Nerves are raw, passions run high, and emotions are heightened. Nothing can be undone now—the final line is fast approaching. Yet, it is still possible to understand and empathize with those destined to walk the sinister Green Mile into the void...

The lives of the inhabitants of the English estate are trivial and unremarkable; their interests—personal comfort, ambition, and money—are petty and insignificant. Lies, hypocrisy, and sanctimony destroy the well-being and order of the Mansfield Park household, depriving its owners, their children, and their relatives of mutual understanding and unity. How is one to live? How can a sense of...

Simón Bolívar. The Liberator, the greatest hero of the War of Independence, a legendary figure. A ruler who voluntarily relinquished power. Only recently, he had commanded armies and held sway over nations, and then, suddenly—resignation. The final months of Bolívar’s life are a period about which historians know almost nothing. Yet, under the pen of the greatest master of magical realism,...

A story about the time when desires are still alive but one’s strength is already waning—and about a strange, almost mystical love that overtakes a man at the end of a wasted life filled with dreary work and tawdry, casual sex.

What strange Bolivian virus sparked an epidemic in a Russian village? Where did the crystal pyramids found in the snow—amidst fields and forests—come from? Who are the *vitaminders*, living their own distinct lives in houses made of self-generating felt? And how will the story of the rural doctor Garin’s journey unfold—a journey that began during a blizzard at a tiny station where horses were...

Montaigne’s magnum opus, *Essays*—a work that occupied him for a decade—is written in a lively, free-flowing style, devoid of any rigid structure. The philosopher examines topics such as governance, interpersonal relationships, and mastery over one’s own will—among many others—through the lens of his personal experience, enriching his reflections with witty observations and quotations from both...

*The Razor’s Edge* is a true study of the mores of early 20th-century European and American society. The novel features perhaps the most vivid characters ever created by Somerset Maugham. Larry Darrell is a young American in search of life’s meaning. Isabel, his fiancée, faces a difficult choice between love and wealth, social convention and the desire to live life on her own terms. Elliott...

For millions of readers worldwide, the Paris of the ‘Roaring Twenties’ will forever remain ‘Hemingway’s Paris’—a city where one could live, work, and be happy without a penny to one’s name. For decades, this work was published based on the 1964 edition, which appeared three years after the author's death. However, the author's son and grandson, Patrick and Seán, undertook a massive effort to...

This collection includes three plays by George Bernard Shaw. Foremost among them is *Pygmalion* (1912), which has inspired numerous film adaptations and the legendary Broadway musical *My Fair Lady*. The plot is based on the ancient Greek myth of a sculptor striving to bring a beautiful statue he has created to life; in Shaw’s play, the protagonist attempts to transform a simple flower girl...

*Doctor Faustus* (1943) is a seminal work by Thomas Mann and one of the most significant books of the 20th century. Under Mann’s pen, the old German legend of Doctor Johann Faustus—who sold his soul to the Devil not for money or fame, but for absolute knowledge—is transformed into a mysterious parable-like novel about the talented young composer Leverkühn. Whether in reality or merely in his...

The second part of this popular Russian language course for adults is designed for learners progressing from the Basic to the First Level (A2–B1). The textbook is intended for an average of 80–120 hours of study. Its aim is to facilitate the rapid acquisition of various language aspects and speech skills. The textbook integrates grammar and conversational practice. (TBU–TORFL-1 / A2–B1)