Anathema: A Tragedy in Seven Scenes

audiobook

Anathema: A Tragedy in Seven Scenes

by Leonid Andreyev

EN·~2 hours·2 chapters

Chapters

2 total

ANATHEMA - A Tragedy in Seven Scenes - BY - LEONID ANDREYEV - AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION BY - HERMAN BERNSTEIN - New York - THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - 1910

2:50:41

To - NATHAN STRAUS - WHO SO GENEROUSLY SAVED THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN THE TRANSLATION OF THIS WORK IS HEARTILY DEDICATED BY HERMAN BERNSTEIN

0:31

Description

In a stark, windswept landscape perched on a mountain’s slope, a solitary guardian watches over immense iron gates that separate humanity from an unknowable, eternal source. Here Anathema, a weary, sarcastic wanderer with a greying beard and a restless mind, confronts the silent sentinel, demanding even a fleeting glimpse of the divine. Their tense, oddly comic exchange—dice tossed, riddles whispered, laughter that rings like a warning—draws listeners into a philosophical duel that questions the nature of power, destiny, and the human craving for transcendence.

As the dialogue deepens, Anathema’s desperate yearning to become a god collides with the guardian’s implacable stillness, setting a tone of eerie contemplation that feels both timeless and intimately human. Around them, murmurs of distant children, market voices, and fleeting shadows hint at a broader world teeming with ordinary lives, poised to be affected by this clash of wills. The opening scene promises a haunting exploration of purpose, freedom, and the weight of unseen boundaries, inviting listeners to contemplate what lies beyond the gates.

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Details

Language

en

Duration

~2 hours (164K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Marc D'Hooghe (Images generously made available by the Internet Archive)

Release date

2015-08-05

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

Leonid Andreyev

Leonid Andreyev

1871–1919

Known for dark, psychologically intense stories and plays, this Russian writer became one of the striking voices of the Silver Age. His work is often linked with early literary expressionism and a powerful sense of moral and emotional unrest.

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