The Year 4338: Petersburg Letters

“The Year 4338. Petersburg Letters” by Vladimir Odoevsky is one of the most unusual Russian science-fiction texts of the 19th century. In the form of letters from a distant future, the author depicts the world of the year 4338, where science and technology have transformed everyday life and Petersburg has become the center of a developed civilization. Against the backdrop of the expectation of a cosmic threat, Odoevsky reflects on progress, culture, knowledge, and the fate of humankind. This vivid and in many ways prophetic work can be called one of the early examples of science fiction.