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The award-winning translators bring us a new translation of an 1870 comic novel by Russia's greatest satirist—whose mockery of Russian autocracy is as relevant as ever. “Pevear and Volokhonsky [are the] reigning translators of Russian literature. . . . In Russia, The History of a Town is read in schools and regarded as a masterpiece of 19th-century satire. . . . [This new translation] is an argument for the book’s Swiftian wit and its relevance to Russia and the United States today.” —The New York Times A major classic in Russia since its publication, Foolsburg is the farcical chronicle of a fictional town and its hapless inhabitants as they passively endure the violence and lunacy...
"A Family of Noblemen" is a satirical novel penned by using Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov, a distinguished Russian creator and satirist. The novel, serves as a scathing critique of the Russian nobility and societal norms time-honored for the duration of the nineteenth century. The narrative revolves around the Golovlyov family, an aristocratic family steeped in decadence, ethical degradation, and an insatiable desire for wealth and electricity. The relevant determine is Porfiry Golovlyov, a tyrannical and despotic landowner whose moves and decisions form the fate of the family. As the narrative unfolds, Saltykov exposes the ethical decay and hypocrisy within the aristocracy, portraying the characters as embodiments of corruption and ethical financial disaster. Saltykov's use of satire and irony is a powerful observation at the societal and political troubles of his time. Through the lens of the Golovlyov family, he criticizes the oppressive nature of the Russian autocracy, the exploitation of peasants, and the moral shortcomings of the the Aristocracy. "A Family of Noblemen" is a darkish and biting portrayal of a decaying social magnificence and the outcomes of unchecked privilege.
The Tales are based on concrete historical reality. "The Mighty Bogatyr" and "The Eagle-Patron of Arts" are biting satires on autocracy; "The Crow That Went in Search of Truth" and "The Old Nag" picture the misery of the Peasants; the conceited lion of "Bears in Government" with his ludicrous "self-pawed" inscriptions, is a well-aimed thrust at the illiterate resolutions of Tsar Alexander III, while the Bruins in the same tale ridicule the woebegone ministers of tsarist Russia.
Arina Petrovna rules the Golovlev family with an iron hand. Around her swarm her family; her alcoholic sons, dissipated grandchildren and degenerate husband. But in his darkened study, her son Porfiry schemes for an overthrow of power. In this powerful novel, the great Russian satirist presents a stark portrait of the Russian gentry sapped by generations of idleness and social irrelevance.
The centre of the estate that he managed was an important trading village in which there were many taverns. He liked to take a glass of tea in a tavern and boast of his mistress's great power. And in the course of his boasting he would sometimes unconsciously blab out secrets. His mistress was always with a lawsuit on her hands, so that her trusty's garrulousness sometimes brought her sly stratagems to the surface before they could be executed.
Prepare to be entertained by the biting satire and razor-sharp wit of M.Y. Saltykov with "How A Muzhik Fed Two Officials." Enter a world where bureaucracy and corruption reign supreme, and the absurdities of government bureaucracy are laid bare for all to see. As Saltykov's incisive narrative unfolds, follow the exploits of the muzhik—a simple peasant who outwits two bumbling officials with cunning and resourcefulness. Delve into the absurdities of bureaucracy and the hilarity of human folly as the muzhik turns the tables on those who seek to exploit him.But amidst the laughter and absurdity, a question emerges: What if the true measure of a man is not in his wealth or status, but in his a...
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From 1505 to 1689, Russia's tsars chose their wives through an elaborate ritual: the bride-show. The realm's most beautiful young maidens—provided they hailed from the aristocracy—gathered in Moscow, where the tsar's trusted boyars reviewed their medical histories, evaluated their spiritual qualities, noted their physical appearances, and confirmed their virtue. Those who passed muster were presented to the tsar, who inspected the candidates one by one—usually without speaking to any of them—and chose one to be immediately escorted to the Kremlin to prepare for her wedding and new life as the tsar's consort. Alongside accounts of sordid boyar plots against brides, the multiple marria...