Professor of Russian José Vergara recommends a dark story of family betrayal. Shchedrin's 1880 novel follows the fall of a miserly matriarch and the rise of her even more punitive son. We talk about tragicomedy, fate, faith, and constant death. Spoilers are out of control. This is one of our favorite books, so read it quick!
Michaela Telfer's article on bureaucracy in the novel (open access)
Sign up for our bonus show for an upcoming companion episode on Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard.
Dylan and Kassia gather around the hearth to discuss Adalbert Stifter's Rock Crystal, a Christmassy novella translated from German by Elizabeth Mayer and Marianne...
We paired last month's NYRB Classic, The Golovlyov Family, with another Russian classic on the Patreon, The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, and compare...
Writer and translator Alina Stefanescu joins us to discuss An Ermine in Czernopol, a humorous and deadly serious novel written by Gregor von Rezzori...
