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Loading... A Very Russian Christmas: The Greatest Russian Holiday Stories of All Timeby Lev Tolstoy
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  AmaliaGavea | Dec 29, 2021 |  no reviews | add a review
Running the gamut from sweet and reverent to twisted and uproarious, and with many of the stories appearing in English for the first time, this is a collection that will satisfy every reader. Dostoevsky brings stories of poverty and tragedy, Tolstoy inspires with his fable-like tales, Chekhov's unmatchable skills are on full display in a story about a female factory owner and the wretched workers, Klavdia Lukashevitch delights with a sweet and surprising tale of a childhood in White Russia, and Mikhail Zoshchenko recounts madcap anecdotes of Christmas trees and Christmas thieves. There is no shortage of vodka or wit in this volume that proves, with its wonderful variety and remarkable human touch, that Nobody Does Christmas Like the Russians. My Last Christmas On this festive day, because of somebody's sin, it is we who must sit here like the wretched of the earth . . ." The passengers looked at the fussy figure of the little old man with displeasure and irritation. "Yes," the old man continued, "because of somebody's sins . . . We are used to watching our little children jump in indescribable delight around the Christmas tree . . . Out of human weakness, dear Sirs and Madams, we enjoy gobbling up ham with green peas and sausages one after another, and a slice of goose, and a tipple tipple of the you know what . . ." "Tfu!" said the fishmonger, looking at the wee old man with disgust. The passengers slid forward on their chairs . . . No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)891.73Literature Literature of other languages Literature of east Indo-European and Celtic languages Russian and East Slavic languages Russian fictionLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (4.75)
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Wikipedia in English
1
Lida and I are standing by the window, looking at the sky,
‘’Nanny, is the star coming soon?’’, I asked.
The New Year’s Tree (Mikhail Zoshchenko): The authorities in the Soviet Union were so ridiculous that forbade Christmas but allowed the New Year’s Tree. Because regimes are stupid. In this satirical story, a boy creates havoc, supported by his mother who has had enough of annoying guests.
The Boys (Anton Chekhov): Boys and Christmas shenanigans in a quintessential Chekhov story.
A Christmas Tree and a Wedding (Fyodor Dostoevsky): A story with all the trademarks elements of the finest novelist in History. A tale that starts as a social observation, becomes almost sinister when we understand that the fate of the young heroine is inevitable. Dostoevsky’s elegant satire highlights the injustice of it all.
At Christmastide (Anton Chekhov): A cruel man isolates his wife from her illiterate parents. But Christmas is a time to right the wrongs…
Dream of the Young Tsar (Leo Tolstoy): A young man who is about to rule Russia dreams of the evil that plagues the land.
Makar’s Dream (Vladimir Korolenko): A Yakut peasant shares his view and vision on the injustice and hardships of this world.
A Woman’s Kingdom (Anton Chekhov): A young woman inherits a significant fortune. But what about family? What about love? Chekhov creates one of his most striking heroines in this classic story.
A Distant Christmas Eve (Klaudia Lukashevich): A little girl is anxious over Christmas Eve, a night of stars and enchanting trees that shed light in the darkness of poverty.
The Little Boy at Christ’s Christmas Tree (Fyodor Dostoevsky): A classic story that reminds us of Andersen’s The Little Match Girl.
Christmas Phantoms (Maxim Gorky): Sometimes, writers are awfully cruel to their characters…
A Lifeless Animal (Teffi): A toy sheep becomes a source of comfort for a young girl that goes largely unnoticed by her ridiculous parents.
My Last Christmas (Mikhail Zoshchenko): A strange story of an even stranger old passenger…
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