“Who are you, then?”“I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good.”— The Master and Margarita Part 1 The novel opens in 1930s […]
Russian literature
The Government Inspector
“The Inspector is coming—incognito… and with secret instructions!” Act 1 The play opens in a small provincial Russian town where the corrupt officials, led by the Mayor (Anton […]
Russian literature
The Nose
“The nose knows.” Part I One morning, the barber Ivan Yakovlevich discovers a nose in his breakfast bread. Horrified, he recognizes it as the nose of Collegiate Assessor […]
Russian literature
Dead Souls
“What a strange, alluring, and provocative title—Dead Souls! And what a strange, alluring, and provocative work itself!” Part 1 Chapter 1 Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a middle-aged gentleman of […]
French literature
Windows on the World
“The sky was so blue it hurt your eyes.” Windows on the World by Frédéric Beigbeder is a harrowing and experimental novel that intertwines two parallel narratives set […]
French literature
The President’s Hat
“A hat is not just a hat. It is a story waiting to be told.” Chapter 1: The Loss François Mitterrand, the President of France, dines at a […]
French literature
Submission
“The world had changed, and I hadn’t noticed.” Chapter 1: A Disillusioned Academic The novel opens with François, a middle-aged literature professor at the Sorbonne, reflecting on his […]
French literature
Candide
“All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.” — Pangloss Chapter 1: Candide’s Youth in Westphalia Candide, a naive young man, lives in the […]
American literature
American Psycho
“This is not an exit.” Part 1: Introductions and Excess The novel follows Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic investment banker in 1980s Manhattan. He obsesses over designer brands, […]
American literature
Catch-22
“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate […]