Uncle’s Dream by Fyodor Dostoyevsky was written following his five year exile to Siberia where he was sent to serve in a hard labor camp. Following what could only have been a harrowing and harsh existence in Russia’s infamous prison for political and social prisoners, one would expect Dostoyevsky’s work to have been dark and bitter. Rather, Uncle’s Dream is a humorous and yet scathing commentary on Russian provincial high-society.
The story of elderly Prince K. who comes to visit the town of Mordasoff, lorded over by the imperious Maria Alexandrovna, is one of love, hate, deceit and greed. Standing reluctantly at Maria Alexandrovna’s side is her haughty daughter, Zina, who has few friends of her own. The prince’s companion and distant relative is Paul Mosgliakoff, suitor to Zina.
Maria Alexandrovna and Zina are the central characters in the charade to lure the senile prince into a marriage of convenience (not for him but for Maria Alexandrovna and Zina). They, and a host of lesser characters, are brought to life in full color by Dostoyevsky’s masterful wordsmithing. Uncle’s Dream is a must listen for any fan of not only Dostoyevsky, but of Russian literature and the “goings-on” of the Russian “upper crust.” (Summary by Greg Giordano)
Other Audiobook
Audiobook: château des Carpathes
Le château des Carpathes raconte l’histoire de la rivalité entre deux hommes charismatiques pour une
Audiobook: Oude Sprookjes
Assepoester, Sneeuwwitje, Roodkapje en nog vijf bekende en onbekende sprookjes, opnieuw verteld door J.J.A. Goeverneur.
Audiobook: Nobel Prize in 1904
The Nobel Prizes are international awards bestowed once a year by Scandinavian committees for cultural
Audiobook: One-Act Play Collection 009
Ninth volume of one-act plays in the public domain read by a variety of LibriVox
Audiobook: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Version 6)
Follow the young boy Huckleberry Finn and the slave Jim on their epic journey down
Audiobook: On the Ruin of Britain
Gildas was a well-informed and definitely opinionated 6th century commentator on the topic of the
Audiobook: The World Set Free
Radioactive decay is a major theme in the novel The World Set Free, published in
Audiobook: Rinkitink in Oz (version 2)
Prince Inga lives a happy life on the island of Pingaree until one day invaders
Audiobook: Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 035
Eighteen short nonfiction works in the public domain, independently chosen by the readers. Topics include
Audiobook: The Glugs of Gosh
First published in 1917, The Glugs of Gosh satirizes Australian life at the start of
Audiobook: The Key of Gold: 23 Czech Folk Tales
Not your common fairy tales, this collection is a mixture of morals, quirkiness, and sarcasm.
Audiobook: Sappho: A New Rendering
Sappho lived in the Greek-speaking Aeolian islands off the coast of Turkey. She is one