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  Silence (CopyrightGroup)

  Leonid Andreyev

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  Leonid Nikolaievich Andreyev was born on 21st August in Oryol, Russia to a middle-class family of Polish, Ukranian and Finnish ancestry. 
   
  He studied law in Moscow before working as a police-court reporter for a daily newspaper.  His literary efforts at this time were confined to poetry and those he did try to get published were all rejected.  
   
  In 1898 his first short story ‘Bargamot and Garaska’, published in the ‘Kurier’ newspaper caught the attention and friendship of Maxim Gorky.  Andreyev now discarded any other career path apart from that of author. 
   
  His first collection of short stories appeared in 1901 and sold over a quarter of a million copies.  He was a sensation. Using his interest in psychology and psychiatry gave him an almost unrivalled ability to delve into the human psyche and create astonishing characters. 
   
  During the first Russian revolution Andreyev was a staunch defender of democratic ideals and many of his stories reflected the heated mood of the times. With the 1905 Revolution’s failure his work became pessimistic and despairing. By the beginning of the following decade he began losing his audience to new literary movements such as the Futurists. 
   
  He published little after 1914 except political writings, instead working as the literary editor of the ‘Russian Will’ newspaper.  When the Bolsheviks took power he sensed catastrophe was coming and moved to Finland where he spent his last years in poverty distraught at the outcome of the Revolution. 
   
  Leonid Andreyev died of heart failure on 12th September 1919 at the age of 48 in Mustamäki, Finland. 
   
  His classic story ‘Silence’ is a haunting and a desperately sad account of a family broken by death and unable to reconcile their feelings.

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  Hunchback of Notre-Dame Book 3...

  Victor Hugo

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  The Hunchback of Notre-Dame or Notre-Dame de Paris is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831.The story is set in Paris in 1482 during the reign of Louis XI. The gypsy Esmeralda (born as Agnes) captures the hearts of many men, including those of Captain Phoebus and Pierre Gringoire, but especially Quasimodo and his guardian Archdeacon Claude Frollo. Frollo is torn between his obsessive lust for Esmeralda and the rules of Notre Dame Cathedral. He orders Quasimodo to kidnap her, but Quasimodo is captured by Phoebus and his guards, who save Esmeralda. Gringoire, who attempted to help Esmeralda but was knocked out by Quasimodo, is about to be hanged by beggars when Esmeralda saves him by agreeing to marry him for four years.

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  Vainity Faiyr

  William Makepeace Thackeray

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  "Vanity Fair" is a novel by English author William Makepeace Thackeray, first published as a serial from 1847 to 1848. The novel is a satirical and panoramic look at early 19th-century British society, particularly focusing on the lives of two women, Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley, as they navigate the complexities of love, ambition, and social climbing. Thackeray's work is known for its wit, sharp social commentary, and memorable characters.

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  Macbeth

  William Shakespeare, Charles Lamb

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  Taken from Charles Lamb's children's book 'Tales From Shakespeare', this adaptation tells the story of Macbeth.

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  Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Argo Classics)

  Brothers Grimm

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  William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly abridged and remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. 
  Dark and mysterious, the timeless Grimm’s Fairy Tales have enchanted and inspired generations across the world. 
  The brothers Grimm collected and edited 210 fairy and folk tales, including such beloved classics as ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘Rapunzel’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, into an intoxicating and bewitching combination of morality, love, honour and tragedy – and much more besides. 
  Sir Ben Kingsley and Sir Michael Hordern provide captivating, immersive readings. 
  For fans of H. C. Andersen (Hans Christian Andersen's Complete Fairy Tales), Ken Mondschein (The Arabian Nights), Jane Austen (Mansfield Park), Majestic Classics (Dracula Illustrated), and L. Frank Baum (The Wizard of Oz).

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  The Alchemist

  H. P. Lovecraft

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  "The Alchemist" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft, written in 1908, when Lovecraft was 17 or 18, and first published in the November 1916 issue of the United Amateur. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 - March 15, 1937) - known as H.P. Lovecraft - was an American author who achieved posthumous fame through his influential works of horror fiction. 
   
  Virtually unknown and only published in pulp magazines before he died in poverty, he is now regarded as one of the most significant 20th-century authors in his genre. Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he spent most of his life. His father was confined to a mental institution when Lovecraft was three years old. His grandfather, a wealthy businessman, enjoyed storytelling and was an early influence. Intellectually precocious but sensitive, Lovecraft began composing rudimentary horror tales by the age of eight, but suffered from overwhelming feelings of anxiety. 
   
  He encountered problems with classmates in school, and was kept at home by his highly strung and overbearing mother for illnesses that may have been psychosomatic. In high school, Lovecraft was able to better connect with his peers and form friendships. He also involved neighborhood children in elaborate make-believe projects, only regretfully ceasing the activity at seventeen years old. Despite leaving school in 1908 without graduating - he found mathematics particularly difficult.

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