The Bread Question

In this collection of humorous stories, Nikolai Alexandrovich Leykin touches on topics relevant at all times as well as those characteristic of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These are financial difficulties that befall the heroes for one reason or another, and their efforts to cope with harsh life circumstances—or simply to get richer. There are problems with utilities, with the work of servants, and other hired workers’ matters—interesting details that reveal the signs of the times. The goal of the characters in most stories, including the headline “The Bread Question,” is to marry well or get married—and whatever tricks people don’t resort to in order to achieve what they want. It is the writer’s sharp wit that invites you to plunge into the everyday life of a bygone era and to marvel at human ingenuity.