Laughter and Grief

Nikolai Semenovich Leskov is a Russian writer.

He was called the most national of Russia’s writers: “Leskov’s Russian people recognize him as the most Russian of all Russian writers, and he knew the Russian people more deeply and broadly than anyone else” (D. P. Svyatopolk-Mirsky, 1926).

The novella “Laughter and Grief” depicts “strange unexpected turns of Russian life” in a way that is both funny and tragic; upon careful examination, they turn out to be paradoxically close to the present day’s “strange unexpectedness.” It is not as widely known to the general reader as “Lefty,” “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District,” or “The petty artist.” It is different. But it features the main traits of Leskov’s artistic manner: an engrossing plot, vivid character portrayals, the paradoxical sharpness of conflicts, a “tale” style, keen attention to details and signs of contemporary reality.