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MINIATURE SUMMARIES OF
MOMUMENTAL WORKS

Over 1,000 Works of Soviet Literature summarized for those too lazy or unable to read them in the original.
For detailed summaries of selected works, visit the SovLit.com main page
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Abramov, Fyodor At the Crossroads (Puti-pereput'ya, 1973). Volume 3 of the tetralogy "The Pryaslins". In a remote northern village in the fall of 1951, conditions are still harsh. Repressive, meddlesome, and blatantly unjust government and police measures hamper the development of the community and collective farm.1
Abramov, Fyodor Brothers and Sisters (Bratya i sestry, 1958). Volume 1 of the tetralogy "The Pryaslins". Shows the women, old folk and children of a village in the Arkhangelsk region while all the men are away at war. They struggle to provide food and wood for the war effort, avoid starvation, and survive as families and a community.1
Abramov, Fyodor House, The (Dom, 1978). Volume 4 of the tetralogy "The Pryaslins". In the 1970s, Mikhail, the head of the Prysalin family, is still firm and honorable but has become disappointed, bitter, and cantankerous. His siblings, one of which has become a criminal, are alienated to varying degrees. The collective farm has been engulfed by a state farm. 1
Abramov, Fyodor Pelageya (Pelageya, 1967 - 1969). A woman labors in a village bakery for twenty years to support an ailing husband and ungrateful daughter.1
Abramov, Fyodor Two Winters and Three Summers (Dve zimy i tri leta, 1968). Volume 2 of the tetralogy "The Prysalins". In the post-war years, the eldest son of the Prysalin family emerges as the extremely hard-working, devoted, and self-sacrificing anchor of his now fatherless village family. Faced with impossible demands from corrupt regional authorities for the rebuilding of the village economy, the community struggles on.1
Abramov, Fyodor Wooden Horses (Derevyaniye koni, 1969). A resilient, lovingly generous, selfless, and dignified old woman endures a life or hardship, a loveless arranged marriage, the lose of children in the war, and neglect and disappointment from other children.1
Aitmatov, Chingiz Ascent of Mount Fuji (xxx, 1975). Play dealing with Stalin's purges and their aftermaths, raising the question of moral responsibility. Co-written with Mukhamedzhanov.4
Aitmatov, Chingiz Camel's Eye (Verblyuzhii glaz, 1961). A boy, whose history teacher has imbued him with a romantic fascination for the lore and traditions of his steppe ancestors, is confronted by his compatriots' complete indifference to their cultural history.8
Aitmatov, Chingiz Day Last More Than 100 Years (I dolshe veka dlitsya den, 1981). A complex and deeply philosophical novel centering on a Kazakh railway worker journeying to bury his friend and, via his memories, the whole issue of history and cultural heritage. Intertwines a treatment of the ordinary people of Central Asia with a science fiction plot of space stations, aliens, and new planets.
Aitmatov, Chingiz Early Cranes (Rannie zhuravli, 1976). xxx
Aitmatov, Chingiz Execution Block (aka Place of the Skull) (Plakha, 1986). A theology student tries to convince some Central Asian drug runners and antelope slaughters to give up their evil ways. Also, a happy shepherd has his life ruined by a nasty Party secretary and a drunken lout who's jealous of his success.1
Aitmatov, Chingiz Farewell, Gulsary (Proshchai, Gul'sary, 1966). An old man reminisces about the parallel lives of himself and his old horse, which is dying. State Prize winner, 1968.
Aitmatov, Chingiz First Teacher (Perviy uchitel', 1967). xxx
Aitmatov, Chingiz Jamila (Dzhamila, 1958). A married woman in a Kirghizian village, falls in love with another man while her husband--who treats her more as an object of ownership than an object of love--is off at the front. In the end, the lovers run off together, abandoning their village and the traditional conventions
Aitmatov, Chingiz Little Soldier (xxx, 197x). A five-year-old boy thinks that one of the soldiers in a war movie is his father. Although it's just an actor, the boy believes, and the spirit of his dead father comes to life for him on that day.
Aitmatov, Chingiz Mother Earth (Materinskoe pole, 1963 - 1964). xxx
Aitmatov, Chingiz Spotted Dog, Running by the Seashore (Pegii pes, begushchii kraem morya, 1977). A boy goes out on his first seal-hunting expedition with his father, an uncle and an old man. The trip is ill-fated, as they become lost for days in a great fog and their fresh water supply runs out.
Aitmatov, Chingiz White Ship (Belii parakhod, 1970). An orphan boy dreams of becoming a fish so that he can join his father who, he believes, sails in the white ship on the Issyk-Kul Lake.
Aksenov, Vasili Colleagues (Kollegi, 1960). Novel telling the story of three friends, just out of medical school, and how they pass the initial tests of their ability, moral fibre, and stamina. While two of them are marking time in Leningrad awaiting assignment as ship's doctors, their Komsomol vigilance helps to break up a ring of embezzlers. The third, assigned to a rural dispensary, proves his medttle in a series of rugged adventures.8
Aksenov, Vasili Halfway to the Moon (Na polputi k lune, 1963). A tractor driver from the far east starts his vacation with a three-day binge, then boards a jet for Moscow. He is dazzled by a beautiful stewardess and spends the rest of his vacation--and all his money--flying repeatedly back and forth between Moscow and Khabarovsk hoping for another glimpse of her.8
Aksenov, Vasili Oranges From Morocco (Apel'siny iz Mapokko, 1963). A ship laden with oranges arrives in the dead of winter at a remote port on Sakhalin island. The locals--including Nanai tribesmen on dogslegs--clog the roads as they rush to the port. They gorge themselves on oranges, punctuating their revelry with fistfights.8
Aksenov, Vasili Overstuffed Barrels (Zatovarennaya bochkotara, 1968). A motley group of Soviet citizens are riding in a truckload of empty barrels. Each passenger has a series of dreams that reveal both his character and his aspirations. Gradually, the dreams of each penetrate and blend with the dreams of the others until they converge into a common vision of the Good Man.8
Aksenov, Vasili Papa, What Does That Spell? (xxx, 196x). A young lathe operator takes his six-year-old daughter to the park and discovers that his wife, who is supposed to be studying for her doctor's degree, really having a rendezvous.8
Aksenov, Vasili Rendezvous (xxx, 1971). A fantastically talented Soviet jetsetter--poet, musician, champion hockey and chess player as well as a virtuoso with the ladies--enjoys public adoration. He plays the self-appointed role of spokesman for a generation. However, he is made to realize that he is aging, has lost his charm, and is on the verge of becoming a laughing stock. So he returns home to his faithful wife.8
Aksenov, Vasili Starry Ticket (Zvyozdnii billet, 1961). An engagingly irreverent and rebellious group of Soviet teenagers, rock-and-rolling runaway from the discipline of both parents and society, with a pungent flip language loaded with foreignisms, openly mock Soviet sacred cows.8
Aksenov, Vasili Wild One (Dikoi, 1964). After a lifetime of state service--including 18 years in a Stalinist prison camp--a man returns to his native village. There he meets a strange boyhood friend who has spent his life making what may or may not be a perpetual-motion machine.8
Alekseev, G. Apartment House (Zhiloi dom, 1926). Communal life as a menagerie of social types.3
Aleshin, Samuil Alone (Odna, 1956). Thaw-era play in which an adulterous relationship breaks up two happy marriages. The adandoned spouses struggle to hold onto their wayward partners. The adulterers try to quash their impulses, but in the end they must be honest to themselves and to others by admitting their love. The Party tries to intervene, but is rebuffed. (Click here for a detailed summary.
Aleshin, Samuil Director (Direktor, 1950). An "industrial" drama, common at the time. This work, however, managed to stress the psychological revelations of the main character in extreme work and family situations.
Aleshin, Samuil Everything is Left For People (Vsyo ostaetsya liudyam, 1959). A physicist, struck with a fatal disease in the prime of his life, struggles to complete his scientific work in the little time he has remaining. Contains a portrayal of a priest as an intelligent, thoughtful person--shocking for its time.
