Best Selling Books by Constance Garnett

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Gerasim is a silent servant who works for an elderly widow surrounded by other servants who work for her. Among the other employees is Tatiana, a woman for whom Gerasim feels captivated. However, her foreman forces her to marry Kapiton Klimov, another servant who, unlike the others, is a compulsive drinker and thinks that in this way he will overcome his alcoholism, however a year goes by and Klimov turns out to be a useless what is banished with Tatiana to a very distant place leaving Gerasim with a broken heart.

Delve into the poignant world of Anton Chekhov with "The Bishop and Other Stories," a collection of short stories from one of Russia''s most celebrated writers. This meticulously prepared edition presents classic works of literary fiction, showcasing Chekhov''s masterful storytelling and profound understanding of the human condition. Explore themes of life, death, faith, and societal expectations through the eyes of characters facing everyday struggles and existential dilemmas. A cornerstone of Russian literature and a testament to Chekhov''s enduring legacy, these stories offer a glimpse into the complexities of late 19th-century Russian society while resonating with readers across time. "The Bishop and Other Stories" exemplifies the power of short fiction, demonstrating Chekhov''s ability to create vivid, memorable narratives within concise and impactful prose. Experience the timeless beauty and emotional depth of these classic stories. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

In the midst of the steppes, of the mountains, of the impenetrable forests of the desert regions of Siberia, one meets from time to time with little towns of a thousand or two inhabitants, built entirely of wood, very ugly, with two churches-one in the centre of the town, the other in the cemetery-in a word, towns which bear much more resemblance to a good-sized village in the suburbs of Moscow than to a town properly so called. In most cases they are abundantly provided with police-master, assessors, and other inferior officials. If it is cold in Siberia, the great advantages of the Government service compensate for it. The inhabitants are simple people, without liberal ideas. Their manners are antique, solid, and unchanged by time. The officials who form, and with reason, the nobility in Siberia, either belong to the country, deeply- rooted Siberians, or they have arrived there from Russia. The latter come straight from the capitals, tempted by the high pay, the extra allowance for travelling expenses, and by hopes not less seductive for the future. Those who know how to resolve the problem of life remain almost always in Siberia; the abundant and richly-flavoured fruit which they gather there recompenses them amply for what they lose. As for the others, light-minded persons who are unable to deal with the problem, they are soon bored in Siberia, and ask themselves with regret why they committed the folly of coming. They impatiently kill the three years which they are obliged by rule to remain, and as soon as their time is up, they beg to be sent back, and return to their original quarters, running down Siberia, and ridiculing it. They are wrong, for it is a happy country, not only as regards the Government service, but also from many other points of view. The climate is excellent, the merchants are rich and hospitable, the Europeans in easy circumstances are numerous; as for the young girls, they are like roses and their morality is irreproachable. Game is to be found in the streets, and throws itself upon the sportsman''s gun. People drink champagne in prodigious quantities. The caviare is astonishingly good and most abundant. In a word, it is a blessed land, out of which it is only necessary to be able to make profit; and much profit is really made.

Towards the end of November, during a thaw, at nine o''clock one morning, a train on the Warsaw and Petersburg railway was approaching the latter city at full speed. The morning was so damp and misty that it was only with great difficulty that the day succeeded in breaking; and it was impossible to distinguish anything more than a few yards away from the carriage windows. Some of the passengers by this particular train were returning from abroad; but the third-class carriages were the best filled, chiefly with insignificant persons of various occupations and degrees, picked up at the different stations nearer town. All of them seemed weary, and most of them had sleepy eyes and a shivering expression, while their complexions generally appeared to have taken on the colour of the fog outside. When day dawned, two passengers in one of the third-class carriages found themselves opposite each other. Both were young fellows, both were rather poorly dressed, both had remarkable faces, and both were evidently anxious to start a conversation. If they had but known why, at this particular moment, they were both remarkable persons, they would undoubtedly have wondered at the strange chance which had set them down opposite to one another in a third-class carriage of the Warsaw Railway Company. One of them was a young fellow of about twenty-seven, not tall, with black curling hair, and small, grey, fiery eyes. His nose was broad and flat, and he had high cheek bones; his thin lips were constantly compressed into an impudent, ironical-it might almost be called a malicious-smile; but his forehead was high and well formed, and atoned for a good deal of the ugliness of the lower part of his face. A special feature of this physiognomy was its death-like pallor, which gave to the whole man an indescribably emaciated appearance in spite of his hard look, and at the same time a sort of passionate and suffering expression which did not harmonize with his impudent, sarcastic smile and keen, self-satisfied bearing. He wore a large fur-or rather astrachan-overcoat, which had kept him warm all night, while his neighbour had been obliged to bear the full severity of a Russian November night entirely unprepared. His wide sleeveless mantle with a large cape to it-the sort of cloak one sees upon travellers during the winter months in Switzerland or North Italy-was by no means adapted to the long cold journey through Russia, from Eydkuhnen to St. Petersburg.

