Five Tales

The most perfectly 'Russian' writer of the nineteenth century, Leskov conveys a unique, memorable image of the Russia he wayward and undisciplined, anarchic and perverse, yet underpinned by a profound spirituality and sense of national identity. This captures Leskov's rumbustious humour, together with his hilarious examination of Russian attitudes. It highlights the fascinating contrasts he detected between the spirit of Russia and the culture of her West European neighbors.