The Live Corpse

The Live Corpse opens on a web of marital breakdown, social judgment, and aching desire for freedom, centered on Theodore Vasílyevich Protásov, known as Fédya, his estranged wife Lisa, their child, and the family and friends pulled into their crisis. Around them gather mothers, suitors, doctors, gipsies, and officials, all caught between scandal, duty, money, and temptation. From the first scenes, the play balances intimate heartbreak with the pressure of society's expectations, asking what remains of love when marriage has already failed. As Lisa's family argues over her separation, she admits she still cannot let go of Fédya and sends Victor Karénin to find him among the gipsies and bring him back. There, Fédya is lost in music, drink, and the seductive warmth of Másha's singing, yet he refuses reconciliation, convinced he has broken his promise and ruined Lisa's life. The drama deepens through a sick child, Karénin's growing tenderness toward Lisa, and the arrival of Anna Dmitrievna, whose horror at divorce collides with Lisa's quiet dignity and Victor's love. Fédya's loneliness, guilt, and longing for oblivion drive the play toward a painful search for moral truth. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.