Against the background of the liberation of Russia's serfs during the 1860s, a generational conflict flares between older aristocrats and radical youths. Quarrels, romance, and misunderstandings ensue when an outspoken young nihilist accompanies a school friend home for an extended visit. One of the truly great 19th-century Russian novels, available in an inexpensive edition.
The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Psychologically probing novel concerns the gambling episodes, tangled love affairs and complicated lives of Alexey Ivanovitch, a young gambler; Polina Alexandrovna, the woman he loves; a pair of French adventurers and other characters.
The Double by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Most significant of the Russian novelist's early stories (1846) offers straight-faced treatment of hallucinatory theme. Golyadkin senior is ruthlessly persecuted by Golyadkin junior, his double in almost every respect.
Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy Tolstoy's novel of spiritual regeneration recounts the sins of a young Russian nobleman and his attempts in later life to redress those transgressions. Resurrection articulates the author's contempt for the social injustices of the world.
