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Best Russian Short Stories Kindle Edition

by N/A (Author), Thomas Seltzer (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 180 ratings
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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
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  1. Print length
    283 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    May 12, 2012
  5. File size
    618 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0082VCCS2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Public Domain Books (May 12, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 12, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 618 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 283 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 180 ratings

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
180 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Artis
5.0 out of 5 stars Can't go wrong with this one
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2010
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At first all the stories are just depressing. Some memorably so, others humorously so, others still just morosely so. Many are about poverty, vices, the lusts of money, fear of the cold, or loneliness, oppression, and cruelty, but each of them seems to focus very strongly on the crappiness of life. They stay with you, and they keep pulling you along. Best of all, they can be taken in at length- most short stories collections get tiring after three or four stories, here it's possible to read them all in a sitting and enjoy every one of them.
At first you are depressed, being hammered with these themes, but about 60% of the way through these very well written pieces you realize that these Russians understand something our modern Western culture doesn't: people are rotten; and somehow this formerly depressing literature becomes a masterpiece of art. They are painting you a picture of life that you don't want to hear, the truth that when the veneer of life is stripped away people are just no good, even down to the smallest child we are one and alike worthless. Counter-intuitively, it's very refreshing to see the honest truth, and as a consequence you will remember these stories for the rest of your life. These Russian writers, they *get* it, they make it hit home in a way that doesn't happen very often from new books or television or movies.
Alas, by and large the writers are a post Christian bunch, so instead of celebrating their brokenness and the kindness of God they are left with a void, but unlike Camus who decides to fill his philosophy with nonsense words the Russian masters quietly abstain in favor of just showing you life through their eyes. They just stare at the void in humanity. They don't explain it, nor mourn it, nor fantasize on what might make it go away, nor do they really accept it, they just show you to it. They show you real life, a life without redemption, without long term goals, and it's frankly brilliant.
Really it is. It's a free download; what are you waiting for?
68 people found this helpful
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Fuzzdrummer
4.0 out of 5 stars Good quick reads
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2014
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Good quick read short stories. Some are more substantial. Recommend to any fan of Russian Lit. Free on my Kindle.
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John M.
3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2013
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I love Russian Literature. There stories are full of philosophy, religion, psychology, drama, comedy, everything. Some of the deepest, most intellectually challenging works you can read. This collection has some greats and not so greats. Love prety much anything Gogol and Turgenev wrote. Has works by most of the greats --- Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Saltykov, Korolenko, Garshin, Chekov, Sologub, Potapenko, Semyonov, Gorky, Andreyev, Artzybashev,and Kuprin. Missing some greats and selections are not always the ones I would have chosen. Worth a read.
3 people found this helpful
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tony from Philly
5.0 out of 5 stars Russians understand the vanity of life as Solomon did.
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2015
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There is an episode of "The Sopranos" where Tony is on the sofa drinking vodka with the one legged beautiful girl named Svetlana. He tells her how much he admires her courage and outlook on life, because even though she has suffered a cruel amputation she remains not only physically attractive but cheerful. She then says to him "That's the trouble with you Americans. You always expect things to be good, and when they are not good, you are disappointed and miserable. We Russians never expect anything to turn out good. That way we are never disappointed, and if per chance something turns out good-well, that is an unexpected benefit." Until you understand this simple Russian outlook on life, you will never appreciate the Russian style of literature. Unlike American writers who always have a fantasy "happily ever after" ending, the Russian knows and is not afraid to admit that often life stinks and then you die. Russian literature is not for escape from reality, but rather confronting reality. Reading these short stories, and other Russian literature from the large volume "War And Peace", "Anna Karinina", "Doctor Zhivago" etc. to the vast volumes of poetry, to these delightful short stories gives us an intricate look into the minds of the Russian people. They have, perhaps more successfully than any other people group in the world, managed to deal with life's struggles as though they are expected, rather than unplanned. I suppose that's why they could lose 20 million people in WW2, and defeat the Nazi war machine while the citizens lived on bread made from sawdust and human flesh that froze to death during the sieges of Leningrad, and Stalingrad. These stories will give the average American an idea as to why the Russians do not cringe when the USA becomes threatening as other nations do. These people are tough and not only do they not fear hardship-they expect it!
6 people found this helpful
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Judi
5.0 out of 5 stars A literary adventure
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2011
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I thoroughly enjoy the writing style of Russian literature of the 19th-century along with their artful use of our language. While there is an element of foreboding and deprivation, within the story there lies a rich cross-section of characters that transcend the stark landscape in which they reside. Language is deftly crafted in presenting compelling adventures that linger far beyond the last pages. The time frame in which these stories are told also lends a delightful flavor and charm as details are illustrated with such clarity that they become familiar to the times. It is a pleasant journey and one I highly recommend.
3 people found this helpful
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Pamela Bennett
4.0 out of 5 stars Translation lacking
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2014
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I have read many of these stories before, but added it to my Kindle because it is nice to have collections of short stories to read while traveling. The translation in this book is OK, but does not make the stories sparkle as other translations (and I am assuming the original writings) do. BTW, Gogol's "The Cloak" is actually his well known "The Overcoat". See? Just that...

But it was free.
One person found this helpful
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