Hard Times: A Novel Of Liberals And Radicals In 1860S Russia (Russian And East European Studies)

Vasily Sleptsov was a Russian social activist and writer during the politically charged 1860s, known as the ôera of great reforms,ö and marked by Alexander IIÆs emancipation of the serfs and the relaxation lifting of censorship. Popular in his day, SleptsovÆs contemporaries Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov praised his writing:, with Chekhov once remarkeding, ôSleptsov taught me, better than most, to understand the Russian intelligent, and my own self as well.ö The novella Hard Times is considered SleptsovÆs most important work. It focused popular attention on the radical and liberal movements through its fictional setting, where the characters contend with constantly evolving political and social dilemmas. Hard Times was immediately recognized as a vibrant and compelling depiction of prerevolutionary Russian intellectual society, full of lively debates about the possibilities of liberal reform or radical revolution that questioned the viability of a political system facing massive social problems. This is the first English-language version of Hard Times, expertly and fluidly translated by Michael Katz. Highly readable, it provides important historical insights on the political and social climate of a volatile and transformative period in Russia history.

• | Author: Vasily Sleptsov
• | Publisher: University Of Pittsburgh Press
• | Publication Date: Oct 26, 2016
• | Number of Pages: 136 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback/Fiction
• | ISBN-10: 0822964228
• | ISBN-13: 9780822964223