 Growth of the Soil
by Knut Hamsun, W. W. Worster
A grand, sweeping saga of sacrifice and struggle by a Nobel Laureate, this tale recaptures the world of Norwegian homesteaders at the turn of the 20th century.
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| |  Down There (La-Bas)
by Joris K. Huysmans
At the novel's center is Durtal, a writer obsessed with the life of one of the blackest figures in history, Gilles de Rais — child murderer, sadist, necrophile, and practitioner of all the black arts.
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 Hadji Murad
by Leo Tolstoy
A simmering feud between Russians and Chechens boils over into a bloody war in this critically acclaimed novella, which draws upon the legends surrounding the Avar warrior chieftain known as Hadji Murád.
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| |  The Trial
by Franz Kafka, David Wyllie
From its gripping first sentence onward, this novel exemplifies the term "Kafkaesque." Its darkly humorous narrative recounts a bank clerk's entrapment in a bureaucratic maze, based on an undisclosed charge.
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 The Last Day of a Condemned Man
by Victor Hugo, Arabella Ward, David Dow
In this profoundly moving classic by the author of Les Misérables, a condemned man facing the guillotine looks back on his life and writes of his anguish inside prison walls.
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| |  Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy, Louise and Aylmer Maude
A tumultuous tale of passion and self-discovery in 1870s Russia chronicles a society woman's adulterous affair and a landowner's unconventional quest for a meaningful existence.
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 Crome Yellow
by Aldous Huxley
A comical cast of characters has gathered for a social outing at Henry Wimbush's estate. Among the guests are a prolific writer; an idealist with plans for a "Rational State"; and a sensitive poet.
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| |  The House of the Dead
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The harrowing, fictional memoir of a condemned murderer, this haunting and remarkable novel recounts, in part, the years Dostoyevsky spent in prison for suspected subversive activities.
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 The Octopus
by Frank Norris
Based on an actual bloody dispute in 1880 between wheat farmers and the Southern Pacific Railroad, this tale of greed, betrayal, and a lust for power is played out during the waning days of the western frontier.
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| |  The Idiot
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Splendid novel of mid-19th-century Russian manners, morals, and philosophy focuses on a nobleman whose gentle, child-like nature has earned him the nickname of "the idiot."
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 Dead Souls
by Nikolai Gogol
A stranger arrives in a Russian backwater community with a bizarre proposition for the local landowners: cash for their "dead souls," the serfs who have died in their service. A comic masterpiece.
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| |  Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Constance Garnett
Supreme masterpiece tells the story of Raskolnikov, a student tormented by his own thoughts after he murders an old woman. Overwhelmed by guilt and terror, he confesses and goes to prison. A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
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 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.
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by Franz Kafka
Excellent new English translations of title story (considered by many critics Kafka's most perfect work), plus "The Judgment," "In the Penal Colony," "A Country Doctor," and "A Report to an Academy." A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
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 A Room with a View
by E.M. Forster
British social comedy examines a young heroine's struggle against Victorian attitudes as she rejects the man her family has encouraged her to marry and chooses, instead, a socially unsuitable fellow she met on holiday in Italy.
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| |  The Queen of Spades and Other Stories
by Alexander Pushkin
Celebrated title story plus "The Shot," "The Snowstorm," "The Coffin-Maker," "An Amateur Peasant Girl," and "The Postmaster" — all fascinating portraits of life in Tsarist Russia by one of that country's greatest writers.
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 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
by James Joyce
A fictional re-creation of Joyce's early life, this novel is a powerful portrait of the coming of age of a young man of unusual intelligence, sensitivity, and character.
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| |  The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde
Celebrated novel involves a handsome young Londoner who sinks into a life of depravity. His body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recent portrait reflects the ravages of his crime and sensuality.
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 The Overcoat and Other Short Stories
by Nikolai Gogol
Four outstanding works by great 19th-century Russian author: "The Nose," "Old-Fashioned Farmers," "The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarrelled with Ivan Nikiforovich," and "The Overcoat." Includes a selection from the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
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| |  Notes from the Underground
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Darkly fascinating short novel depicts the struggles of a doubting, supremely alienated protagonist in a world of relative values. Embraces moral, religious, political, and social themes. Authoritative Constance Garnett translation. New introduction.
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 Dubliners
by James Joyce
A fine and accessible introduction to the work of one of the 20th century's most influential writers, this collection features 15 tales, including a masterpiece of the short-story genre, "The Dead."
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| |  The Turn of the Screw
by Henry James
Gripping ghost story by great novelist depicts the sinister transformation of 2 innocent children into flagrant liars and hypocrites. An elegantly told tale of unspoken horror and psychological terror.
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 Heart of Darkness
by Joseph Conrad
Dark allegory of a journey up the Congo River and the narrator's encounter with the mysterious Mr. Kurtz. Masterly blend of adventure, character study, psychological penetration. For many, Conrad's finest, most enigmatic story.
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| |  Five Great Short Stories
by Anton Chekhov
Masterfully written tales by one of the greatest practitioners of the form. Stories include "The Black Monk," "The House with the Mezzanine," "The Peasants," "Gooseberries," and "The Lady with the Toy Dog."
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