The Diary of a Madman, and Other Russian Sketches
About this audiobook
Centering on the picaresque realism of Nikolai Gogol’s (1809–1852) mid-nineteenth-century visions of the extraordinary in everyday life, this collection mines the ambiance and mind of pre-Revolutionary Russia. These seven stories take us from the Miracle Mile of St. Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospekt, and a summer night in a Ukrainian village, to the fantastical psychological geographies of fathers, sons, and madmen. Augmenting Gogol’s visions are two disturbing tales by the foremost storyteller of Russia’s “Silver Age” Leonid Andreyev (1871–1919), and a coda from one of Anton Chekhov’s (1860–1904) stable of memorable characters.
Contents include:
Nevsky Prospekt - Nikolai GogolThe Diary of a Madman - Nikolai Gogol Silence - Leonid AndreyevMay Night or The Drowned Girl - Nikolai Gogol Laughter - Leonid AndreyevThe Portrait - Nikolai Gogol On the Harmfulness of Smoking Tobacco - Anton ChekhovRatings and reviews
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About the author
Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (1809–1852) was a Ukrainian-born Russian writer often called the “father of modern Russian realism” because he was one of the first Russian writers to criticize his country’s way of life. The novels Taras Bul’ba and Dead Souls (1842), the play The Inspector-General (1836, 1842), and the short stories “Diary of a Madman,” “The Nose,” and “The Overcoat” (1842) are among his best-known works. With their scrupulous and scathing realism, ethical criticism, as well as philosophical depth, they remain some of the most important works of world literature.
Anton Chekhov (1860–1904), the author of hundreds of short stories and several plays, is regarded by many as both the greatest Russian storyteller and the father of modern drama. He described the Russian life of his time using a deceptively simple technique devoid of obtrusive literary devices, thereby becoming the prominent representative of the late nineteenth-century Russian realist school. His early stream-of-consciousness style strongly influenced the literary world, including writers such as James Joyce.
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.
