26/02/2022
A chronicle of the history of a conditional Russian city, in which the funny is mixed with the terrible. Saltykov-Shchedrin writes a satire on contemporary Russia under the guise of a satire on Russian history - and creates a satire on Russian eternity.
A chronicle of the history of the conditional Russian city of Glupov and a chronicle of the reign of grotesque, disgusting and intimidating mayors. Foolov is looking for a prince for himself, suffers from mechanical cries of "I will not tolerate" and "I will ruin", bakes pies according to the charter, goes through a period of idolatry, turns into a barracks, burns, starves and drowns. The "History of a City" is often seen as a fantastic satire on the history of Russia, but behind this meaning lies another one: Shchedrin's book is about the "Russian inescapable", about the non-historical, fatal features of the national mentality. Starting as a farce, by the end of the "History of a City" reaches the scope of an eschatological dystopia.