Bilingual Classics - Anna Karenina (Chinese/English, with movie VCD)

Bilingual Classics is a bilingual book series featuring classic Western literature from the most famous authors in the world.

Anna Karenina, sometimes referred as Anna Karenin, is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877. It is considered one of the pinnacles of world literature.

The narrative centers on the adulterous affair between Anna, wife of Aleksey Karenin, and Count Vronsky, a young bachelor. Karenin's discovery of the liaison arouses only his concern for his own public image. Anna promises discretion for the sake of her husband and young son but eventually becomes pregnant by Vronsky.

After the child is born, Anna and the child accompany Vronsky first to Italy, then to his Russian estate. She begins making furtive trips to see her older child and grows increasingly bitter toward Vronsky, eventually regarding him as unfaithful.

In desperation she goes to the train station, purchases a ticket, and then impulsively throws herself in front of the incoming train. A parallel love story, involving the difficult courtship and fulfilling marriage of Kitty and Levin, provides rich counterpoint to the tragedy and is thought to reflect Tolstoy's own marital experience.

There is an inevitability about the tragic fate that hangs over the adulterous love of Anna and Vronsky. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" is the leitmotiv of the story. Anna pays not so much because she transgresses the moral code but because she refuses to observe the proprieties customarily exacted in such liaisons by the hypocritical high society to which she belongs.

Now you can enjoy this landmark of world literature in two languages. This 185-page book comes with the English texts, as well Chinese translations, making it an excellent way for children to cultivate their bilingual language abilities.

The book also comes with a movie VCD, which contains the original movie Anna Karenina. You can enjoy watching the VCD on TV or computer. Please see Q & A about VCD for more details.