
audiobook
THE MODERN DRAMA SERIES - EDITED BY EDWIN BJÖRKMAN - SAVVA - THE LIFE OF MAN - BY LEONID ANDREYEV - SAVVA - THE LIFE OF MAN - TWO PLAYS BY - LEONID ANDREYEV - TRANSLATED FROM THE RUSSIAN WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY - THOMAS SELTZER - BOSTON LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY
INTRODUCTION - CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF PLAYS BY LEONID ANDREYEV - SAVVA - THE LIFE OF MAN - INTRODUCTION
A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF PLAYS
PERSONS
SAVVA - THE FIRST ACT
PELAGUEYA
TO THE BRIGHT MEMORY OF MY FRIEND, MY WIFE - I DEDICATE THIS COMPOSITION - THE LAST - ON WHICH WE WORKED TOGETHER - PERSONS
THE FIRST SCENE - THE BIRTH OF MAN AND THE MOTHER'S TRAVAIL
Set against the turbulence of early twentieth‑century Russia, these two dramas plunge into the restless psyche of a society on the brink of revolution. The playwright melds stark realism with symbolic touches, allowing ordinary moments to echo larger, almost metaphysical concerns. The language is direct yet richly textured, inviting listeners to feel both the external chaos and the interior unrest of the characters.
In the first piece, a solitary figure wrestles with faith, duty, and the silent weight of an indifferent world, his inner monologue revealing a fragile humanity caught between tradition and change. The companion work sketches a man's life as a series of stark tableaux—birth, ambition, loss, and final reckoning—each scene a mirror for the audience’s own questions about purpose and mortality. Together, the plays offer a compact yet profound meditation on the human condition, presented with a dramatic intensity that rewards attentive listening.
Language
en
Duration
~4 hours (280K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2004-08-09
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1871–1919
A master of dark, intense fiction, this Russian writer brought psychological tension and a powerful sense of dread to stories and plays that still feel startlingly modern. His work helped bridge realism and early expressionism, making him one of the most distinctive voices of Russia’s Silver Age.
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