Nikolaj Semenovič Leskov Libros

This collection features stories by a renowned 19th-century Russian author, showcasing the depth and complexity of his narratives. Translated by the acclaimed duo Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, known for their exceptional work on Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, these translations bring new life to the original texts. Readers can expect rich character development and profound themes that reflect the social and philosophical landscape of the era.

A new collection of the renowned Russian writer's best short work, including a masterful translation of the famous title story. Nikolai Leskov is the strangest of the great Russian writers of the nineteenth century. His work is closer to the oral traditions of narrative than that of his contemporaries, and served as the inspiration for Walter Benjamin's great essay "The Storyteller," in which Benjamin contrasts the plotty machinations of the modern novel with the strange, melancholy, but also worldly-wise yarns of an older, slower era that Leskov remained in touch with. The title story is a tale of illicit love and multiple murder that could easily find its way into a Scottish ballad and did go on to become the most popular of Dmitri Shostakovich's operas. The other stories, all but one newly translated, present the most focused and finely rendered collection of this indispensable writer currently available in English.

Katerina's life is transformed when she engages in a passionate affair with a young worker on her husband's estate, seeking liberation from her oppressive marriage to a bitter, older man. This affair ignites a fierce determination within her, pushing her to challenge societal norms and pursue her desires relentlessly. As she navigates the complexities of love and betrayal, Katerina's quest for fulfillment becomes a powerful journey of self-discovery and defiance against the constraints of her cold, unforgiving surroundings.

The story of a passionate young woman who escapes her stifling marriage through adultery and murder, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is now the basis for an acclaimed new film starring Florence Pugh Nikolai Leskov is one of the most unique voices of nineteenth-century Russia, with a fascination for idiosyncratic characters, lurid crimes, comic absurdity, spirituality and the joy of pure story. This volume contains five of his greatest short tales, including the matchless masterpiece Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Translated with an introduction by David McDuff

Nikolai Leskov's writing exploded the conventions of nineteenth-century Russian fiction. Here is the other Russia, mythical and untamed: an uneasy synthesis of Orthodoxy and Old Believers, a land populated by soldiers and monks, serfs and princes, Tartars and gypsies—a vast country brimming with the promise of magic. These seventeen tales, some rooted in the oral tradition, others cast as sophisticated anecdotes, are all told in the voices of storytellers addressing their audience—allowing us, as readers, to join a group of listeners. Innovative in form and rich in wordplay, the narratives unfurl in startlingly modern ways. The great gift of this new translation allows us to hear all the nuances of Leskov’s brilliant language.

An uproarious romp of one-upmanship and drunkenness from the nineteenth-century Russian comic genius.

Stylizovaná románová kronika Až se hnou vody (v definitivní podobě vydaná rusky roku 1872) zůstala u nás na rozdíl od Leskovových známých povídek a románů stranou pozornosti – česky vyšla poprvé a naposledy před více než sto dvaceti lety (1903). Nový překlad Jana Machonina potvrzuje neobyčejnou živost a modernost této prózy, v nížLeskov více než jinde opustil formu románu, využíval odcizené perspektivy jakoby filmového vypravěče a ve střídání různých stylových rovin výrazně obohatil jazyk prvky odposlouchané řeči. Do bezmála idylického prostředí jednoho ruského městečka, zvláště malého společenství jeho pravoslavných duchovních, proniká atmosféra moderní doby, volnomyšlenkářství a nihilismus, jak se tehdy nové myšlenkové proudy v Rusku označovaly. Tyto střety probouzejí k životu zápletky, jejichž bizarnost nabývá místy až absurdních poloh. Tak Leskov utkal podivuhodnou síť směšných i dojemných příhod, z níž vyvstává působivý obraz duchovní a materiální podstaty Ruska 19. století v celé jeho složitosti.

Nikolai Ljesskow (1831-1895) gilt als einer der bedeutendsten russischen Dichter, dessen Werk stark von westeuropäischen Einflüssen unberührt blieb. Sein Einfluss auf die russische Literatur war enorm, und Tolstoi stellte ihn sogar über Dostojewskij. Diese Ausgabe enthält seine beste Erzählung „Der versiegelte Engel“ sowie weitere interessante Geschichten.