Explore the complexities of human nature in "The Lady with the Dog and Other Stories," a collection of short stories by the master of Russian literature, Anton Chekhov. This meticulously prepared print edition showcases Chekhov''s signature blend of realism and subtle psychological insight. Delve into tales of love, loss, and the everyday struggles of 19th-century Russian society. A cornerstone of classic literature, Chekhov''s short stories are celebrated for their nuanced characters, evocative settings, and profound observations on the human condition. This collection offers a window into the timeless themes that continue to resonate with readers today. Experience the enduring power of Chekhov''s storytelling in this essential volume of translated works. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

''That night I went home to my lodgings in a state of perfect ecstasy ... I felt supremely happy, and was already making all sorts of plans in my head. If someone had whispered in my ear then: "You''re raving, my dear chap! That''s not a bit what''s in store for you. What''s in store for you is to die all alone, in a wretched little cottage, amid the insufferable grumbling of an old hag who will await your death with impatience to sell your boots for a few coppers ... !"'' Turgenev''s hopeless protagonist, at the end of his life, can only truthfully define himself as ''superfluous,'' and relates the tale of the failed romance that confirmed him in that unfortunate opinion. Turgenev''s virtuosic account of a man thoroughly undermined by himself, tormented by jealousy and love, but who is, ultimately, nothing more than superfluous. This volume of five tales also includes A Tour in the Forest, Yakov Pasinkov, Andrei Kolosov and A Correspondence, in Constance Garnett''s classic 1899 translation.

Explore the poignant depths of the human condition with "A Lear of the Steppes, etc.," a collection of short stories and a novella by the master of Russian literature, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev. This volume brings together "A Lear of the Steppes," "Faust," and "Acia," showcasing Turgenev''s signature blend of insightful character studies and evocative prose. Dive into timeless tales that explore themes of love, loss, and the complexities of human relationships, all set against the backdrop of 19th-century Russia. Celebrated for his literary contributions and keen observations, Turgenev offers a glimpse into the hearts and minds of individuals navigating life''s challenges. A must-read for enthusiasts of classic literature and short stories, this meticulously prepared edition preserves the original text for readers to enjoy. Experience the enduring appeal of Turgenev''s work in this essential collection. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This Ivan Turgenev collection unites three of his finest stories into a single, compelling, and affordable edition. A lauded member of the Russia''s literary avant-garde during the mid-19th century, Turgenev''s novels and short stories have been celebrated for their poignant, emotionally striking themes and the deft use of plot twists. In Torrents of Spring, we follow Dmitry Sanin, a young landowner who embarks on travel from his homestead in Russia to the German city of Frankfurt. Having already toured Italy and other places in Europe, Dmitry is en route home, and treats Frankfurt as a last stop. First Love - revered as one of Turgenev''s best tales - begins at a party in which three middle-aged men are each telling the tale of their first love. Mumu concerns Gerasim, a deaf and mute serf who has moved to Moscow after a life spent working the country fields.

Alexey Fyodorovitch Karamazov was the third son of Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov, a land owner well known in our district in his own day, and still remembered among us owing to his gloomy and tragic death, which happened thirteen years ago, and which I shall describe in its proper place. For the present I will only say that this "landowner"--for so we used to call him, although he hardly spent a day of his life on his own estate--was a strange type, yet one pretty frequently to be met with, a type abject and vicious and at the same time senseless. But he was one of those senseless persons who are very well capable of looking after their worldly affairs, and, apparently, after nothing else. Fyodor Pavlovitch, for instance, began with next to nothing; his estate was of the smallest; he ran to dine at other men''s tables, and fastened on them as a toady, yet at his death it appeared that he had a hundred thousand roubles in hard cash. At the same time, he was all his life one of the most senseless, fantastical fellows in the whole district. I repeat, it was not stupidity--the majority of these fantastical fellows are shrewd and intelligent enough--but just senselessness, and a peculiar national form of it.

Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818-1883) was a great Russian novelist and playwright. His novel Fathers and Sons is regarded as one of major works of 19th-century fiction. After the standard schooling for a child of a gentleman''s family, He studied for one year at the University of Moscow and then moved to the University of St Petersburg, focusing on the classics, Russian literature and philology.