The Peacock

Nikolai Semenovich Leskov reflected the life of Russian society of his era in his works in a broad, objective way—the era of the abolition of serfdom, the awakening of business activity among the masses, and the division of the intelligentsia into different ideological “camps.” Leskov paid great attention to Russian antiquity as well, believing that the experience of the people accumulated over thousands of years is valuable for the development of society. The documentary nature of many of his works is combined with artistic expressiveness, psychological depth, and the vividness of his language.