Children of the Dungeon

Korneliy (Vladimir) Korolenko is an outstanding Russian writer-humanist, known for his piercing works that touch the most hidden strings of the soul and completely reshape one’s sense of the world. The book “Children of the Dungeon” is an adaptation for children of the story “A Bad Company.”

The novella “In a Bad Company,” shortened to the story “Children of the Dungeon,” aimed at young readers, was called by Korolenko his favorite of all. And it is this audiobook that we offer you to listen to from our free audio library.

In “Children of the Dungeon,” Korolenko touches on such eternal themes as friendship, love, kindness, and empathy. He reveals the harsh life of poor people living under conditions of helplessness and poverty who, despite everything, know and are able to value friendship and responsiveness, possessing many qualities that often lack more successful people.

The plot is built around the life and feelings of the boy Vasya, the main character—his mother dies, and his father closes himself off in grief, turning away from the child. Trying to somehow brighten up his life, Vasya begins to wander around his hometown for long stretches.

During one of these walks, he meets the beggar residents of an old chapel—Valik and Marusya, children of Pan Tyburtsy. Precisely they become his real friends; through them he learns the reality of life and looks at it from an entirely different angle. Marusya’s tragic death from a serious illness becomes not only a stage in Vasya’s growing up, but also unexpectedly reconciles him with his father.