The Soul's Pendulum By Alexander Grin The Revolution is a great historical event that requires an individual's participation. Fiction
The New World Order By Alexei Bayer This tale within a tale unravels into a surprising conclusion about the real end of the Cold War. Fiction
The Tale of the Cowardly Devil By Lev Ovalov Excerpt from one of the classic Soviet era Major Pronin tales, about a skilled Chekist battling in this case wreckers. Fiction
Happiness By Anton Chekhov Two old men pass the night sharing tales of buried treasures, wondering at the happiness they might bring. Meanwhile, they are seemingly unaware of the beautiful treasures of nature that surround them in the here and now. Fiction
The Same Old Story By Ivan Goncharov To leave home, a boy must cope with his mother’s anguish. She cannot understand why he would leave behind the happiness of the known to the uncertainty of the unknown. Excerpted from a newly released translation published by Bunim & Bannigan. Fiction
Person to Person By Alexander Grin A traveler shares a story from his personal life, to show how a chance interaction gave him a new perspective on contentment and happiness. Fiction
The Book of Happiness By Nina Berberova The Book of Happiness, loosely based on Nina Berberova’s years spent living in Paris, follows the heroine Vera as she struggles through life abroad with a dying husband. After his passing, Vera meets a stranger who opens her eyes to what it means to be truly content. Fiction
Anna Karenina By Lev Tolstoy In these excerpts from Tolstoy’s classic novel, we check in on Anna, Vronsky, Levin and Kitty after all have made their respective romantic choices. None, save perhaps Kitty, are realizing the happiness they dreamed of, but at least two of them will overcome this. Fiction
Domestic Bliss By Mikhail Zoshchenko Zoshchenko addresses the “women’s emancipation” effort that led to the creation of canteens, kindergartens and other social services meant to free women from traditional housework and thereby grant them a happy and dignified life. Fiction
