description: An 1858 Russian novel in which a young man marries an heiress to get ahead, betraying his roots and in the end, himself. After a spectacular early success, Pisemsky's reputation as an author suffered a terrible eclipse. This was partly because of the competition of other mid-19th century Russian writers such as Turgenev and Dostoevsky, and partly because Pisemsky grossly misjudged the taste and mores of his audience. Pisemsky's brooding romanticism, coupled with his control as a writer, suffers only in comparison with literary giants. In spite of his failings Pisemsky was a writer of consummate skill, and this is an important addition to our store of 19th century Russian literature.
language: English
title: One Thousand Souls
publisher: Fredonia Books (NL)