746 Results in the "Literary Fiction" category


    • The Witchand Other Stories Cover
      by LovelyMay The Witch and Other Stories by Anton Chekhov is a collection of short stories that showcases the author’s mastery in portraying the nuances of human emotions and relationships. The title story, *The Witch*, delves into themes of superstition and human folly, while the other tales explore a range of subjects, from love and loss to the absurdities of daily life, often with a mix of humor and poignant observation. Chekhov’s characteristic focus on ordinary people and their inner lives makes the collection both relatable and deeply insightful.
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      The Witch

      The Witch Cover
      by LovelyMay The Witch begins on a night filled with storm and tension, with Savely Gykin and his wife Raissa trapped inside their small hut. Wind howls through the cracks, and thunder shakes the rafters, but Raissa remains undisturbed, focused on her needlework. Savely, however, lies restless, brooding and uneasy. He stares at the shadows and mutters under his breath, convinced that his wife has summoned the storm by some arcane means. Their marriage, dry and stagnant, seems to crackle with hidden bitterness, where…
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      The Student

      The Student Cover
      by LovelyMay The Student begins with a chilling shift in temperature and mood, marking the arrival of evening over a quiet, rural Russian landscape. Ivan Velikopolsky walks along a narrow path that cuts through a cold, empty field, his mind burdened by history, hardship, and the continuity of human suffering. As the wind cuts through the bare trees and frost bites at his fingers, Ivan reflects on the unbroken chain of misery, believing that human experience has always been shrouded in darkness. This bleak worldview…
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      The Post

      The Post Cover
      by LovelyMay The Post begins on a frostbitten evening as two unlikely companions prepare to depart through a sleeping town—one bound by duty, the other by schedule. The postman, wrapped in layers of coarse uniform and holding a dented sword more symbolic than practical, takes on the responsibility of delivering not just mail but a token of human warmth: a parcel and the greetings of someone too distant to speak in person. He is joined by a university student, not through friendship but by arrangement, setting the…
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      The Pipe

      The Pipe Cover
      by LovelyMay The Pipe opens with Meliton Shishkin stepping out of the woods, damp from the morning mist and weighed down by weariness, his loyal dog Damka trailing behind. The sky hangs low and grey, painting the landscape in dull tones that echo the heaviness in Meliton’s thoughts. As he walks, the faint sound of a pipe reaches his ears—a mournful, hollow melody played by an old shepherd watching over his flock. The shepherd’s music seems to echo more than just solitude; it carries a quiet lament for a world…
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      The Huntsman

      The Huntsman Cover
      by LovelyMay The Huntsman opens beneath a scorching sky, where the heat clings to every surface, and not even a whisper of breeze disturbs the forest edge. Yegor Vlassitch walks with a leisurely stride, dressed in a worn red shirt and patched trousers, his rifle slung across one shoulder. His presence, however casual, holds a weight that disturbs the stillness. From a nearby thicket, Pelagea appears—her frame slight, her face flushed from labor, and her voice timid but tinged with longing. Their meeting feels more…
    • The Autobiography of A Slander Cover
      by LovelyMay The Autobiography of a Slander by Ambrose Bierce is a satirical short story in which slander narrates its own life, reflecting on how it spreads and causes harm, offering a biting commentary on human nature and the consequences of false accusations.
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      Peasant Wives

      Peasant Wives Cover
      by LovelyMay Peasant Wives introduces a layered account of village life that pulls the reader into the modest yet tension-filled household of Dyudya, a peasant patriarch who has built up his small fortune through frugal living and hard work. Within the wooden walls of their cottage, relationships simmer beneath the surface. Dyudya’s elder son, Fyodor, is burdened with a chronically sick wife, Sofya, who adds a quiet strain to the home. Meanwhile, Alyoshka, the younger son and physically deformed, is married to…
    • My Triumphant Finale Cover
      by LovelyMay My Triumphant Finale begins not with celebration, but with silence—the heavy kind that settles in a prison cell at night when hope has begun to fade. Sigismund Zaluski, a man once full of promise and intellect, finds himself confined not by just stone walls, but by the weight of an accusation rooted in thoughtless gossip. Within those narrow walls, time slows, days blur, and the mind becomes both sanctuary and tormentor. Desperate for a lifeline, he reaches out—not through voice, which the walls…
      Fiction • Satire
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      My Third Stage

      My Third Stage Cover
      by LovelyMay My Third Stage begins within the genteel backdrop of an afternoon social event, where civility masks the quiet churn of rivalry. At the center of this subtle drama is Sigismund Zaluski—a man whose foreign elegance and ease provoke both admiration and disquiet in those around him. His calm presence and cultured conversation hold sway over the company, drawing particular attention from Gertrude Morley, whose growing fondness for Zaluski is visible, though never spoken aloud. Among the onlookers is James…
      Fiction • Satire
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