From romanticism to realism, nineteenth-century Russian fiction gave the world masterworlds of the imagination from such authors as Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Gorky, and Turgenev. This outstanding collection now allows readers to experience their themes, styles, and characters in thirteen carefully selected short stories—tales that fully reveal the quintessential nature of the Russian writers creating under the tsars. From Pushkin at the beginning of the period, whose work contains the essence of what Russian realism would become, to Gorky, who bridged the days of the 1917 Revolution in his brilliant writings, they were artists moved by the spirit of their land, new political ideas and ideals, and the ancient, dark soul of the Slavic people. Passionate or violent, tormented, humorous, cynical, or shining with unparalleled lyricism, these are magnificent stories created by some of the greatest authors of all time.

Contents:

• Introduction by Norris Houghton
• The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin
  Translated by T. Keane
• Taman by Mikhail Lermontov
  Translated by J. H. Wisdom & Marr Murray
• Bezhin Meadows by Ivan Turgenev
  Translated by Constance Garnett
• How a Muzhik Fed Two Officials by Mikhail Saltykov
  Translated by Vera Volkhovsky
• A Gentle Spirit by Fyodor Dostoevsky
  Translated by Constance Garnett
• The Crocodile by Fyodor Dostoevsky
  Translated by Constance Garnett
• What Men Live By by Leo Tolstoy
  Translator not credited
• Kholstomer by Leo Tolstoy
  Translator not credited
• The Lady with the Dog by Anton Chekhov
  Translated by Constance Garnett
• Anna on the Neck by Anton Chekhov
  Translated by Constance Garnett
• The Outrage by Alexander Kuprin
  Translated by S. Koteliansky and J. M. Murry
• In the Steppes by Maxim Gorky
  Translated by R. S. Townsend
• The Seven Who Were Hanged by Leonid Andreyev
  Translated by Eugenia Schimanskaya & M. Elizabeth Gow