Germinal

22 hrs. 11 min.

Classics

Language Russian

Author Émile Zola

Narrator Arkady Bukhmin

“Germinal” is a novel by one of the greatest French writers, Émile Zola. It is a standalone book—the thirteenth by count—and one of the best in the great thirty-volume epic “Rougon-Macquart,” the grand “Natural and Social History of One Family in the Era of the Second Empire,” whose social content and interest are exceptional.

Like many other books in the series, it contains a wealth of metaphors, numerous detailed descriptions of the heroes’ characters, and historical locations.

In “Germinal,” the truth about humankind is described: the high motives of some and the most base traits of others—constantly competing in the struggle, betrayal, greed, love, and death…

It tells the fate of a young idealist, Étienne Lantier, a former railroad mechanic who was expelled for slapping his superior, and who—by the will of fate—becomes the leader of the striking miners. During the tragic events, after losing the strike, part of the miners dies in the flooded mine, including Étienne’s beloved, Catherine.

1. The Fortune of the Rougons (narrated by Alexey Dyakov) 1. The Fortune of the Rougons (narrated by Konstantin Dneprovsky) 1. The Fortune of the Rougons (narrated by Elena Shemet) 2. La Curée (The Kill) (narrated by Inna Sytnik) 2. La Curée (The Kill) (narrated by Konstantin Dneprovsky) 3. The Belly of Paris (narrated by Larisa Tretyakova) 3. The Belly of Paris (narrated by Konstantin Dneprovsky) 3. The Belly of Paris (narrated by Pavel Lomakin) 3. The Belly of Paris (narrated by Vsevolod Kuznetsov) 4. The Conquest of Plassans (narrated by Konstantin Dneprovsky) 5. The Sin of Father Mouret (narrated by Arkady Bukhmin) 5. The Sin of Father Mouret (narrated by Alina Ray) 5. The Sin of Abbé Mouret (narrated by Konstantin Dneprovsky) 6. His Excellency Eugene Rougon (narrated by Valery Tolkov) 7. L'Assommoir (narrated by Veronika Oboyanka) 7. The Trap (narrated by Margarita Ivanova) 8. A Love Episode (narrated by Oleg Martyanov) 8. A Love Episode (narrated by Natalya Frolova) 9. Nana (narrated by Nikolay Orlovsky) 9. Nana (narrated by Natalya Pervina) 9. Nana (narrated by Irina Vorobyova) 10. Pot Luck (narrated by Natalya Domeretskaya) 11. The Ladies' Paradise (narrated by Olga Zyuzina) 11. The Ladies' Paradise (narrated by Yuliya Tarkhova) 11. The Ladies' Paradise (narrated by Veronika Oboyanka) 12. The Joy of Life (narrated by Yuliya Tarkhova) 12. The Joys of Life (narrated by Sergey Kazakov) 13. Germinal (narrated by Yury Zaborovsky) 13. Germinal (narrated by Natalya Pervina) 13. Germinal (narrated by Konstantin Dneprovsky) 13. Germinal 14. The Masterpiece (narrated by Tatyana Telegina) 14. The Masterpiece (narrated by Olga Andreeva) 14. The Masterpiece (narrated by Ivan Zabelin) 15. Earth (narrated by Valery Tolkov) 16. The Dream (narrated by Irina Efremova, Olga Evdokimova) 17. The Beast Within (narrated by Arkady Bukhmin) 17. The Beast Within (narrated by Valery Tolkov) 18. Money (narrated by Yury Zaborovsky) 18. Money (narrated by Yaroslav Lukashev) 18. Money (narrated by Olga Andreeva) 18. Money (narrated by Konstantin Dneprovsky) 19. The Debacle (narrated by Ilya Akintyev) 20. Doctor Pascal (narrated by Vladislav Pogiba) La Bête humaine (narrated by Roman Popov) The Dream (narrated by Olga Evdokimova)