TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. A DEAD BODY (Мертвое тело) (1885) A corpse wrapped in linen is lying under a tree in the middle of a misty August night, dutifully watched over by two peasants who are keeping a fire alive. They listen to the sounds of the forest and talk to fight off their feelings of eeriness when a pilgrim comes along attracted by the fire, who is afraid to continue on his way alone after seeing the corpse. (1,900 words)
2. THE REQUIEM (Панихида) (1886) Andrey Andryitch is in (…)
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6 July 2020, by Guy de MaupassantTABLE OF CONTENTS
1. ON THE WATER (1876) The narrator tells us about the eerie adventure on the Seine of his neighbour, an enthusiastic boater and lover of the river and all its mysteries. (2,300 words)
2. A NORMANDY JOKE (1882) At a wedding feast in the Normandy countryside the bridegroom reacts to the ribald teasing of his friends, but nevertheless underestimates the trick that they have prepared for him. (1,600 words)
3. MARTINE (1882) Benoist manages to talk to the beautiful (…) -
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25 June 2020, by Guy de MaupassantA selection of excellent tales by the one of the greatest masters of the short-story format, translated specially for this site. TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. THE STORY OF A DOG (1881) Cocote is an extremely ugly female mongrel that François has been allowed to keep by the master of the manor where he is a servant. But she is absolutely irresistible for all the male dogs in the neighbourhood and the property soon is invaded by endless streams of mongrels seeking her company. (1,600 words)
2. OLD (…) -
"The Huntsman" and other Chekhov stories
9 June 2020, by Anton ChekhovTABLE OF CONTENTS
1. THE HUNTSMAN (Егерь) (1885) Yegor is hunting with his dog when he hears his name called by Pelagea, the young woman he had married twelve years previously and who is still hopelessly in love with him. (1,700 words)
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3. LADIES (Дамы) (1886) The Director of (…) -
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It has all the key players of the first episode – the Null-A (non-Aristotelian) mutant Gilbert Gosseyn with an extra brain(!) who has learned how to “similarize” (transport instantaneously) himself to previously-memorised places in case of need, the superiorly intelligent and (…) -
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A selection of Tang Dynasty poems
25 May 2020, by RayThe Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) was a period of extraordinary flourishing of the Chinese civilisation in all domains, notably art and literature.
No other civilisation has ever placed poetry on such an elevated pedestal in its scale of values: everyone with an education wrote poetry from the Emperor on downwards, and the most famous poets were honoured in the streets and in the palaces like the stars of popular culture are today.
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More of Jack London’s best Far North stories
21 May 2020, by Jack LondonTABLE OF CONTENTS
1. The Wife of a King (1899) A prospector has left his half-Indian wife to join the flood of gold-seekers in Dawson, and when he fails to return word comes back about his dallying with a casino dancer, the plucky wife sets off for Dawson in the thick of winter to see for herself what is going on. She is taken in hand by several old hands who prepare her for a surprise confrontation with the erring husband at the city’s annual masked ball. (5,700 words).
2. At the (…) -
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16 May 2020, by Guy de MaupassantA selection of nine memorable tales by Guy de Maupassant, all in new English translations — two for the first time — that have been done specially for this site.
An e-book, with the original French texts in an annex, is available for downloading below.
The original French texts can also be seen here. TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. SOUVENIR (1882) A detachment of French soldiers is retreating in winter at nighttime through enemy-occupied territory during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 when they (…) -
The Great Baseball Scandal - how the Mob won the 1919 World Series, by Nelson Algren
29 April 2020, by Nelson AlgrenBorn and bred in Chicago, a life-long fan of baseball in general and of his home team, the Chicago White Sox in particular, Nelson Algren (1909-1981), one of the finest American authors of his time, was particularly qualified to analyse the inner workings of the most sensational scandal in the history of professional sports, the corruption of of the most important event in the American sporting calendar, the World Series of baseball, in 1919.
To quote from his vivid account:
"There was (…)