author
Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov
1826–1889
Best known by the pen name Shchedrin, this sharp-eyed Russian satirist turned the absurdities of official life into darkly funny fiction. His novels and sketches made him one of the great critics of imperial Russia.
1 Audiobook
A family of noblemen
by Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov
About the author
Born in 1826, he grew up on his family’s estate and was educated at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. He entered government service, but his writing soon drew official suspicion, and he was exiled to Vyatka in 1848 after an early work was judged too bold.
He later returned to state service and even served as a vice-governor, an experience that gave him a close view of bureaucracy, provincial life, and the habits of power. Writing under the name Shchedrin, he became famous for satire that was funny, bitter, and socially precise.
He is especially remembered for works such as The History of a Town, The Golovlyov Family, and The Tale of How One Peasant Fed Two Generals. He died in 1889, and his reputation has endured as one of the major satirical voices in Russian literature.