Foolsburg: The History of a Town

Foolsburg: The History of a Town

$17.00

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 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.

SKU: 9780593687314 Category:

Description

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 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.

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Weight 0.50 lbs

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