Seven Hanged was exactly why I like the Little Black Classics! I had never even heard of the author, and the subject of the book was so dark (the final weeks/days of seven people condemned to death) but I really liked it.

Russian books always have this kind of depressing atmosphere, and Seven Hanged even more, but it really worked well for me. It was very interesting and also very sad, especially the end.

Recommended - but maybe not a good read at this time because it is slightly depressing.

~Little Black Classics #104~

This novel is a rather unconventional take of the original story of Judas' betrayal, centred around the question:  what if Judas was a good individual, fulfilling God's will as necessary, whereas Christ's apostles were the real traitors, proving too pusillanimous to defend their rhetor?  

The result is a mentally stimulating, highly engaging work of literature retelling the story of Judas from an unconventional perspective in third person narration. An idea presented in the text which impacted me most profoundly was that if Judas was a good individual, the best individual, in fact, who are we then? If so, who is good, who can righteously defend good by the end of the day? Where does our salvation lie then? The harsh answers prompted by these questions may be perturbing to a person who does not truly know the underpinnings of human nature, however will strike someone with a more sober, sombre outlook as being replete with keen insight and perspective into human misery and suffering. 

 

In any case, this book by Andreyev has compelled me to get my hands on more of his works. His way of writing truly is unique, but may not be palatable for all. 

 

The misogyny is strong with this one. 

I'm not saying Andreyev was but he was portraying a society that was (and is). 

The Little Angel: And Other Stories - Le... Ангелочек, Молчание, Бездна, В тумане, Первый гонорар, Петька на даче, В темную даль

Haunting and beautiful pre-Revolution COLOR photographs circa 1910 to 1914 by Russian Expressionist writer Leonid Andreyev. Subjects are anything from family to nature. This book is a unique peek at what pre-revolutionary Russia looked like. The rusticity is what impressed me. However, Andreyev also had an eye for the color photograph like no other. He takes advantage of the inherent graininess of the early color photographic medium as well as light and dark and the seeming effortless pose to make each photographs look like a living Renoir or Seurat. At first scan you will swear these are all oil paintings.I literally cannot convey how beautiful this book is. The other thing you will find yourself saying is: "these cannot possibly be this old." They just do not look like photographs from the turn of the century.There is a forward that gives some detail about how the photographs were found in 1978. The rest of the text parallels Andreyev's life in the context of the photographs. Andreyev died in 1919 at the age of 48, just a few years after these photographs were taken.