A new novella and stories by the well-known writer Alexey Solonitsyn tell about those movements of the soul that lead a person to the higher, heavenly—giving strength to overcome the hardest trials and come to faith.
The author’s heroes—Aleshin the musician from the novella “The Navel Cross,” teenagers from the stories—endure the blows of life because they understand that the path to Christ lies through suffering: suffering purifies the soul and opens the way to eternal life.
A story stands apart, “The Meeting That Didn’t Happen,” in which the author reveals an unexpected similarity in character between Emperor Nicholas II and Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. He describes the supposed meeting of his beloved characters on the eve of their leaving this life.
Approved for distribution by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.