The Tale of the Wandering and Journey Through Russia, Moldavia, Turkey and the Holy Land by the Monk Parfeny of Mount Athos

The direction that Russian literature has taken in recent years deserves the closest attention. The Russian person—with their past and present, with economic circumstances and ethnographic particularities—has become the main object of study for writers and scholars. Everyone tries, as far as their strength allows, to analyze the phenomena of Russian life in order to shed light on the mysterious appearance of the people; everyone with impatient eagerness wants to predict a bright and prosperous future for this giant-in-the-cradle. And though perhaps there is a premature, youthful ardor in such haste, there’s no doubt about one thing: the current literary movement contains beginnings that can bring very fruitful results. Even now it’s possible to see that the darkness that long concealed many sides of Russian life is gradually dispersing: in the last few years, enough material has been gathered to learn the character and inner structure of the Russian people more closely. And if this acquaintance hasn’t yet reached completion, there is strong hope that young Russian literature, once it takes a reliable path of studying the people, won’t turn away from it and will finish what it has begun.