A May Night

This early work by Nikolai Gogol was originally published in 1831 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'A May Night' is a short story about a young man and his love for a girl named Hanna. His father disagrees with this match and actively tries stop the arrangement. Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was born in Sorochintsi, Ukraine in 1809. In 1831, Gogol brought out the first volume of his Ukrainian stories, 'Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka'. It met with immediate success, and he followed it a year later with a second volume. 'The Nose' is regarded as a masterwork of comic short fiction, and 'The Overcoat' is now seen as one of the greatest short stories ever written; some years later, Dostoyevsky famously stated "We all come out from Gogol's 'Overcoat'." He is seen by many contemporary critics as one of the greatest short story writers who has ever lived, and the Father of Russia's Golden Age of Realism.

In Nikolai Gogol's short story "May Night, or the Drowned Maiden," a single night ends up changing the lives of many. Young Levko is the son of the head of a Ukrainian village and madly in love with a maiden named Hanna. To Levko's dismay, his father attempts to break off the romance in secret. What follows is a night during which both the alive and dead seek vengeance. In this tale wrapped in mysterious folktale, family ties are put to the test and characters are faced with a lesson or two. The story was adapted into two operas in the late 19th century and a Soviet film in 1952. Ukrainian-born writer and dramatist Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) is considered one of the most prominent figures in Russian literature. His unconventional works are often touched by folklore or a hint of the unusual, providing the reader with surprising turns and characters. Gogol has been attached to a range of different literary styles, including Russian literary realism and even surrealism. His stories include the short story "The Nose" and the famous satirical novel Dead Souls. Gogol's works have inspired numerous stage, film and television adaptations including the movie Inspector General (1949), based loosely on his play with the same name.

A new 2023 translation from the original Russian manuscript of Gogol's classic "May Night, or the Drowned Woman". This edition contains an Afterword by the Translator, a timeline of Gogol's life and works and an Index of Gogol's individual works. "May Night, or the Drowned Maiden" is the third story in the collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka. It was made into the opera May Night by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1878-79 and also into a Ukrainian setting by Mykola Lysenko. This story melds romance with elements of the supernatural. Centered around the legend of drowned maidens, the tale delves into a young man's love affair and his encounters with these spectral beings. In the XVIII century, as young villagers enjoy an evening of song, Levko, son of the village head, longs to marry Hanna. However, his father, who frequently boasts of his past with Queen Catherine, refuses due to his own affections for Hanna. After Hanna and Levko discuss a tragic local legend of a lady wronged by her stepmother and turned spirit, Levko rallies boys to mock the village head in protest. Amidst the turmoil, Levko, by a haunted pond, is given a note by the spirit of the lady from the legend. Upon waking, he presents this note, purportedly from a commissar, which orders the head to allow Levko's marriage to Hanna, leading to an unexpected union blessed under mysterious circumstances.

This is a new translation from the original Russian manuscript of Gogol's classic "May Night, or the Drowned Woman". This edition contains an Afterword by the Translator, a timeline of Gogol's life and works and an Index of Gogol's individual works. "May Night, or the Drowned Maiden" is the third story in the collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka. It was made into the opera May Night by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1878-79 and also into a Ukrainian setting by Mykola Lysenko. This story melds romance with elements of the supernatural. Centered around the legend of drowned maidens, the tale delves into a young man's love affair and his encounters with these spectral beings. In the XVIII century, as young villagers enjoy an evening of song, Levko, son of the village head, longs to marry Hanna. However, his father, who frequently boasts of his past with Queen Catherine, refuses due to his own affections for Hanna. After Hanna and Levko discuss a tragic local legend of a lady wronged by her stepmother and turned spirit, Levko rallies boys to mock the village head in protest. Amidst the turmoil, Levko, by a haunted pond, is given a note by the spirit of the lady from the legend. Upon waking, he presents this note, purportedly from a commissar, which orders the head to allow Levko's marriage to Hanna, leading to an unexpected union blessed under mysterious circumstances.

These fourteen essays reflect the increasingly interdisciplinary character of Russian literature research in general and of the study of Gogol in particular, focusing on specific works, Gogol's own character, and the various approaches to aesthetic, religious, and philosophical issues raised by his writing.

First Published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LEWIS TRILOGY AND THE CHINA THRILLERS AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021 'Enzo MacLeod is one of the most unusual crime solvers I have ever met.' BookBrowse 'No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.' New York Journal of Books In a sleepy French village, the body of a man shot through the head is disinterred by the roots of a fallen tree. A week later a famous art critic is viciously murdered in a nearby house. The deaths occurred more than seventy years apart. Asked by a colleague to inspect the site of the former, forensics expert Enzo Macleod quickly finds himself embroiled in the investigation of the latter. Two extraordinary narratives are set in train - one historical, unfolding in the treacherous wartime years of Occupied France; the other contemporary, set in the autumn of 2020 as France re-enters Covid lockdown. And Enzo's investigations reveal an unexpected link between the murders - the Mona Lisa. Tasked by the exiled General Charles de Gaulle to keep the world's most famous painting out of Nazi hands after the fall of France in 1940, 28-year-old Georgette Pignal finds herself swept along by the tide of history. Following in the wake of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa as it is moved from château to château by the Louvre, she finds herself just one step ahead of two German art experts sent to steal it for rival patrons - Hitler and Göring. What none of them know is that the Louvre itself has taken exceptional measures to keep the painting safe, unwittingly setting in train a fatal sequence of events extending over seven decades. Events that have led to both killings. The Night Gate spans three generations, taking us from war-torn London, the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, Berlin and Vichy France, to the deadly enemy facing the world in 2020. In his latest novel, Peter May shows why he is one of the great contemporary writers of crime fiction. LOVED THE NIGHT GATE? Read the first book in the acclaimed China Thrillers, THE FIREMAKER LOVE PETER MAY? Order his thrilling standalone, A SILENT DEATH

Best known for his fundamental work on acting, Stanislavski was deeply drawn to the challenges of opera. His brilliant chapters here on Russian classics--Boris Gudonov and The Queen of Spades among them--as well as La Boheme will amaze and delight lovers of opera. Also includes 12 musical examples.

Even beginner gardeners can select plants to create a stunning garden as unique as the mid-Atlantic region - with expert help to ensure success! Mid-Atlantic Getting Started Garden Guide is a plant selection guide, perfect for when you're choosing plants and starting a garden in a climate that can be as challenging as it is beautiful. Choose the right plants and care for them properly with help from two of the area's most highly respected and experienced plantsmen, Andre and Mark Viette, and horticulture writer Jacqui Heriteau. The authors' top picks for plants that will thrive in (or in spite of) the regions's heat, humidity, winter cold, soil, coastal climate, and other unique growing conditions guarantee success for the area gardeners and home landscapers. Plants are divided into easy-to-browse chapters, including Annuals, Bulbs, Groundcovers, Ornamental Grasses, Perennials, Shrubs, Trees, Lawns, and Vines. Each plant is highlighted in its respective chapter with a large full-color photograph and tips on how, when, and where to plant. Mid-Atlantic Getting Started Garden Guide doesn't stop at plant selection. Methods for preparing soil, watering, fertilizer application, and pest management are also covered in detail. Along with the "nitty-gritty" of tending your garden, the authors share their inspiration for garden design, offer ways to incorporate your plants into the landscape, and name some favorite cultivars or species. Their sound, practical advice is clothed in beautiful descriptions of each plant that will inspire you to get your hands dirty!