“Poshekhonskaya antiquity” is the final work of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, a look at life in the Russian provinces during the era of serfdom. The narrative is told in the name of the nobleman Nikanor Zatrapezny: through his childhood memories, the life and customs of a landed estate are revealed.
The book provides a detailed, almost documentary, account of life in Russia on the eve of the abolition of serfdom. The reader sees not the official side of history, but everyday life: how the nobles and the peasants lived, what customs prevailed, and how the system of the landlords’ household operated. This helps to understand more deeply the origins of many social phenomena in Russia.