The Enchanted Wanderer

“As a word artist, N. S. Leskov is fully worthy to stand alongside such creators of Russian literature as L. Tolstoy, Gogol, Turgenev, and Goncharov. Leskov’s talent, by its power and beauty, is not much inferior to that of any of the above authors of the sacred writings about the Russian land; and by the breadth of his coverage of life’s phenomena, the depth of his understanding of everyday enigmas, and his subtle knowledge of the Great Russian language, he often surpasses the named predecessors and comrades-in-arms. Maxim Gorky.”

An audiobook performed by the popular artist and well-known dubbing actor Sergei Gorbunov.

“We sailed on Lake Ladoga from the island of Konevets to Valaam, and along the way, for a ship’s need, we entered the port of Korela. Here many of us were curious to go ashore and rode the lively Finnish ponies to a deserted little town. Then the captain made ready to continue the journey, and we sailed on again. After visiting Korela, it was only natural that the conversation turned to this poor yet exceedingly old Russian settlement—something sadder than which is hard to imagine. On the ship, everyone shared this view, and one of the passengers, a man inclined toward philosophical generalizations and playful politics, remarked that he simply couldn’t understand why it was decided to send those inconvenient people in Petersburg off to more or less remote places—where, of course, the treasury loses money on their transportation—when right here, near the capital, on the Ladoga shore, there is such an excellent place as Korela, where any free-thinking and independent-mindedness cannot withstand the apathy of the population and the dreadful dullness of the oppressive, stingy nature.”