A mysterious gentleman arrives at Papa Briquet's circus, and applies to be a clown; unable to do a backflip, and with the circus unwilling to accept the idea of political discourse among the clowns, they settle together on the role of He Who Gets Slapped. Unfortunately for the troupe, He has motives for joining that aren't immediately apparent; motives that start to threaten the integrity of the circus.He Who Gets Slapped was first presented in Moscow in 1915 to enthusiastic audien...

Leonid Andreyev was a Russian playwright and author of short stories and novellas, writing primarily in the first two decades of the 20th century. Matching the depression he suffered from an early age, his writing is always dark of tone with subjects including biblical parables, Russian life, eldritch horror and revolutionary fervour. H. P. Lovecraft was a reader of his work, and The Seven Who Were Hanged (included here) has even been cited as direct inspiration for the assassination of Ar...

The stories in this collection are known for their exploration of psychological and philosophical themes. They often revolve around the human condition, the struggles of life, and the complexities of the human mind. Andreyev's writing is characterized by its introspection and a sense of melancholy."The Crushed Flower, and Other Stories" is considered a classic work of Russian literature, and it includes several well-known stories, such as "The Crushed Flower," which explores the tragedy of...

This book contains 25 short stories from 5 classic, prize-winning and noteworthy authors. The stories were carefully selected by the critic August Nemo, in a collection that will please the literature lovers.The theme of this edition is: Russia. For more exciting titles, be sure to check out our 7 Best Short Stories and Essential Novelists collections. This book contains: - Leonid Andreyev: - Lazarus - On The Day of Crucifixion - The Crushed Flower - The Serpent's Story - JUdas Iscariot - ...

Leonid Andreyev was one of the most haunting and visionary writers of the early 20th century, blending psychological depth, existential dread, and social critique into works that remain as striking today as when they were first written. The Leonid Andreyev Collection, published by Blackmore Dennett, gathers together his most powerful and unsettling stories—tales of fate and human suffering, of spiritual conflict and moral decay, of love, despair, and the darkness that lurks within...

In Leonid Andreyev's The Waltz of the Dogs, a half-finished apartment becomes the stage for greed, longing, betrayal, and the fragile masks people wear to survive. Carl Tile, a troubled student and gambler, prowls the room in search of money and speaks with chilling candor about debt, resentment, and even murder for profit, while his brother Henry tries to build a future of marriage, music, flowers, and domestic order. Their polished dinner conversations, darkly comic interrogations, and s...

The literary work of Leonid Andreyev is populated with unfortunate characters who inspire compassion. Andreiev never managed to get rid of the traumatizing experiences of his past, and transmitted in his texts images of tragedy and bitterness through his vanquished characters, with a revolted, impetuous and torturously personal style.In general, Andreyev's works reflect the somber and haunted life of those who have already lost all hope and illusion. Even the mood with which he tries to im...

'It was like walking along the knife-edge of the highest possible mountain range, seeing life on one side and death on the other in the form of two deep, gorgeous and gleaming seascapes.'This astonishing novella from 1908, newly translated for Little Black Classics by War and Peace translator Anthony Briggs, probes the emotions and experiences of seven people condemned to death in Tsarist Russia. A powerful and subtle exploration of the morality of capital punishment, it w...

Leonid Nikolaievich Andreyev was born on 21st August in Oryol, Russia to a middle-class family of Polish, Ukranian and Finnish ancestry.He studied law in Moscow before working as a police-court reporter for a daily newspaper. His literary efforts at this time were confined to poetry and those he did try to get published were all rejected.In 1898 his first short story ‘Bargamot and Garaska’, published in the ‘Kurier’ newspaper caught the attention and friendship of Maxim Gor...

In "The Crushed Flower, and Other Stories," Leonid Andreyev explores the depths of human emotion and the complexities of existence through a series of poignant narratives. His literary style, characterized by a rich, evocative prose and profound psychological insight, presents characters grappling with despair, love, and the impact of fate. Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Russia, these tales reflect the turmoil of the times, intertwining existential questions with the raw re...

The novella tells the story of seven political prisoners who are condemned to death by hanging. While awaiting their execution, the prisoners reflect on their lives, crimes, and the impending end. The narrative delves into the psychological and emotional turmoil experienced by the condemned individuals and raises questions about the morality and ethics of the death penalty.Leonid Andreyev was a prominent Russian writer known for his works that often explored dark and existential themes. "T...

"When Lazarus rose from the grave, after three days and nights in the mysterious thraldom of death, and returned alive to his home, it was a long time before anyone noticed the evil peculiarities in him that were later to make his very name terrible." One of Andreyev's best-known short stories, "Lazarus" follows the Eastern Orthodox tradition that Lazarus never smiled again, and it explores what happened to the biblical figure after his resurrection from the dead. The unsettling coldness t...