German literature

The Road Back

“We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces.” Chapter 1: Return from the Front The novel […]

Russian literature

The Plummeting Old Women

“An old woman, driven by curiosity, leaned out of the window—and then she plummeted.” Chapter 1: The First Old Woman The story opens with an elderly woman peering […]

Russian literature

Safe Conduct

“Art is not a profession, but a destiny.” Part One: Childhood and Early Influences The first part of Safe Conduct delves into Boris Pasternak’s early years, painting a […]