Aleksandr Kuprin

A novel about prostitution in Moscow. From the introduction: It must not be thought, despite its locale, that Kuprin's "Yama" is a picture of Russian prostitution solely; it is intrinsically universal. All that is necessary is to change the kopecks into cents, pennies, sous or pfennings; compute the versts into miles or metres; Jennka may be Eugenie or Jeannette; and for Yama, simply read Whitechapel, Montmartre, or the Barbary Coast. That is why "Yama" is a "tremendous, staggering, and truthful book- a terrific book." It has been called notorious, lurid- even oleographic. So are, perhaps, the picaresques of Murillo, the pictorial satires of Hogarth, the bizarreries of Goya...

The Pit

Yama

Куст сирени

Yama (The Pit) recounts the lives of a group of prostitutes living and working in Anna Markovna’s brothel in the town of K⸺. The women, subject to effective slavery through the removal of their papers and onerous debts, act out a scene of easy affability every evening for the part ignorant, part monstrous clients, while keeping secret their own pasts and wished-for futures. The book was Kuprin’s attempt to denormalize the cultural ambiguity of the legal brothels of the time. His dedication—“to mothers and youths”—expresses his desire that there should no longer be a silent acceptance of the actions of the “fathers, husbands, and brothers.” The novel was notable for portraying the inhabitants of the brothels as living, breathing people with their own hopes and desires, not purely as a plot point or scenario. The critical response was mixed: many found the subject matter beyond the pale. Kuprin himself placed his hopes on a favourable review from Leo Tolstoy, which didn’t come; but there was praise for Yama as both social commentary and warning, and an appreciation for Kuprin’s attempt to detail the everyday lives of his subjects. The novel had a troubled genesis, with the first part taking nine years between initial proposal and first publication; the second and third parts followed five years later. It was a victim of the Russian censors who, tellingly, disapproved more of scenes involving officials visiting the brothels, than the brothels themselves. It was only later during preparations for an anthology of his work that an uncensored version was allowed to be released. This edition is based on the translation to English by Bernard Guilbert Guerney of that uncensored version, and was first published in 1922. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

It must not be thought, despite its locale, that Kuprin's "Yama" is a picture of Russian prostitution solely; it is intrinsically universal. All that is necessary is to change the kopecks into cents, pennies, sous or pfennings; compute the versts into miles or metres; Jennka may be Eugenie or Jeannette; and for Yama, simply read Whitechapel, Montmartre, or the Barbary Coast. That is why "Yama" is a "tremendous, staggering, and truthful book- a terrific book." It has been called notorious, lurid- even oleographic. So are, perhaps, the picaresques of Murillo, the pictorial satires of Hogarth, the bizarreries of Goya...

It must not be thought, despite its locale, that Kuprin's "Yama" is a picture of Russian prostitution solely; it is intrinsically universal. All that is necessary is to change the kopecks into cents, pennies, sous or pfennings; compute the versts into miles or metres; Jennka may be Eugenie or Jeannette; and for Yama, simply read Whitechapel, Montmartre, or the Barbary Coast. That is why "Yama" is a "tremendous, staggering, and truthful book- a terrific book." It has been called notorious, lurid- even oleographic. So are, perhaps, the picaresques of Murillo, the pictorial satires of Hogarth, the bizarreries of Goya.

The Pit Illustrated

Гамбринус

Mikhail Bulgakov

Anton Chekhov

Maxim Gorky

Alexander Pushkin

Nikolai Gogol

Ivan Bunin

Leonid Andreyev

Mikhail Yevgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin

Leo Tolstoy

Ivan Turgenev 

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Russian short stories are known for being melancholy, often dealing with suffering. However, they can also be funny and absurd. Some common subjects include class distinctions, the plight of the underdog, and a rejection of authoritarianism and bureaucracy. This collection of Russian short stories includes: Fyodor Dostoevsky Notes from the Underground The Dream of a Ridiculous Man The Beggar Boy at Christ's Christmas Tree Leo Tolstoy: The Death of Ivan Ilyich Kholstomer, the Story of a Horse Alyosha the Pot A Letter to a Hindu A Confession God Sees the Truth, but Waits A Russian Christmas Party Anton Chekhov: Kashtanka Gusev The Darling The Lady with the Dog A Slander The Horse-Stealers The Petchenyeg A Dead Body A Happy Ending The Looking-Glass Old Age Darkness The Beggar In Trouble Frost Minds in Ferment Gone Astray An Avenger The Jeune Premier A Defenceless Creature An Enigmatic Nature A Happy Man A Troublesome Visitor An Actor's End A Story Without a Title Vanka Ivan Turgenev: First Love The District Doctor Mumu Nikolay Gogol: The Mantle Memoirs of a Madman The Nose A May Night The Cloak The Viy Christmas Eve Alexsandr Pushkin: The Queen of Spades Maxim Gorky: One Autumn Night Her Lover Leonid Andreyev: Lazarus The Little Angel Aleksandr Kuprin: The Outrage Mikhail Bulgakov: The Cup of Life Komarov Case Moscow Settings Psalm Moonshine Springs Seance Shifting Accommodation The Beer Story The Embroidered Towel Ivan Bunin: The Gentleman from San Francisco The Grammar of Love Gentle Breathing Son An Unknown Friend Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin: How a Muzhik Fed Two Officials

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, Notes from the Underground, A Confession, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, The Gentleman from San Francisco, First Love, The Mantle, The Embroidered Towel, The Beer Story and Others Stories

65+ Russian Short Stories classic collection. Illustrated

The River of Life, and Other Stories is a short collection of stories by Russian author Aleksandr Kuprin. Includes: The River of Life; Captain Ribnikov; The Outrage; and, The Witch.