Aleshin, Samuil Mephistopheles (Mefistofel', 1942 pub. 1963). A traditional devil from the German middle ages is made human when he experiences earthly love.
Alieva, Fazu Springs Are Born in the Mountains (xxx, 1971 ?). Tale of a Dagestani village woman's life from childhood to adulthood. She overcomes the cruelty and medieval attitude of her father to fall in love, become a doctor, and raise a daughter. (Avar)
Antonov, Sergei Alyonka (Alyonka, 1960). Account of a journey in an open truck across 150 miles of barren Siberian steepe by a bright 9-year-old girls, who is being sent to school in the city. Her fellow travelers are a motley group, each of them having a touching life story.8
Antonov, Sergei Application Form (xxx, 1956). Portrait of a rigid, lying bureaucrat with an obsession for routine and order and a timidity that comes from an indoctrinated fear of higher-ups.8
Antonov, Sergei New Office Worker (xxx, 1954). A married district Party secretary, dismayed at his wife's love of privilege, becomes infatuated with a young girl in his office. Ironically, at the same time he has to break up the extramarital affair of one of his subordinates.8
Antonov, Sergei Penkovo Affair (Delo bylo v Pen'kove, 1956). A love triangle is played out on a collective farm. Poor discipline, inefficient management, backward farming methods, window-dressing, and low morale are all showcased. Hooliganism and an all-out drunken wedding celebration are also featured.8
Antonov, Sergei Running Empty (xxx, 1960). A young journalist stumbles upon corruption at a Siberian logging site.8
Antonov, Sergei Torn Ruble (xxx, 1965). Problems on the collective farm.8
Argunova, Nora Day of Departure (Den' ot'ezda, 1967). Povest.
Argunova, Nora Hunter (Lovets, 1967). Short story.
Argunova, Nora Incident on the Line (Sluchai na linii, 1967). A dry, callous formalist--a railroad safety inspector--demonstrates surprising qualities when faced with a dramatic situation.
Argunova, Nora Nighttime Accident (Nochnoye proizshestviye, 1967). A female train engineer is in love with a fellow engineer, who is married and has children. The male engineer violates work rules and causes the death of a switchman. The woman tries to cover up for her lover, and even takes the guilt on herself. The man, cowardly and selfish, readily accepts the sacrifice.
Argunova, Nora Splendid Beast (Slavnii zver', 1967). A pilot, wireless operator, and conductors on a mail train save a bear cub when the dried up, formalist supervisor of the train wants to throw it off.
Arosev, A. On the Earth Beneath the Sun (Na zemle nod solntsem, 1927). A Cheka official named Obryvov turns himself over to his comrades as a "traitor" because years before one of his best friends had been killed by an anti-Red mob, which thought it was killing Obryvov, while the victim made no effort to correct the mistake. Obryvov failed to act not because he was more valuable to the Party than his friend, but simply because he wanted to live. The Party tells Obryvov he's being overly scrupulous and returns him to work in the Cheka.3
Arosev, A. Torment (Strada, 1921). Hopeless moral dilemmas tear apart the protagonist.3
Astafev, Viktor Liudochka (Liudochka, 1989). Disturbing account of the rape of a girl by a gang of hoodlums and of her subsequent suicide.1
Astafev, Viktor Sad Detective Story (Pechalnii detectiv, 1986). Experiences of a retired provincial policeman who has become a writer. Diatribe against drunks, pseudo-intellectuals, thieves, rapists, and cutthroats in glasnost-era Soviet society.
Astafev, Viktor Shepherd and Shepherdess (Pastukh i pastushka, 1974). Story of a brief love affair between and army lieutenant and a Ukrainian peasant girl in a lull between fierce battles.1
Astafev, Viktor To Live Life (Zhizn prozhit, 1985). Story of an orphan who grows up in harsh conditions in Siberia, goes to war, is wounded, returns to various modest jobs, gets married, widowed, and dies.1
Astafev, Viktor Tsar-Fish (aka Queen Fish) (Tsar-ryba, 1972). Detailed account of a lone fisherman's long battle with a huge sturgeon, which nearly drowns him before escaping.1
Avaliani, Lado New Horizon (xxx, 19xx). Novel depicting the life and work of Georgian coalminers. (Georgian)
Avaliani, Lado Zuloaga's Hat (xxx, 1969 ?). Story based on a 1920 meeting between Georgian artist Lado Gudiashvili and Basque painter Ignacio Zuloaga. (Georgian)
Azhaev, Vasili Far From Moscow (Daleko ot Moskvy, 1948). A portrayal of heroic endeavors involved in the building of an oil pipe line in eastern Siberia. State Prize winner, 1949.
Azhaev, Vasili Prologue to Life (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Babel, Isaak E. Church at Novograd (Kostel v Novograde, 1926). Red Army soldiers search a Catholic Church in Poland. They find hidden army uniforms and hoards of gold, banknotes, and jewels.
Babel, Isaak E. Crossing the Zbruch (Perekhod cherez Zbruch, 1926). A Red Army soldier is billeted with a Jewish family. On the floor is the corpse of an old man whose throat was slashed recently by the Poles right in front of the man's distraught pregnant daughter.
Babel, Isaak E. Death of Dolgushov (Smert Dolgushova, 1924). A disembowled Red Army soldier begs the narrator-intellectual to shoot him, thereby ending his misery and keeping him out of the hands of the Poles, who would probably torture him. The intellectual, concerned only with keeping his own hands clean, refuses. ( Click here for complete text of story in English.)
Babel, Isaak E. How It Was Done in Odessa (Kak Eto Delalos v Odesse, 1923). Gangster Benya Kirk becomes wealthy and gets the title of "King" through senseless murder, making the innocent pay for the murder, and forcing the community to pay the cost of extravagant funerals for his murder victims.
Babel, Isaak E. King (Korol, 1923). Thug, extortionist, murderer, gangster Benya Kirk portrayed lovingly as he hosts an obscenely opulent wedding and simultaneously extends his reign of terror and intimidation via arson.
Babel, Isaak E. Letter (Pismo, 1923). Some brothers fight with the Reds against their father, who is with Deniken's Whites. The father captures and kills one son. A second son captures and kills the father.
Babel, Isaak E. Lyubka the Cossack (Liubka Kazak, 1924). The head of a smuggling ring is off galavanting all day arranging deals while her infant son lies at home, crying for his mother's milk. A non-paying customer, temporarily imprisoned at Lyubka's inn, weans the child to the bottle. For this, the customer is rewarded and given a job.
Babel, Isaak E. Salt (Sol, 1923). Soldiers take pity on a woman with a baby and let her ride on their troop train. It turns out, however, that the baby is really a sack of salt. The soldiers feel insulted and cheated. (Thinking that she was a mother they didn't even try to violate her.) So they throw her off the moving train
Babel, Isaak E. Second Brigade Commader (Kombrig Dva, 1920). new brigade commander is appointed, receiving his third promotion in a week. He has a successful day in battle and displays the masterful indifference of a Tartar Khan.
Babel, Isaak E. Sun of Italy (Solntse Italii, 1926). A Red Army soldier, wounded and unable to fight, is bored and dreams of being sent to Italy, where, perhaps, he can assassinate the Italian king
Baklanov, Grigori Cost of War (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Bakunts, Aksel Kiores (xxx, 1962?). Biting satire aimed at a whole gallery of provincial Armenian philistines. (Armenian)
Bednii, Boris Lovers' Seat (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Bek, Aleksandr Life of Berezhkov (Zhizn' Berezhkova, 1956). Novel about the career and social development of an airplane engine designer. In the beginning, he blithely makes weapons for the Tsar. Over the ensuing years he learns various professional and personal lessons so that by the end he is working for the good of all, not just himself.9
Bek, Aleksandr Lucky Hands (xxx, 1962?). Story revolving around the life of the eminent Russian surgeon Sergei Petrovich Fyodorov, once the personal physican to Tsar Nikolai II who then used his skill, knowledge and "lucky hands" in the service of the young Soviet state.
