
A strange winter settles over a remote Russian town, where rumors of a black‑winged mouse born to a witch and the sudden appearance of three rainbow‑colored suns stir fear and superstition. The locals, from the mute son Jermil to the fragile daughter Aljonka, grapple with whispered omens, feverish illnesses, and unsettling dreams that blur the line between reality and nightmare. Their conversations echo a desperate search for meaning as they mark windows with crosses and cling to religious hope amid an atmosphere of impending doom.
The narrative weaves together vivid folk motifs and a haunting sense of collective anxiety, portraying a community caught between ordinary hardships and uncanny, otherworldly signs. As harvests bloom unexpectedly and the town’s grain trade thrives, the uneasy peace is constantly threatened by the lingering presence of the enigmatic suns and the lingering dread of what may follow. This opening invites listeners into a lyrical, unsettling world where myth and daily life collide.
Language
de
Duration
~4 hours (283K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Jens Sadowski
Release date
2012-03-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1877–1957
Known for fiction that slips into dreams, folklore, and the uncanny, this Russian modernist wrote in a voice unlike anyone else's. His life took him from radical student politics and Siberian exile to émigré Paris, where he remained a singular figure in 20th-century literature.
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