The River of Life, and Other Stories

"The Garnet Bracelet" is a rather short novel by Alexander Kuprin, exploring the romantic, yet unrequited emotions of the protagonist towards the love of his life. Written at the beginning of the 20th century and praised by the great names in Russian literature, Kuprin’s novel offers a valuable insight into the human soul. A beautiful and at the same time sad story, whose sorrowful tones are expressed through Beethoven’s 2nd Piano Sonata. Heartbreaking and melancholic, the story is a perfect read for those capable of experiencing enormous love. Alexander Kuprin was a Russian novelist, poet, and short-story writer, a representative of Russian critical realism. His life in the army account for his early autobiographical stories, an experience that stayed with him forever. A wielder of genuinely natural subject matter and language, Kuprin’s style is above all else tinged with passionate depiction of the human heart. However, the poverty of his family and Kuprin’s own problems with alcoholism paint a pretty gloomy picture of his years in emigration and later return to his homeland. Among his best works are "The Duel", "The Pit", "Moloch" and "The Garnet Bracelet".

The Garnet Bracelet

The Pit (Russian: Яма, romanized: Yama) is a novel by Alexander Kuprin published in installments between 1909 and 1915, in Zemlya almanacs (1909 - Vol.3, 1914 - Vol.15, 1915 - Vol.16). The book, centering on a brothel, owned by a woman named Anna Markovna, caused much controversy in its time.Alexander Kuprin started collecting the material for his work in Kiev in 1890s, and it is in this city that the novel's action takes place. Speaking in 1909 to a local newspaper correspondent about prototypes, he commented: "Characters I've made cannot be seen as copying real people. I picked up a lot of small details from the real life, but that was by no means copying the reality, which is something I detest doing." He added that his observations were by no means restricted to Kiev. "The Pit is [about] Odessa, Petersburg and Kiev," Kuprin said.

Yama: the Pit Illustrated

Ivan Sergejevič Turgenev

The collection includes the best works of famous Russian writers: Fyodor Dostoevsky NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND THE DREAM OF A RIDICULOUS MAN THE BEGGAR BOY AT CHRIST'S CHRISTMAS TREE Leo Tolstoy THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYICH A LETTER TO A HINDU A CONFESSION GOD SEES THE TRUTH, BUT WAITS A RUSSIAN CHRISTMAS PARTY Anton Chekhov THE LADY WITH THE DOG A SLANDER THE HORSE-STEALERS THE PETCHENYEG A DEAD BODY A HAPPY ENDING THE LOOKING-GLASS OLD AGE DARKNESS THE BEGGAR IN TROUBLE FROST MINDS IN FERMENT GONE ASTRAY AN AVENGER THE JEUNE PREMIER A DEFENCELESS CREATURE AN ENIGMATIC NATURE A HAPPY MAN A TROUBLESOME VISITOR AN ACTOR'S END A STORY WITHOUT A TITLE VANKA Ivan Turgenev FIRST LOVE THE DISTRICT DOCTOR MUMU Nikolay Gogol THE MANTLE MEMOIRS OF A MADMAN THE NOSE A MAY NIGHT THE CLOAK THE VIY CHRISTMAS EVE THE VIY Alexsandr Pushkin THE QUEEN OF SPADES Maxim Gorky ONE AUTUMN NIGHT HER LOVER Leonid Andreyev LAZARUS THE LITTLE ANGEL Aleksandr Kuprin THE OUTRAGE Mikhail Bulgakov THE EMBROIDERED TOWEL Ivan Bunin THE GENTLEMAN FROM SAN FRANCISCO Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin HOW A MUZHIK FED TWO OFFICIALS

Notes from the Underground, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, The Lady with the Dog, First Love, The Mantle, The Queen of Spades, The Embroidered Towel and others stories

50 Great Russian Short Stories. Illustrated

I. A. Bunin

Maxim Gorky achieved literary acclaim in Russia against all odds. Orphaned at a young age and forced to fend for himself on the streets, Gorky had virtually no schooling, but he managed to capture the imaginations of readers through his intensely realistic descriptions of the hardships faced by the impoverished and marginalized. From the very beginning of his career, Gorky maintained a correspondence with Russian literary luminary Anton Chekhov, which later blossomed into a lasting friendship. This volume some of Gorky's impressions of Chekhov, as well as those by fellow Russian writers Aleksandr Kuprin and Ivan Bunin.

Aleksandr Kuprin

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