Bek, Aleksandr New Assignment (Noviye naznacheniye, 1971, pub. 1986). A high-level apparatchik tries to base his behavior and career on Stalin's model. The results are self-destructive
Beliaev, Sergei Meat (Myaso, 1936). An "industrial novel" co-authored with Boris Pilnyak. It provides a disconnected, anecdotal, imaginataive history of the meat industry from the tsars to the present, including comparisons with American experience and capitalism's role in meat production. Boring.5
Beliayev, Aleksandr R. Flying Carpet (Kover-Samolet, 19xx). A wacky Soviet scientist named Professor Wagner is convinced that fleas are superior to humans--at least in terms of leaping ability. He sets out to right this injustice of nature and nearly ends up stranded in the stratosphere. Science-fiction comedy. Click here for complete text of story in English)
Beliayev, Aleksandr R. Hoity-Toity (Hoity-Toity, 19xx). A very sane--not at all mad--Soviet scientist transplants the brain of a man into the body of an elephant.
Beliayev, Aleksandr R. Man Who Does Not Sleep (Chelovek Kotorii Ne Spit, 19xx). Wacky Soviet Professor Wagner invents a way to cure people of the need to sleep. Evil German militarists-capitalists kidnap Wagner and steal his formula. They distribute the formula throughout Germany, keeping everyone awake. Increased worker productivity means they can fire half the work force, creating massive unemployment. Wagner manages to secretly alter the ingredients in his formula and put all of Germany asleep, except for the homeless and unemployed, who could not afford the anti-sleep pills. Wagner blasts his way out of his laboratory-jail, and, with the help of some of the non-sleeping proletariat, manages to make it back to the Soviet Union and freedom!
Beliayev, Aleksandr R. The Struggle in Space (Borba v Efire, 1928). Rocket-airships, radio-controlled tanks, and Death Rays. Evil Americans try to destroy the socialist paradise of the future, but the Soviets counterattack and win. Remnant capitalists flee to an underground base near Antartica, planning to escape into outer space. Socialism on one planet! (Click here for detailed summary.)
Belov, Vasili I. Everything Lies Ahead (Vse vperedi, 1986). A scientist-turned-bureaucrat steals another man's wife and children and aspires to move to America. Set in soulless Moscow, it portrays members of the intelligentsia as addicted to decadent Western culture, given to sexual excesses, marital infidelities, rock music, abortions, and scotch whiskey.1
Belov, Vasili I. Eves (Kanuny, 1972 - 1987). Story of middle peasants during a time of relative stability in the 1920s prior to the collectivization campaigns.
Belov, Vasili I. Ordinary Affair (aka That's How It Is) (Privychnoye delo, 1966). Study of an ordinary, industrious but poor peasant and his large family.
Belov, Vasili I. Year of Great Change: A Chronicle of Nine Months (God velikovo pereloma: khonika devyati mesyatsev, 1989). Depiction of the harsh and inhuman measures taken during the forced collectivization of the Vologda region. Deportation of Ukrainian peasants to the frozen north also shown.1
Berestov, Valentin Word of a Caterpillar (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Bieliauskas, Alfonsas Romance of Kaunas (Kauno romanas, 196x). An official in the employment trust is sent to quash a dispute between a female factory worker and her boss. His assignment is to vindicate the boss, but he determines that justice is on the side of the worker, and, for the first time in his life, he stands up to oppose the orders of his superiors. (Lithuanian) (n)7
Bitov, Andrei Country Place (xxx, 196x). A writer, caught up in a fallow period, spends a month of self-torment at a dacha with his wife and baby son.8
Bitov, Andrei Doctor (Doktor, 1978). xxx
Bitov, Andrei Door (xxx, 196x). An infatuated adolescent lingers in a hallway, waiting in vain for a glimpse of the woman who is deceiving him.8
Bitov, Andrei Journey to a Childhood Friend (xxx, 196x). Story of a man's complex attitude to a friend who has become a celebrity because of his feats as an explorer of volcanoes. On the one hand, he loves and admires his friend; on the other hand he views him with envy and hatred. Aim is also taken at the inflated need of the official press to create popular heroes.8
Bitov, Andrei Man in the Landscape (Chelovek v peizazhe, 1987). An eccentric painter gets into a long, drunken conversation about man, God, nature, beauty, Russia, culture, etc., etc.
Bitov, Andrei Penelope (Penelope, 196x). An office worker, killing time at a movie, strikes up a conversation with a young woman, agrees to help her find a job, then takes fright and ditches her.8
Bitov, Andrei Pushkin House (Pushkinskii Dom, 1978, pub. 1987). A young scholar is assigned to watch over the Pushkin House museum over a holiday. He gets drunk and is killed in a duel in the museum with an old nemesis. The duel is a parody of Pushkin's fatal duel, and the work is filled with 19th-century literary references in an attempt to study a shallow man of the 20th century.1
Bitov, Andrei Pushkin's Photograph (1799-2099) (Fotografiya Pushkina (1799-2099), 1987). A Pushkinologist from the future is sent back in time to get a photo and voice recording of the great poet. The scholar manages to wander around in old Russia for a bit, have a few brief encounters with the poet, and fail in an attempt to prevent Pushkin's fatal duel. In the end, he returns to the future with only blurry photos and garbled recordings.1
Bitov, Andrei Such a Long Childhood (Takoe dolgoe detsvo, 1965). A young man, on the threshold of manhood, gets expelled from a mining institute for poor grades. On an impulse, and without consulting with his parents, he joins former classmates who go to a mining town in the far north for their required summer of practical work. He gets a job as a regular miner, gets a girlfriend, and gets drafted into the army.8
Bitov, Andrei Taste (Vkus, 1987). xxx
Bitov, Andrei Wife's Not Home (xxx, 196x). The account of a few wasted hours in the life of an alienated young man, married to an actress who supports him. He wanders aimlessly about the city, has trivial and meaningless encounters with a few chance acquaintances, does a bit of drinking, goes home and waits jealously for his wife, quarrels with her, and goes to bed.8
Boldyrev, S. Deciding Years (Reshaiushchiye gody, 19xx). Socialist superhero among the blast furnaces.
Bondarev, Yuri V. Batallions Request Cover (Batal'ony prosyat ognya, 1957). Great Patriotic War novel.
Bondarev, Yuri V. Choice (Vybor, 1980). A terminally ill expatriot kills himself on a visit to Moscow so that he can be buried in the city of his youth. His fate causes his former Soviet friend to engage in a painful exploration of existential questions. 4
Bondarev, Yuri V. Commanders' Youth (Iunost' komandirov, 1956). xxx
Bondarev, Yuri V. Final Volleys (Poslednie zalpy, 1959). Great Patriotic War novel.
Bondarev, Yuri V. Hot Snow (Goryachii sneg, 1969). Novel about a Russian artillery unit and their struggle to prevent Manstein's Panzers relieving von Paulus's Army around Stalingrad during three days in December 1942. Narrative focuses on emotions and actions of combatants in critical situations.
Bondarev, Yuri V. Relatives (Rodstvennik, 1969). Children judge their parents behavior during the purges. 4
Bondarev, Yuri V. Shore, The (Bereg, 1975). A Soviet writer learns that a German woman, with whom he had a passionate romance as a young officer, still loves him. He dies, without reaching the promised shore of the dream of his youth.4
Bondarev, Yuri V. Silence (Tishina, 1962). Novel addressing themes of morality and Stalin's postwar repression.4
Bondarev, Yuri V. Two, The (Dvoe, 1964). Sequel to "Silence".
Bryl, Yanka The Birches White with Hoar-Frost (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Bubennov, Mikhail S. At Flood Time (V polovod'e, 1940). Collection of stories and sketches.
Bubennov, Mikhail S. Eagles' Steppe (Orlinaya step', 1959). xxx.
Bubennov, Mikhail S. Fire in the Taiga (Ogon' v taige, 19xx). Short story.
Bubennov, Mikhail S. Immortality (Bessmertiye, 1940). In this tale, set in the Civil War, the Whites sail a "death barge" down the Kama River. The barge's hold is full of prisoners--Bolsheviks and ordinary peasants--who are hauled out one by one to be shot or hung. The prisoners attempt a rebellion, partisans attempt a rescue, and everyone nearly drowns in a storm. After capturing Kazan, the Reds finally show up to liberate the barge. (Click here for detailed summary.)
