninglessly…” Chapter 1: The Departure […]