Lazarus

'When Lazarus rose from the grave, after three days and nights in the mysterious thraldom of death, and returned alive to his home, it was a long time before anyone noticed the evil peculiarities in him that were later to make his very name terrible.' One of Andreyev's best-known short stories, 'Lazarus' follows the Eastern Orthodox tradition that Lazarus never smiled again, and it explores what happened to the biblical figure after his resurrection from the dead. The unsettling coldness that exudes from the man who cheated death cannot be denied by anyone who meets him. As his notoriety increases, few can resist the chance of an audience with the man who has seen beyond the realms of life, but be they urchin or Emperor, none can stand to be in the presence of Lazarus for long. 'Lazarus', first published in Russian in 1906, deals with themes of faith, mortality and the human condition. This recording is based on a translation by Thomas Seltzer.