Bubennov, Mikhail S. Life and Word (Zhizn' i slovo, 1978 - 1979). Autobiographical tale.
Bubennov, Mikhail S. River Rapids (Stremnina, 1969). Novel about the taming of the virgin lands. Honored in 1970 as one of the best works of literature about the working class.
Bubennov, Mikhail S. Son of the Detachment (Syn otryada, 19xx). Short story.
Bubennov, Mikhail S. White Birch, The (Belaya Beryozka, 1947 - 1952). Novel about the first stage of the Great Patriotic War with its heavy defensive battles and grim days of retreat. State Prize Winner (vol. 1), 1948.
Bubennov, Mikhail S. Year of Thunder (Gremyashchi god, 1930 pub. 1932). Novel about the establishment of kolkhozes in Siberia.
Budantsev, Sergei F. Army Commander (Komandarm, 1923). A vainglorious, spiritually empty left Social-Revolutionary, filled with a hatred of Soviet power, leads a revolt in Astrakhan in 1918.
Budantsev, Sergei F. House With an Exit into the World (Dom s Vykodom v Mir, 1930). A famous construction engineer decides to remain at a large factory construction site, far from his beloved Moscow. While he is impressed with the scope of the project and with the people selflessly working on it, he makes this decision not out of conviction, but rather because of the messy state of affairs in his own family.
Budantsev, Sergei F. Japanese Duel (Yaponskaya Duel, 1926). An eccentric bibliographer cannot find his way in the new revolutionary society, so he gets his revenge by burning his life's work--a bibliographic collection of translations of western European poets into Russian.
Budantsev, Sergei F. Locusts (Sarancha, 1927). A remote area of southern Azerbaijan is threatened with an imminent attack of ravenous locusts. A local factory director tries to prepare the region for the attack, but swindlers and saboteurs--both in and out of official positions--defraud the government, leaving the region without resources or equipment with which to battle the locusts. Natural disaster ensues. The innocent are arrested, but the guilty are punished. (Click here for detailed summary.)
Budantsev, Sergei F. Outpost of India (Forpost Indii, 1922). A local Persian Bolshevik attempts to lead the oppressed workers in a rebellion against the English colonialists. Betrayed, he dies a horrible death in prison at the insistence of the "cultured" English overlord, who also duplicitously despises the informer who helped him catch the Bolshevik.
Budantsev, Sergei F. Story of Labor (Rasskaz o trude, 1932). The story of a worker for whom the interests of the factory are a matter of his personal proletarian honor. He cannot abide shoddy work and undertakes to redo faulty welding himself. He works for more than 24 hours straight in order not to fall behind schedule.
Budantsev, Sergei F. Tale of the Sufferings of Mind (Povest o stradaniyakh uma, 1929). A brilliant scientist of the 1860s, suffering from reactionary individualism, tries to commit suicide twice, once with morphine, and once by catching a cold.
Budantsev, Sergei F. Wife (Zhena, 1926). The story of the four wives of a rich Uzbek in a remote village. The senior wife is dedicated to her husband and cruel toward the other wives, all of whom live a hard life with no rights. One of the younger wives, pregnant, dies as a result of her strenuous labor. Another wife is drawn to the new life and new people symbolized by the railroad which is being built through the area. Her attempt at flight is stymied, but there remains hope for her future.
Budantsev, Sergei F. Woman Writer (Pisatelnitsa, 1936). A woman writer arrives at a factory to gather material for her next work. The narrative follows her every step and thought. As the characters of the heroes of her future novel come more into focus, we see world view of the old woman writer herself changing.
Budantsev, Sergei F. Youth (Iunosha, 193x). Unfinished novel about a young man who comes to Moscow to study.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Adventures of Chichikov (Pokhozhdenie Chichikova, 192x). The hero of Gogol's "Dead Souls" arrives in the middle of the Soviet Union of the New Economic Plan (NEP) years.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Baptism by Rotation (Kreshcheniye Povorotom, 1925). A woman at a country hospital is having a difficult labor. The baby is presenting in a transverse position. The inexperienced doctor is nervous and tries to delay any action. Finally, he has to reach in and turn the baby around by the foot. The procedure is successful and the child is born healthy. From Notes of a Young Doctor.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Crimson Island (Bagrovii ostrov, 1928). Satirical play.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Darkness of Egypt (Tma Egipetskaya, 1925). The village where a young country doctor works is plunged in darkness: both a literal darkness, because of a lack of lanterns, and a figurative darkness--the darkness or ignorance of the peasants. As a result of this darnkess, some patients almost die by not taking medicine according to instructions. From Notes of a Young Doctor.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Fatal Eggs (Rokoviye Yaitsa, 1924). A scientist discovers an amazing new light ray which greatly accelerates growth in primitive organisms. Bureaucratic bungling leads to the wrong batch of eggs getting exposed to the ray. The result: giant, monster snakes, crocodiles, and ostriches roaming the countryside near Smolensk, terrifying and devouring the citizens. The army of monster creatures then marches on Moscow. The capital is saved, however, by an unusually early frost. But it's too late for the discoverer of the ray, who is done away with by a frenzied mob.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Flight (Beg, 1927). Play.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Heart of a Dog (Sobach'e serdtse, 1925). A scientist implants the testicles and pituitary gland of a dead criminal onto a dog, which then changes into a half-man, half-dog beast that goes by the name of Poligraf Poligrafovich Sharik. Poligraf turns the doctor's life into a nightmare, and the doctor is forced to reverse the process.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Lost Eye (Propavshii Glaz, 1926). A country doctor treats a gunshot wound. He makes a few minor mistakes, which, fortunately, do not lead to any tragic consquences. But the doctor humbly recognizes that he has to study more. From Notes of a Young Doctor.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Master and Margarita (Master i Margarita, 1940). The Master writes a novel about Pontius Pilate and the unjust execution of Yeshua, aka Jesus. Because of this unfortunate choice of subject, a virulent campaign is launched against the Master in the press. The Master winds up locked up in the looney bin. His girlfriend, Margarita, mopes around for a year because she is unaware of what happened to him. Then the devil shows up in Moscow with his retinue, including a large, bipedal, talking, pistol-toting, trouble-making cat. They engage in various hijinks in literary and theatre circles, starting with the beheading of the chief of a literary organization called MASSOLIT and the theft of his head from his coffin. Sowing confusion wherever they go, the cause numerous citizens to be sent to the looney bin. The devil invites Margarita to act as the naked, flying hostess of his annual midnight ball. To reward Margarita for her services, the forces of good and evil team up to kill the Master and Margarita--but don't worry; that's a good thing.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Morphine (Morfiy, 1927). A country doctor gives himself an injection of morphine to relieve abdominal pain. It also relieves his despair over a lost love and feeling of loneliness. He becomes addicted, and all attempts to end the habit fail. So, in the end, the doctor commits suicide. From Notes of a Young Doctor (with some scholarly dispute on this subject).
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Snowstorm (Viuiga, 1926). A country doctor travels through a snowstorm to treat a young bride, who suffered a skull fracture before her wedding. The doctor is unable to save her. From Notes of a Young Doctor.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Starry Rash (Zvezdnaya Syp, 1926). A country doctor fights venereal disease, which is rampant in the area. From Notes of a Young Doctor.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Steel Throat (Stalnoye Gorlye, 1925). A little girl suffering from diphtheria is brought to a rural hospital. She is having difficulty breathing. The young doctor sees that a tracheotomy is the only way to save the girl, but he is worried since he has never performed the procedure. The girl's mother at first objects to surgery, but then relents. The tracheotomy is successful and the child survives. From Notes of a Young Doctor.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Theatrical Novel (Teatral'nii roman, 1937). When a writer's novel fails, he attempts suicide. When that fails, he dramatizes his novel. To his surprise, the play is accepted by the legendary "Independent Theatre". But now a vortex of inflated egos may prevent the play from ever being performed.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. Towel With an Embroidered Rooster (Polotenste s petukhom, 1926). A young doctor, fraught with anxiety over his inexperience, arrives at a country hospital. His first patient is a young girl, mangled in a flax-threshing machine. No one expects her to survive, yet the doctor feels compelled to try to save her, despite his ignorance. He amputates a leg, the girl hangs on and eventually recovers. In gratitude, the girl presents the doctor with an embroidered towel. From Notes of a Young Doctor.
