Kashcheyev's Chain

Mikhail Prishvin’s autobiographical novel “Kashchey’s Chain” is built as a mosaic: disparate yet vivid episodes form a broad portrait of Russia in the early 20th century. The familiar order collapses before our eyes: landowners become impoverished and ruined, a centuries-old rural way of life falls apart, and merchants and industrialists often amass huge fortunes in a bold and ruthless way. Once strong families crack, and young people leave their homes, choosing different paths — revolution, art, science, or leaving for abroad. Women’s destinies also change: girls more and more often refuse the role of quiet guardians of the hearth and strive for independence and self-realization. Time seems murky and unstable, as if everything has been moved from its place — and in this uncertainty, the heroes feel their way toward the future, sometimes with difficulty and pain.