Russian literature

On the Eve

“There are moments in life, in love, when…” Chapter 1 The novel opens in the summer of 1853 at a country estate near Moscow. Elena Nikolaevna Stakhova, a […]

Russian literature

Home of the Gentry

“Life is not a walk across a field.” Chapter 1 Lavretsky, a middle-aged Russian nobleman, returns to his family estate after years abroad. He reflects on his failed […]

Russian literature

First Love

“First love is a revolution… The monotonous and correct order of established life is broken down and destroyed in one instant…” — Ivan Turgenev Chapter 1 The story […]

Russian literature

A Month in the Country

“Love is not a feeling… it’s an art.” Act 1 The play opens at the Islayev estate, where Natalya Petrovna, the bored and restless wife of the wealthy […]

Russian literature

Fathers and Sons

“And yet I feel that there is something I lack… that I cannot express… something that perhaps is not even in me.” Chapter 1 Arkady Kirsanov returns home […]