Bulgakov, Mikhail A. White Guard (Belaya gvardiya, 1924). A family of White Guardists and their friends are forced to accept defeat as their side loses to Petlyura's Ukrainian nationalists in Kiev in December 1918. (Click here for detailed summary.)
Bulychev, Kir Abduction of the Sorcerer (Pokhisheniye charodeya, 1981). Time travelers from the future stop off in the Soviet Union of the 1980s on their way to the past to kidnap a 13th-century sorcerer. (Click here for detailed summary.)
Bykov, Vasili V. Alpine Ballad (Al'pinskaya ballada, 196x). xxx
Bykov, Vasili V. Cordon (Oblava, 1990). A peasant buys a threshing machine, which he sometimes rents out or just lends to others. He is denounced as a kulak, forced from the village then driven to suicide.1
Bykov, Vasili V. Dead Men Feel No Pain (Mertvym ne bol'no, 196x). xxx
Bykov, Vasili V. Death of a Man (Smert' cheloveka, 195x). xxx
Bykov, Vasili V. In the Mist (V tumane, 1987). Two Belorussian partisans are ordered to execute a third, who is mistakenly thought to have informed on them. The would-be executioners, however, die before they can carry out their instructions. The innocent man, knowing that he cannot prove his innocence, commits suicide.1
Bykov, Vasili V. Live Till Dawn (Dozhit' do rassveta, 197x). xxx
Bykov, Vasili V. Obelisk (Obelisk, 197x). xxx
Bykov, Vasili V. Pack of Wolves (xxx, 19xx). In the forests of Belorussia in 1942, a group of disabled Russian partisans makes its way to a medical unit while being pursued by German soldiers.
Bykov, Vasili V. Quarry (Kar'er, 1986). During the Great Patriotic War, an Soviet officer hides out in a Belorussian village. In his attempt to rejoin Soviet forces, he unwittingly causes the death of one of his protectors.
Bykov, Vasili V. Sign of Misfortune (Znak bedy, 1983). The sufferings of a peasant couple first during the forced collectivization of the 1930s, then under the brutal yoke of Nazi occupation. Lenin Prize winner, 1986.
Bykov, Vasili V. Sotnikov (xxx, 197x). The story of two very different individuals and their behavior when mortal danger threatens.
Bykov, Vasili V. Third Rocket (Tret'ya raketa, 1962). xxx
Bykov, Vasili V. To Go and Not Return (Poiti i ne vernut'sya, 197x). xxx
Bykov, Vasili V. Twentieth (Dvadtsatii, 195x). xxx
Chapygin, Aleksei P. On Swan Lakes (Na lebyazh'ikh ozyorak, 1922). xxx
Chapygin, Aleksei P. Stepan Razin (Razin Stepan, 1926). Grand epic concerning the 17th-century rebel leader. One thousand pages long.
Chernyonok, Mikhail Ya. Losing Bet (Stavka na proigrysh, 1979). In Novosibirsk, militia detective Anton Biriukov unravels a web of fraud, illegal book speculation, icon forgery and murder. But don't worry...Soviet justice triumphs in the end. Written by the "Siberian Simenon". (Click here for detailed summary.)
Davydov, Yuri Adkhalib (Adkhalib, 19xx). xxx
Davydov, Yuri Blue Tulips (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Davydov, Yuri Evenings at Kolmovo (Vechera v Kolmove, 1988). A doctor in a rural mental hospital in the late 19th century treats the Populist writer Gleb Upsensky1
Davydov, Yuri Fate of Usoltsev (Sudba Usoltseva, 1972). In the late 1880s, a group of Russian peasants and intellectuals go to Ethiopia to start a socialist colony. The experiment eventually collapses in an atmosphere of thought control and spy-mania. 1
Davydov, Yuri March (Mart, 1959). Historical novel about the early revolutionaries of the People's Will political movement.
Davydov, Yuri Sailor and Voyages (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Davydov, Yuri Scent of Almond (xxx, 19xx). Novel recalling certain episodes in the story of the Russian revolution of 1905. 2
Davydov, Yuri Slack Period of Autumn (Glukhaya Pora Listopada, 1970). Historical novel focusing on German Lopatin, a friend of Marx and Engles and the first Russian translator of Das Kapital.
Davydov, Yuri Two Sheaves of Letters (Dve Svyazki Pisem, 19xx). xxx
Davydov, Yuri Watershed (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Davydov, Yuri White Rider (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Dombrovsky, Yuri Department of Unnecessary Things (Fakultet nenuzhnikh veshchei, 1978, pub. 1988). Law and ethical norms shown as unnecessary for NKVD agents and interrogators as they frame an innocent philologist-historian and put on a show trial. They regularly use beatings, trickery, and sleep-deprivation as tools.
Dombrovsky, Yuri Keeper of Antiquities (Khranitel drevnostei, 1964). xxx
Dorosh, Efim Village Diary (Derevenskii dnevnik, 1953 - 1970). Series of sketches concerning a small farming community in central Russia. Main target of the writing is senseless, bureaucratic management of agriculture.8
Drabkina, Elizaveta Golden Autumn (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Drozdov, A Demon (Bes, 1922). Tale of the erosion of old humanistic values by sensuality and fear.3
Dudintsev, Vladimir Dusya and Timofei (Dusya i Timofei, 1950). A young wife named Dusya gets upset because her husband, Timofei, a bulldozer operator, spends weeks at a time away on the job. She changes her attitude, however, when she learns what a Stakhanovite he is. Meanwhile, Timofei is not only doing his job, but also helping out a explosives brigade, blasting rock out of the way for a new railroad. A fire starts in a pit of explosives. Timofei is the first to raise the alarm and join the fight to save the day.
Dudintsev, Vladimir Hands of Friends (Ruki Druzei, 1947). A young soldier being evacuated by train to Siberia falls in love with his nurse, who, unfortunately, is married and has a child. As he recovers, friends use various subterfuges to get the soldier to forget her without breaking his heart.
Dudintsev, Vladimir Mad Boy (Beshenii malchishka, 1958). A friendly homeless dog is adopted by an entire Moscow apartment building. Everyone likes and is nice to the dog, except for the son of a haughty, Volga-owning intellectual--an intellectual who, by the way, never dirties his hands with manual labor and is extremely negligent in his maintenance of the Volga. The boy teases the dog mercilessly. One day, unable to endure the taunting any longer, the dog bites the boy on the finger. The boy's father complains to the house manager, who, after hearing the evidence, quite rightly says it's the boy's fault and refuses to do anything about the dog. The intellectual gets into his Volga and goes off somewhere to complain. As a result, the house manager is disciplined and ordered to kill the dog. Knowing that the dog is doomed, a truck driver in the building takes the dog in his truck and drives him down to his parents in Kharkov. The dog is able to live out his days happily guarding the kolkhoz apple trees. Things are not so happy for the boy who started it all, however. His father forces him to undergo a series of painful anti-rabies shots. And, of course, all the other children taunt him as "mad" or "rabid". (Click here to read complete text in Russian.)
Dudintsev, Vladimir Meeting with a Birch Tree (Vstrecha s Berezoi, 1946). A young soldier returns to Moscow after the war. He looks for his girlfriend, intending to propose, but she has disappeared. She was evacuated with her factory during the war to an unknown location. He is despondent but then finds a message carved for him on a birch tree where he and she used to meet. He hugs the tree and cries.
Dudintsev, Vladimir Mountain Sickness (Gornaya bolezn, 1947). A relatively inexperienced woman mountain climber joins two men on a climb. One of the men--with a bad leg which he is trying to hide from the others--is having a difficult time. The woman understands and provides surprising help which enables the whole team to reach the peak.
