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  A Report for an Academy

  Franz Kafka

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  "A Report to an Academy" is a short story by Franz Kafka, written and published in 1917. In the story, an ape named Red Peter, who has learned to behave like a human, presents to an academy the story of how he effected his transformation. The narrator, speaking before a scientific conference, describes his former life as an ape. His story begins in a West African jungle, in which a hunting expedition shoots and captures him. Caged on a ship for his voyage to Europe, he finds himself for the first time without the freedom to move as he will.

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  A Country Cottage

  Anton Chekhov

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  Anton Chekhov's story "A Country Cottage" is about a young couple, Sasha the husband and Vanya his wife, enjoying their night alone together. The couple walks together, taking in the sights around them, which they find picturesque and charming. First publication of the work: June 15, 1885.

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  Three Hundred Aesop's Fables

  Aesop

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  Aesop's Fables or the Aesopica are a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. The fables remain a popular choice for moral education of children today. Many of the stories, such as The Fox and the Grapes (from which the idiom "sour grapes" derives), The Tortoise and the Hare, The North Wind and the Sun, The Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Ant and the Grasshopper are well-known throughout the world. (Summary by Wikipedia)

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  War and Peace (Book Fifteen:...

  Leo Tolstoy

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  War and Peace is a literary work mixed with chapters on history and philosophy by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. It was first published serially, then published in its entirety in 1869. It is regarded as one of Tolstoy's finest literary achievements and remains an internationally praised classic of world literature.
  Book 15: 1812-13: When seeing a dying animal a man feels a sense of horror: substance similar to his own is perishing before his eyes. But when it is a beloved and intimate human being that is dying, besides this horror at the extinction of life there is a severance, a spiritual wound, which like a physical wound is sometimes fatal and sometimes heals, but always aches and shrinks at any external irritating touch.

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  A Very Short Romance - From...

  Vsevolod Garshin

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  Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin was born on 14th February 1855 in what is now Dnipro in the Ukraine, but then part of the Russian Empire. 
  After attending secondary school he studied at the Saint Petersburg Mining Institute.  
  Wars between and on behalf of Empires were a regular feature of the decades then.  Garshin volunteered to serve in the Russian army at the beginning of the Russo-Turkish War in 1877.  
  He began as a private in the Balkans campaign and was wounded in action.  By the end of the war, in 1878, he had been promoted to officer rank.  
  By now Garshin, having previously published some articles and reviews in newspapers, wished to devote himself to a literary career.  The decision made he resigned his army commission. 
  His time as a soldier provided rich experiences for his early stories. His first ‘Four Days’ was related as the interior monologue of a wounded soldier left for dead on the battlefield for four days, face to face with the corpse of a Turkish soldier he had killed, gained him early admiration as an author of note.  
  He wrote perhaps only 20 stories, but their influence was immense, although in these more modern times he is barely remembered and lives in the more prolific shadows of others.  His characters are superbly worked into stories that come alive in the intensity and reality of his prose.   
  Garshin’s most well-known story is ‘The Red Flower’, also known as ‘Scarlet Blossom’ and is easily amongst the first rank of stories dealing with mental health issues.  
  Despite early literary success, he himself experienced periodical bouts of mental illness.   
  In one such bout Garshin attempted to commit suicide by throwing himself down the stone stairs leading into his apartment building.  Although not immediately fatal, Vsevolod Garshin died as a result of his injuries in a St Petersburg hospital on 5th April 1888.  He was 33.

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  A Kidnapped Santa Claus

  Lyman Frank Baum

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  Christmas Eve—the night of joy, wonder, and magic. But what if the heart of Christmas itself was stolen? In this enchanting yet unexpected tale, L. Frank Baum dares to ask: what happens when Santa Claus disappears? Hidden away in his ice-bound Laughing Valley, Santa has made it his life's work to bring happiness to children across the world. But not everyone welcomes his kindness. Dark forces lurk beyond the cheerful glow of Christmas, and when Santa is taken captive, the very spirit of the holiday hangs in the balance.
  With a touch of mischief, a sprinkle of suspense, and a heartwarming conclusion, Baum crafts a story that challenges the idea of good and evil, reminding us that even the purest intentions can face opposition. It's a tale of courage, cleverness, and the unstoppable force of joy—a Christmas adventure unlike any other.
  A hidden gem from the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, A Kidnapped Santa Claus blends festive charm with unexpected depth. It is a holiday tale not just about presents and merriment, but about the true meaning of giving, the resilience of kindness, and the magic that no chains can contain.

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