Russian classics—piercing and unsettling, romantic and refreshing—lifting the reader to lofty feelings while plunging into the darkest depths of the human psyche. But most importantly, it leaves no one indifferent! This book brings together stories by outstanding authors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: about dreamers and creators, about villains and selfless defenders of defenseless girls and cynical women, about children—wise beyond their years.