Dudintsev, Vladimir New Year's Tale (xxx, 1957). A fable for adults that takes place on a distant planet where half the people live in complete darkness, the other half in light. Thugs run the dark continent, but things work out in the end.
Dudintsev, Vladimir Not By Bread Alone (Ne khlebom edinim, 1956). An inventor struggles against the invisible empire of bureaucracy and self-servers in a courageous attempt to advance the Soviet pipe industry. (Click here for detailed summary.)
Dudintsev, Vladimir On the Night Shift (V nochnoi smene, 1948). Jealousy over a woman threatens to disrupt work at a factory. But in the end the peaceful principles of socialist competition win out and even the loser in love congratulates his rival.
Dudintsev, Vladimir Ski Tracks (Lyzhnii sled, 1951). A healthy young mechanic skis the long distance from his Machine Tractor Station to a remote Siberian village to see his girlfriend. A trouble-maker tries to separate the lovers, but a wise older mechanic sets them back on the right path.
Dudintsev, Vladimir Snarsky's Hut (Izbushka Snarskovo, 1946). A flood sweeps away a workers' hut with a man trapped inside. A daring rescue ensues.
Dudintsev, Vladimir Station "Nina" (Stantsiya "Nina", 1949). A pretty young geologist named Nina is having a hard time figuring out if a large granite mountain in Kirghizia can be blast out of the way for a new railroad. She needs drawings and samples from high up top. The members of the demolition team fail in their attempts to do this. But a young Kirghiz boy makes it up to the highest cliff, where he scrapes out "Nina" in giant letters for all to see, so he can prove that he actually got there. Based on the infornation and samples brought back by the boy, the demolition proceeds. The giant slab with the "Nina" inscription lodges itself right at the entrance to the newly created gorge, thus ensuring that the future railway stop here will be named "Nina".
Dudintsev, Vladimir White Robes (Beliye odezhdi, 1987). In the late 1940s, despite Lysenko's denunciation of genetics as the "whore-child of imperialism", some brave Soviet scientists secretly carry on research in the field.
Dudintsev, Vladimir With Seven Bogatyrs (U semi bogatyrei, 1951). A woman is assigned to a brigade of explosives workers, working through the winter in the high mountains, clearing the way for a future railroad. The woman helps come up with a way to double their pace of work.
Dumbadze, Nodar Blood Knot (xxx, 1984?). An old man and an old woman battle each other to win the custody of their less-than-perfect grandson. (Georgian) (Click here for entire text in English.)
Dumbadze, Nodar Granny, Iliko, Illarion and I (xxx, 19xx). The story of the wartime childhood of an orphaned Georgian boy and his youth and studies at Tbilisi University. (Georgian)
Dumbadze, Nodar Kukaracha. (xxx, 19xx). Novel about love and loyalty, bravery and betrayal centering about a Georgian militia man, affectionately called “Kuckracha” by both the kids and the adults. He is a conscientious divisional inspector investigating various incidents, calling to order local hoodlums and settling family arguments. He helps out a young woman who fell prey to Murtalo, a bandit and murderer. The young people fall in love with each other. But Murtalo decides to take revenge on Kukaracha. (Georgian)
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Conspiracy of Equals (Zagavor Ravnikh, 1928). Historical novel concerning the Babeuf movement in Revolutionary France, which rejected terror and advocated an egalitarian democracy. Dismissed by Stalin as "pulp literature" suitable for "a real bourgeois chamber theater."
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Curious Incident (Liubopitnoe Proizshestvie, 1922). A Bolshevik leader tours the jail where he was once imprisoned under the tsar. He accidentally gets locked up with a Menshevik. By the time the mistake is discovered, the Bolshevik leader has gone looney and refuses to leave. The Cheka have to forcefully remove him to a sanitarium where, every morning, he shouts, "I only want to subvert!"
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Extraordinary Adventures of Julio Jurenito and His Disciples (Neobychainiye Pokhozhdeniye Khulio Khurenito i Evo Uchenikov, 1921). A mysterious Mexican named Julio Jurenito meets up with a fictional Ilya Ehrenburg and several other disciples, who follow him on a quest to disrupt Europe, undermining its myths and complacent assumptions about religion, politics, love, marriage, art, socialism, and the rules of war. The Pope is lampooned, as is the eternal internal bickering among socialist factions. Eerily, the Nazi Final Solution is presaged as Julio sends out invitations to the extermination of the Jewish tribe. In Moscow, Jurenito meets with a Bolshevik leader obviously meant to represent Lenin. This fictional Lenin shows himself to be ruthless, vowing to exterminate all enemies. Praised by Zamyatin as a perfect example of literary heresy.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Fall of Paris (Padeniye Parizha, 1941). Novel giving a portrait of France between 1935 and 1941, showing that the salvation of France can come only from its working class and Communist Party. Offers character studies of French politicians, industrialists, intellectuals, and workers. In the end, the hero-Communists, who have an unshakable trust in the Soviet Union, look forward to the coming battles and to the positive future which will result from them. Stalin Prize winner, 1942.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Grabber (Rvach, 1924). A Social-Revolutionary flees Moscow after his party's anti-Bolshevik revolt fails in 1918. He survives the Civil War and makes his way back to Moscow as the NEP is in full swing. But he no longer understands society's rules, gets arrested because of links to a currency speculator, and commits suicide in jail.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Improved Communist Man (Uskomchel, 1922). A thoroughly Communist Kremlin bureaucrat creates the ideal Communist agitator. The agitator, however, turns on the bureaucrat, so completely disrupting the bureaucrat's life that he goes mad and dies.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Life and Death of Nikolai Kurbov (Zhizn' i Smert Nikolaya Kurbova, 1923). A dedicated member of the Cheka works tirelessly against enemies of the people and signs death warrants without hesitation. However, his faith is shaken when the NEP is announced, and he ends up shooting himself.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Lion on the Square (Lev Na Ploshchadi, 1948). A play that is a blistering, vicious attack on the behavior of Americans in post-war Europe.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Love of Jeanne Ney (Liubov Zhanny Nei, 1923). A young, respectable French bourgeois woman falls in love with a Russian Communist who is sent to France on a subversive mission. He is arrested on a murder charge and the only way to prove his innocence to to reveal his true mission. He remains heroically silent and is sentences to death. Jeanne sacrifices her honor in a vain attempt to save her lover.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (Moskva Slezam ne Verit, 1932). Novel about the difficulties of a Russian artist who has the opportunity to study in Paris. He is attacked by a critic at home who denounces his work as degenerate and bourgeois. Western capitalist society is compared to a lavatory in a fifth-rate Paris hotel.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Ninth Wave (xxx, 1951). Crude propaganda novel about the Peace Movement and the Cold War. Later renounced by Ehrenburg, who refused to have it included in his Collected Works.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. On Portochnoi Lane (aka "A Street In Moscow") (V Portochnoi Pereulke, 1927). Graphic and often sordid account of daily life in a Moscow working class area during the mid-1920s, as characters come to terms with changes brought by the Revolution.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Second Day (aka "Out of Chaos") (Den' Vtoroi, 1933). Day-to-day account of the harsh conditions of life and heroic efforts of workers to over come nature's resistance as they built a blast furnace in Kuznetsk. A weak dreamer tries to fit in with the more dedicated workers but fails. He becomes complicit in an act of vandalism. Ashamed of his own spiritual bankruptcy, he commits suicide.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Storm (Burya, 1948). Novel about World War II with action set both in the Soviet Union and in France. It described the enormous efforts of the Red Army to defeat Nazi Germany. Containes descriptions of the massacres of Jews at Babi Yar, portrays a shocking liaison between a Russian and a French actress (marriages with foreigners were illegal at the time), and makes an oblique jibe at the Hitler-Stalin pact. Stalin Prize winner, 1948.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Stormy Life of Lasik Roitschwantz (Burnaya Zhizn' Lazika Roitshvantsa, 1928). A simple, good-natured Jew from Belorussia wanders to Moscow, Warsaw, Germany, France, England and Palestine, suffering beatings, jailings, and indignities of all sorts wherever he goes.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. The Thaw (Ottepel, 1954). The novel which gave its name to an entire era of Soviet history, consisting mainly of interior monologues of a wide range of characters most of whom---willingly or unwillingly--are living inner personal lives at odds with their outer, public lives. The wife of an unimaginative but successful factory director struggles with her growing alienation from her husband. Others struggle to keep love out of their souls because it conflicts with their duties to the factory and to the Party. A talented artist who squandered his talent and became a hack for the sake of success struggles to maintain his cynical outlook so he won't have to face his own spiritual bankruptcy. But as the cold winter passes and the spring thaw comes, a change is beginning--loves and childlike exuberances with all their unexplainable contradictions are blossoming out into the open, with no regard to poltical correctness. Stalin and his passing are nowhere referred to in the work, but the time frame of the action is clear to the readers. Explosive for its time as well were passing references to the injustices of the terror and the absurd Doctors' Plot. (Click here for detailed summary.)
