
A gritty portrait of a world in upheaval, this collection follows restless wanderers through the bleak steppes and crumbling towns of early‑twentieth‑century Russia. Each tale is stitched together by a common thread of desperation, fleeting alliances, and the raw hunger that drives men to the edge of their humanity. The prose captures the cracked sky, the dust‑laden roads, and the whispered hopes that cling to every step.
In the opening story, three strangers—an embittered railway soldier, a self‑styled university graduate, and a quietly confident narrator—escape the ruined fortress of Perekop. Their uneasy bond is forged in a landscape of endless hunger and mistrust, as they trudge toward an unknown horizon, trading stories and songs to keep the silence at bay. Their personalities clash, yet the shared misfortune knits them together, hinting at deeper loyalties that may emerge.
The remaining narratives echo this tension, exploring the fragile ties of comradeship, the relentless march of time, and the small acts of kindness that surface amid chaos. Together they paint a vivid, unflinching picture of survival on the edge of history.
Language
fi
Duration
~2 hours (124K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2016-11-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1868–1936
A giant of Russian literature, he turned hardship, wandering, and political turmoil into vivid stories about workers, outcasts, and people pushed to the edges of society. His writing helped shape modern Russian prose and made him one of the defining literary voices of the early 20th century.
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