Classic Russian Short Stories, Volume 1

By: Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Gogol, Ivan Turgenev, Fyodor Dostoevsky

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Russian literature exudes an atmosphere of mysticism, which is said to be a natural result of the simplicity of her people. Often, instead of being "about" anything, Russian stories sometimes seem to be the "thing" in itself. Be this as it may, it is an undeniable fact that with hardly any portent of future greatness to come, Russian literature suddenly sprang fully developed into existence in the 19th century. One after another, from Pushkin to Chekhov, some of the greatest writers who have ever lived emerged from the steppes, forests, and cities of Mother Russia.

Selections in Volume I:

• In "The Shot", by Alexander Pushkin, a duel is postponed so that it may be continued at a more propitious time.
• "The Overcoat", by Nikolai Gogol, is the hilarious tale of a lowly bureaucrat who suddenly finds himself in need of a new overcoat.
• "The Tryst", by Ivan Turgenev, is a gorgeous, masterfully written first person narrative of a hunter who overhears two young people: one who loves and one who does not.
• In "The Wedding", by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, when a man is invited to a children's ball, he witnesses an amazing incident. Five years later, a posh wedding clarifies everything.
• In "A Prisoner in the Caucasus", by Leo Tolstoy, Tartar rebels take a Russian officer prisoner in order to collect a ransom. But the officer's one thought throughout his cruel ordeal is to escape.
• In "An Upheaval", by Anton Chekhov, a young governess accused of theft learns the identity of the real culprit.

©2002 Audio Connoisseur (P)2002 Audio Connoisseur

Critic reviews

"Charlton Griffin is an extraordinarily gifted narrator and his performance is enhanced with music and sound effects. These are the classics." (AudioFile)

Excellent Recordings

Great authors, excellent selections, well produced, highly recommended for lovers of Russia and of foreign cultures.

Unique stories

These Russian stories have a different "motive" for their existence than do Western stories. Very entertaining. Human nature is always the same, anywhere, anytime.

well narrated,, typically bleak russian stories.

narration is solid and well done. stories are traditionally russian in their bleakness. don't look for happy endings! even with that component, the book is worth hearing.

course voice

Good, but I'm not sure how they made the classic list.

Great collection!

This is a really good introduction to classic Russian literature. The music was, however, a bit distracting when played at the same time as the narration. In addition, the narrator seemed to be a bit bored by some of the stories.

I liked the Gogol the best and will be looking for more by him.

Brilliant tellings of sad events

I only gave the stories three stars because their characters are unpleasant to spend time with. Otherwise, of course these are great stories. The tellings compel my attention. The best part of the experience are Mr. Griffin’s performances. He’s fantastic.

Excellent!!

It's an excellent collection in content and narration.

Definitely worth the purchase.

I have no regrets.

Rich Entertainment

I truly enjoyed these stories by the great Russian master writers. I plan on getting the second volume.

Loved it

These are wonderfully narrated classics. I loved the selection and the pleasant baritone voice expressing all the emotional nuances with perfect taste. An excellent listen.

Incredible Writing

Don't pay much attention to negative reviews about background music, narration pace, female voices...

Tasteful portions of classical works intensify or revel in profound moments scattered throughout these shorts -it's sometimes a bit louder than it should be, sometimes glorious. The narrator's pace is unusually slow, but it grows on you; his female voices aren't good, but I got completely wrapped up in all these stories anyhow.

If you love classic literature, these are perfect to bask in on short commutes; profound, fascinating, masterful. I will be listening to other classic compilations by Audio Connoisseur.