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Trust D.E. (Trest D.E., 1923). American millionaires finance a plan to destroy Europe. Viruses and poison gas are used to reduce the continent to a desert.
Ehrenburg, Ilya G. Without Taking Breath (Ne Perevodya Dikhaniya, 1934). Novel centering on heroic efforts to develop a modern timber industry in the far north. Also describes the wholesale destruction of wooden churches from the 17th and 18th centuries and the neglect of tradtional Russian lace-making in the region.
Ekimov, Boris Boy on the Bicycle (Malchik na velosipede, 1984). An engineer comes to his native village to visit his mother. He becomes engrossed in bitter-sweet nostalgic reminiscences.1
Ekimov, Boris Chelyadins' Son-in-Law, The (Chelyadinskii zyat', 1986). A released convict appears in a village to settle in with a woman he's known only through correspondence. He shirks his job at the collective farm, but forces the locals to accept him through intimidation and threats.1
Ekimov, Boris House for Sale (Prodaetsya dom, 1986). A lonely old widow stipulates such impossible conditions for the sale of her house that it will remain unsold until she dies.1
Ekimov, Boris Meeting is Postponed (Vstrecha otmenyaetsya, 1986). A schoolteacher arranges for her mother, a renowned champion milkmaid, to visit her class as an example of high accomplishment. A complication arises when the mother is to be tried for stealing milk and fodder from the collective farm. The mother admits it, saying "Everybody does it."1
Ekimov, Boris Solonich (Solonich, 1986). A peasant, the proud owner of a well-constructed cow-shed, makes a heart-rending decision to sell out his holding and move to a larger settlement so his children can go to decent schools.1
Ekimov, Boris What's All the Crying About? (O chem. slezy?, 1989). A widow and her old mother make vodka, which they use to pay for the necessities of life. The militia confiscates the still and impose a heavy fine. The women tearfully bewail their fate.1
Esin, Sergei Imitator (Imitator, 1985). Frank and boastful confession of a corrupt portrait painter and museum director whose cynical intrigues have made him famous and wealthy.1
Esin, Sergei Memoirs of a Forty-Year-Old (Memuaryi Sorokaletnego, 1984). A series of portraits of the authors contemporaries, extending from the post-war years to the mid-1970s. 1
Esin, Sergei One's Work is Never Done (Nezavershenka, 1986). A public baths attendant makes money selling illicit vodka and snacks to customers. When reforms are initiated, the attendant tries to stop them by setting fire to the establishment and flooding it.1
Esin, Sergei Present Day (Tekushchii den', 1979). The ambition, conniving wife of a bureaucrat, pushes her husband into a job beyond his powers, resulting in a fatal heart-attack. An indictment of materialism and unscrupulous selfishness in the bureaucratic class.1
Evdokimov, I. Bells (Kolokola, 1926). Historical fiction on the Bolshevik underground.3
Fadeev, Aleksandr A. Last of the Udeghe (Poslednii iz Udege, 19xx). Unfinished novel about the Udeghe people of far eastern Siberia.
Fadeev, Aleksandr A. Rout, The (Razgrom, 1927). Red Army partisans flee from pursuing Cossacks and Japanese interventionist forces in Russia's Far East. (Click here for detailed summary.)
Fadeev, Aleksandr A. Tale of Our Youth. (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Fadeev, Aleksandr A. Young Guard (Molodaya Gvardia, 1945). Account of the heroic exploits of young Communist underground workers in the Donbass town of Krasnodon during the Nazi occupation. Stalin Prize winner.
Fedin, Konstantin Arktur Sanitorium (xxx, 1940). Life among patients in a Swiss health sanitorium.
Fedin, Konstantin Bonfire (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Fedin, Konstantin Brothers (Bratya, 1928). A musician and composer attempts to claim an expemption from Revolutionary service in pursuit of his individual artistic expression. He argues with his brother, a Bolshevik who goes off to die in battle. In the end, the musician takes up his brother's cause and believes, therefore, that he has overcome the contradiction between art and Revolutionary activity. However, his view of art as essentially tragic, born in solitude, remains unchanged.
Fedin, Konstantin Cities and Years (Goroda i Godi, 1924). A spineless Russian intellectual is interred in Germany at the start of World War I. He falls in love with a German girl, Mari, who helps him in an escape attempt. Once back in Russia after the war, he struggles to find his place in Revolutionary society. Forgetting his promises to send for Mari, he gets another girl pregnant. He also helps a personal acquaintance, now a counterrevolutionary, escape Soviet justice. For this betrayal of the Soviet cause, his best friend kills him. Told in a disjointed, non-sequential narrative with frequent lyrical digressions. (Click here for detailed summary.)
Fedin, Konstantin First Joys (Perviye Radosti, 1945 - 1946). A broad, realistic novel set in Saratov on the Volga on the eve of World War I. Shows the actions of a young, budding revolutionary (Izvekov) and an older revolutionary factory worker (Ragozin), both of whom get arrested. Various other strata of pre-revolutionary Russia are also shown. Stalin Prize winner.
Fedin, Konstantin Muzhiki (Muzhiki, 19xx). Cruelty and brutality abound in several episodes from the life of a village shepherd and his daughter.
Fedin, Konstantin No Ordinary Summer (Neobyknovennoye leto, 1948). In 1919, a Russian soldier escapes from a German prisoner of war camp and makes it back to Russia, which is caught up in the Civil War. Back, too, are Izvekov and Ragozin from First Joys, and they meet up with old enemies and friends. Stalin, not Trotsky, the hero of the Battle of Tsaritsyn. And a nonpolitical writer tries to maintain his artistic freedom and express his sympathies for the suffering, no matter what side they are on. Stalin Prize winner.
Fedin, Konstantin Orchard (Sad, 1920). An old gardener watches sadly as the orchard he cared for and the manor house of the old owners are turned over to a Soviet orphanage and fall into neglect. He sets the house and orchard on fire.
Fedin, Konstantin Rape of Europe (Pokhishcheniye Evropy, 1934). A bourgeois Dutch family bicker among themselves as they try to hold onto a timber concession in the Soviet Union. In the end, the Soviet Union is strong enough to kick them out, reducing them to the status of timber broker. Told through the eyes of a Communist journalist, who absconds with the wife of one of the Dutchmen.
Fedin, Konstantin Test of Feelings (Ispytanie chuvstv, 1942). A play depicting a heroine, Aglaia, involved with the anti-German resistance during World War II.
Fedin, Konstantin Transvaal (Transvaal, 1926). A tough Estonian of Boer extraction comes to wield almost dictatorial ecomonic power over the peasants of his village.
Fedoseev, Grigori Along the Eastern Sayan (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Fedoseev, Grigori Forest Mysteries (xxx, 19xx). xxx.
Fedoseev, Grigori Last Campfire (Poslednii koster, 1967). The long life and death of an Evenk hunter/trapper/guide, full of joys and tragedy in the magnificent taiga wilderness. He battles bears, wolves, forest fires; loses children to hunger, frost, and freezing rivers; herds reindeer, hunts moose, and blazes trails into unexplored regions to uncover nature's vast wealth. He dies half naked and frozen by an expiring fire in a grave of snow made with his own hands.
