Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk: A Sketch

by Nikolai Leskov

Book Overview

La Lady Macbeth du district de Mtsensk by Nikolai Leskov introduces the first female serial killer in Russian literature, and one of the first heroines of this literature to transgress sexual taboos.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1843910683
• ISBN13: 9781843910688
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Hesperus Press
• Length: 66 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.0" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

About Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk...

I must say I was amazed... I didn't like the "Enchanted Pilgrim" much, but "Lady MacBeth" made me cry in the end (for the first time in my life)...I've read quite a number of ëussian classics (I have to- it's part of the school programme in Russia) including books like "War & Peace", "Crime and Punishment" and "The Master and Margharita", and although I'm still quite young (fifteen) I think that this one of THE greatest works of the XIX century.It's astounding how in the space of about 60 pages Leskov has managed to capture practically every feeling a human being can experience during his/her lifetime...In short, read this, because believe me it IS worth it.

Leskov is the Mark Twain of Russian lit

Leskov's works were until recently difficult to find in the US. His writing is simply incredable. His greatest work is generally considered to be the Enchanted Pilgrim which demonstrates the immense cultural diversity of Russia even in the 19th century and the strong connections to religion in everyday life. Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is another great story of woman's fatalist drive for wealth and love that anyone who studies any literature should read. At times his stories read almost like science fiction, but instead of other worlds, he writes about other cultures so alien to our own that they may as well be from other worlds. His stories are very enjoyable to read and I often difficult to put down. It is absolutely impossible to predict what will happen next in his stories and I was never disappointed at the end of any story.