The Blind Musician

An edition from the "Old School" series. Printed in 12pt type with wide line spacing for maximum readability. Unabridged. Modern translation. The publication is supplemented with an annotation that examines ten interesting facts about Ivan Turgenev.

In the wealthy noble Popelsky family, their only son Petrik has been blind since birth. Petrik's mother, Anna Mikhailovna, loving and pitying the boy endlessly, raises him like a rare and fragile flower. Only Petrik's uncle Maxim, who fought under Garibaldi's banner in his youth, tries to accustom the boy to independence; he introduces him to the outside world, striving to enrich and temper the child's soul.

Years pass. The young man deeply suffers due to his blindness. He retreats into a world of personal experiences, trying to shut himself off from people and from life. Under Uncle Maxim's influence, Peter disguises himself in peasant clothes and sets off with blind bandura players on a long journey along the roads of Russia. On his way, he encounters many tears, hardships, and misfortunes far deeper than his own. Peter returned home spiritually enlightened. The people's suffering, their songs, and their pain - all of this was embodied by Peter in a beautiful piano improvisation. Thus, a new man and musician was born.