Fedoseev, Grigori Meeting in the Taiga (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Fedoseev, Grigori Not This Time, Death (xxx, 19xx). xxx.
Fedoseev, Grigori Pashka of Bear Ravine (xxx, 196x). As the taiga awakens to spring, an old man and a boy guide a young geologist through its midst. The trek is rigorous and dangerous, but there is joy in it too for Pashka and his grandfather love the wild, untamed land and its people.
Fedoseev, Grigori Trial of Endurance (xxx, 19xx). xxx.
Fomenko, Vladimir The Earth Remembers (xxx, 19xx). xxx.
Forsh, Olga D. Contemporaries (Sovremenniki, 1925). Historial fiction on Gogol and his times.3
Forsh, Olga D. Dressed in Stone (Odety Kamnem, 1927). A 19th-century revolutionary becomes a "secret prisoner", locked by the tsar in solitary confinement for 20 years.
Forsh, Olga D. Mad Ship (Sumashedshii Korabl, 1931). A fictionalized account of life in the Petrograd House of Arts (Dom Iskusstv) during the 1920s. Features fictionalized versions of Zoshchenko, M. Shaginyan, Shklovsky, Kliuev, Blok, Bely, Gorky, and Forsh herself.
Forsh, Olga D. Mikhailovsky Castle (Mikhailovsky Zamok, 1946). Historical novel concerning three generations of Russian architects: V.I. Bazhenov, A.N. Voronikhin, and K.I. Rossi.
Furmanov, Dmitri Chapaev (Chapaev, 1923). A straightforward, factual narrative concerning the exploits of Chapaev, a colorful and charismatic commander of Red Amry forces, who, along with his faithful political commisar, Klichkov, fights a never-ending battle against Kolchak, Cossacks, and other enemies of Communism during the Civil War. But in the end, the Cossacks catch him with his pants down. Perhaps the granddaddy of all Socialist Realism. (Click here for detailed summary.)
Furmanov, Dmitri Red Landing (Krasnii Desant, 1923). A story about a Red Army operation against Wrangle's forces.
Furmanov, Dmitri Revolt (Myatezh, 1925). A semidocumentary account of the Civil War in Central Asia.
Gaidar, Arkady Distant Lands (Dalniye Strani, 1932). The hum of construction comes to a backwoods village, where the children dream of distant lands.
Gaidar, Arkady Fourth Dug-Out (Chetvyortii Blindazh, 1929). Tale about some children being accidently exposed to artillery fire.
Gaidar, Arkady Tale of the Military Secret (Skazka o Voennoi Taine, 1935). The peaceful Soviet motherland is subjected to a perfidious sneak attack by bourgeois forces. As the Soviet fathers and older brothers are killed, little children have to join the battle. One such child is the Malchik-Kilbachish. He is captured and tortured, but remains true to his word and does not reveal the great military secret of what makes the motherland and the workers of the world so strong. His bravery gives the Red Army the time it needs to ride to the rescue. (Click here for complete text in Russian and English.)
Gaidar, Arkady Timur and His Gang (Timur i Evo Komanda, 1940). A gang of kids sneaks around a village secretly doing good deeds, protecting families whose fathers and husbands are in the Red Army, and doing battle against nasty hooligans. This story was part of the curriculum in every Soviet school up until 1991.
Galshoyan, Mushegh Bovtun (xxx, 1977?). A social drama which tells about the children of refugees from Western (Turkish) Armenia, who construct a new village in a stone valley. (Armenian)
Ganina, Maya Matvei and Shurka. (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Gelman, Aleksandr Feedback (xxx, 197x). Play dealing with the difficulties of industrial management and production. It contains criticism of "working for the record", bureaucracy, and careerism of some Party workers. Human factors are stressed, such as the harm of pursuing selfish aims and the importance of everyone's individual effort.
Genatulin, Anatoli Tunnel (Tunnel, 1987). A Russian, whose sweetheart was raped and murdered by Nazis, is consumed by a hatred of Germans. After the war, some German prisoners save his life, and the Russian comes to accept the Germans as human beings.1
German, Yuri P. Aleksei Zhmakin (Aleksei Zhmakin, 19xx). An escaped criminal is tracked down by a virtuous OGPU agent more inclined to "reform" his quarry than punish him.
German, Yuri P. Eternal Battle (xxx, 19xx). A young doctor deals with his disappointment and volunteers for experiments studying the effects of x-rays.
German, Yuri P. Our Friends (Nashi Znakomiye, 1936). Story of a young woman who searches for meaning and purpose in life as she drifts aimlessly through a series of bad marriages (one to a smuggler and one to an old bourgeois). She finally finds regeneration, happiness, and a socially useful purpose when she marries a kind OGPU agent.
German, Yuri P. Young Russia (Rossiya molodaya, 1953). Historical novel set in the period of Peter the Great.
Gladilin, Anatoli Chronicles of the Times of Viktor Podgursky (Khoronika vremem Viktora Podgurskovo, 1956). Povest. First appeared in "Iunost".
Gladilin, Anatoli First Day of the New Year (Pervii den' novovo goda, 1963). A young artist has troubles dealing with his relationship with his dying father. The father laments his incapacity for passing his social dedication and sense of purpose on to his son. The son, while loving and respecting his father, cannot accept his rationalizations and faith in authority. The artists must also deal with his duty to his wife, child, and the girl with whom he is having an affair.
Gladilin, Anatoli Moving Forward (Idushchii vpered, 1962). Short story.
Gladilin, Anatoli Smoke in the Eyes (Dym v glaza, 1959). Account of the rise, fall, and redemption of a spectacularly egotistical football star.8
Gladkov, Fyodor V. Cement (Tsement, 1924). True Communists fight White Guards, bandits, lust and corruption as they struggle to bring a cement factory and the Soviet economy back to life in post-Civil War days. (Click here for detailed summary.)
Gladkov, Fyodor V. Conversations with Pasternak (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Gladkov, Fyodor V. Deadwood (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Gladkov, Fyodor V. Energy (Energiya, 1938). Deals with construction of the Dneproges hydroelectric plant on the Dnieper River.
Gladkov, Fyodor V. Firey Steed (xxx, 1922). Depiction of the Revolution in the Kuban Cossack region.
Gladkov, Fyodor V. Freemen (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Gladkov, Fyodor V. Gulf (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Gladkov, Fyodor V. Hard Times (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Gladkov, Fyodor V. Hoard (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Gladkov, Fyodor V. Restless Youth (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Gladkov, Fyodor V. Story of My Childhood (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Gladkov, Fyodor V. Wolves (xxx, 19xx). xxx
Glebov, Anatoly Pravdokha (Pravdokha, 19xx). xxx
Godenko, Mikhail Early Frosts (xxx, 1970). Novel focusing on life in a Ukrainian village from pre-collectivization days, on through the post-war years.
Godenko, Mikhail Minefield (xxx, 1964). Novel.
Golovin, Genadii Anna Petrovna (Anna Petrovna, 1985 pub. 1987). Account of the last days and death of an old woman who lives alone in a tiny Moscow apartment, neglected by her only relative, an exploitive granddaughter. Contains dreamlike flashbacks to her early years--Civil War, socialist construction, etc.1
Golovin, Genadii Birthday of the Deceased (Den' rozhdeniya pokoinika, 1988). Satire of the Brezhnev period.
Golovin, Genadii Foreign Country (Chuzhaya strana, 1989). A woman dies in a Moscow suburb and her son, depressed, ordinary factory worker from the provinces, starts a journey to bury her. Coincidentally, Brezhnev has also just died and all airplanes, trains, etc., are reserved for official use. Making his was as best he can to Moscow, the factory worker is robbed of his suitcase, money, and passport. He is subject to the abuse and indifference of his fellow countrymen, for all of whom their own native land is a "foreign country". He eventually makes it to Moscow, but dies just as he approaches the site of his mother's funeral. Includes biting satire of Party fatcats and bureaucrats.1
Golovin, Genadii Jack, Little Brother, and Others (Dzhek, Bratishka i drugiye, 1988).