The Golovlyov Family with José Vergara

Professor of Russian José Vergara recommends a dark story of family betrayal. Shchedrin's 1880 novel follows the fall of a miserly matriarch and the rise of her even more punitive son. We talk about tragicomedy, fate, faith, and constant death. Spoilers are out of control. This is one of our favorite books, so read it quick! Michaela Telfer's article on bureaucracy in the novel (open access) Sign up for our bonus show for an upcoming companion episode on Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard.

You can listen to The Golovlyov Family with José Vergara online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Golovlyov Family with José Vergara is an episode from Unburied Books by Dylan Cuellar, Kassia Oset.

This episode is 01:30:39 long.

This episode was published on Oct 27, 2025.

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