| Author/Contributor(s): | Saltykov-Shchedrin, Mikhail; Pevear, Richard; Volokhonsky, Larissa |
| Publisher: | Vintage |
| Date: | 8/13/2024 |
| Binding: | Paperback |
| Condition: | NEW |
“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 of their rulers. The succession of brutal mayors of the town include such surreal extremes as a man with a music box instead of a brain and one so tall that he snaps in half during a windstorm. Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin marries biting satire reminiscent of Jonathan Swift with the fantastical absurdity of Nikolai Gogol, imbued throughout with his own brand of playful wordplay.
The award-winning translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky have produced the first translation of this work into English that successfully captures its zany humor and enduring relevance.