Showing results by narrator "Max Bollinger" in All Categories

Smirnov is scared of being robbed. To compensate and deter the cabman from attacking him, he blusters on in a comical way about his fighting abilities, the three revolvers he doesn't have, and how a party of armed friends will join him soon.

A native Frenchman no longer tutors the wealthy landlord's children, as they've grown up and left the house. The Frenchman is now paid simply to be around, to be properly dressed, to smell of scent, and to listen to Kamyshev's babble, to eat and drink and sleep. It may sound like a dream job, but there's always a catch. Read in English, unabridged.

Young, impressionable Masha sees a tragic actor, Fenogenov, during his benefit night and falls madly in love with him. Masha decides to run away with the actor and marry him despite her father's clear disapproval. Her father disowns her, describing her husband as idle, stupid and of no fixed home or occupation. Masha later finds herself in desperate need of money and has to seek help from her farther. Read in English, unabridged.

Natalya Bronin is lying in her bedroom, her whole being abandoned to repose. She lies, deliciously drowsy, thinking of her little daughter, who lives somewhere far away with her grandmother or aunt. The child is more precious to her than the public, bouquets, notices in the papers, and adorers, and she would be glad to think about her till morning. She is happy, at peace, and all she longs for is not to be prevented from lying undisturbed, dozing and dreaming of her little girl. Read in English, unabridged.

A story of a successful farmer, Ilyas, who grew into one of the wealthiest in the area only to lose it all through series of bad accidents. He finds his happiness, however, only after losing all his possessions and achieving peace for himself and his wife. Read in English, unabridged.

Tickets, please.... A phrase familiar to every train passenger. And every now and then, there's one without a ticket, with a good excuse ready. When Podtyagin, a seasoned ticket collector on a train, decides to give up drinking and work honestly at his job, it sounds like a good resolution. And this very day he comes across an 'unreasonable' passenger who finds the very word 'tickets' cruel and absurd. Read in English, unabridged.

Every individual owes it to himself to find the right work and the right mate, because these are fundamental needs of every human being. Lacking them, life is a failure; possessing but one of them, life is half a failure. To obtain and apply the very fullest knowledge toward the attainment of these two great requisites should be the aim of every person. Only those men and women whose natures automatically encourage each other in the doing of the things each likes to do, in the way each likes to do them, can be happy together.

Some of the happiest memories of childhood often come from memorable magical tales. Rediscover this magic with this collection of fairy tales and stories.

This volume includes 'Little Red Riding-Hood' and 'The Sleeping Beauty' by Charles Perrault; 'The Looking Glass' and 'Her Husband' by Anton Chekhov; and 'The Gift of The Magi' by O. Henry.

Every individual should find a vocation furnishing one of the three kinds of work for which he has the greatest ability. Then he should go into the particular branch of that vocation which is best adapted to his personality, training, education, environment and experience. To be a success, you must produce something out of the ordinary for the world. To know what this is, classify the kinds of activities you take to naturally. You can be a star in some line that calls for those activities.

'I never saw a book without wanting to read it,' said a cerebral friend to us the other day. This expresses the interest every person of this type has in the printed page. 'I never see a library without wishing I had time to go there and stay till I had read everything in it'. The most essential thing in the world to any individual is to understand himself. The next is to understand the other fellow. From this course you are going to learn which of the five types you are and how to get the best out of it.

'Dostoyevsky is the only psychologist from whom I had something to learn', remarked Friedrich Nietzsche.

Discover the universal truths and wisdoms of Dostoyevsky in this volume of his tales, including: 'An Honest Thief', 'The Heavenly Christmas Tree', and 'The Peasant Marey'.

Subtle humour is one of the key elements in Chekhov's imaginative stories. But as an artist, Chekhov is more complicated. He paints life with all its nuances and shades of grey. His stories are full of characters who give us invaluable insight into universal wisdom of everyday life - civilised professionals, enlightened misfits, philanthropic gentry, rich landowners and impoverished royalty holding candles for reason, justice and passion.

Chekhov says truth and falsehood both play important roles in the personal happiness of men. Could this also be the cause of both passionate romance and a failed relationship between an impoverished Russian prince and a rich landowner? This story examines the very essence of human psychology, providing valuable insight into complexities of such concepts as happiness, deception, romance and depression.

Big raindrops were pattering on the dark windows. It was one of .those disgusting summer holiday rains which, when they have begun, last a long time - for weeks, till the frozen holiday maker grows used to it and sinks into complete apathy. It was cold; there was a feeling of raw, unpleasant dampness. The mother-in-law of a lawyer, called Kvashin, and his wife, Nadyezhda Filippovna, dressed in waterproofs and shawls, were sitting over the dinner table in the dining room.

The charming Vanda - or, as she was described in her passport, the Honourable Citizen Nastasya Kanavkin - found herself, on leaving the hospital, in a position she had never been in before: without a home to go to or a farthing in her pocket. What was she to do? Read in English, unabridged.

The party of sportsmen spent the night in a peasant's hut on some newly mown hay. The moon peeped in at the window; from the street came the mournful wheezing of a concertina; from the hay came a sickly sweet, faintly troubling scent. The sportsmen talked about dogs, about women, about first love and about snipe.

Dostoyevsky skilfully paints a portrait of a character who manages to recall a childhood memory from 20 years ago, and by doing so he alters the course of his life and even enables himself to completely free his heart from hatred and anger. Read in English, unabridged.

There are thieves, and there are thieves. And I have happened to come across an honest thief. But how can a thief be honest? One of Dostoyevsky's short masterpieces tells a story rich in psychological insight into human behaviour, emotion and often irrational relationships. Read in English, unabridged.

Fairy tales are rarely written exclusively for children. They offer a variety of strong characters, themes and challenges as well as an insight into the mystery of the soul. These tales often contain profound truths that survived many hundreds of years and a universal appeal that makes them both enjoyable and enlightening. Modern concepts of mindfulness can often be found as original themes among these tales.

Profound truths, wisdom and a sense of mindfulness contained in many fairy tales and short stories written by Oscar Wilde and Anton Chekhov have that universal appeal which speaks to audiences of all ages and nationalities. The characters embodied in these stories are both familiar and mysterious; they open doors and make us think and, above all, are sources of inspiration.