Realism in Russian literature mirrors the country's ethos of revolution. Themes of human weakness, resistance, and existentialism have been dealt in depth by the foremost writers of the country. This anthology of the best Russian short stories features some of the greatest writers---Alexander Pushkin, Nicolai Gogol, Ivan Turgenev, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstory, Anton Chekov, and Maxim Gorky---whose work have defined Russian literature over the years.