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Πώς ένας μουζίκος έθρεψε δύο μανδαρίνους και άλλες ιστορίες
Ο Μιχαήλ Σαλτίκωφ-Στσεντρίν, σύγχρονος του Ντοστογιέφσκι, του Τολστόι, του Τουργκένιεφ, του Νεκράσωφ, έζησε τη δουλοπαροικία, την τυραννική φεουδαρχία, την εξαθλίωση των μουζίκων, την καταπίεση και τους εξευτελισμούς του ρωσσικού λαού, αλλά και την απάτη των μεταρρυθμίσεων του 1861 και τις μεγάλες αγροτικές εξεγέρσεις που πνίγηκαν όλες στο αίμα. Αγωνίστηκε με το πλούσιο και πολύμορφο έργο του εναντίον της τσαρικής απολυταρχίας και του σκοταδισμού. Και γνώρισε ο ίδιος τα βάσανα της εξορίας.
Έβλεπε πως το σύστημα έχει σαπίσει ολότελα και έπρεπε να ανατραπεί από τα θεμέλια. Για να παρακάμψει ο Σαλτίκωφ-Στσεντρίν τους φραγμούς και τις παγίδες της τσαρικής λογοκρισίας και να εκφράσει τις αγωνιστικές ιδέες του κατέφυγε στη γλώσσα του Αισώπου και του Κρυλώφ, στο τέχνασμα του ζωομορφισμού, των μεταμφιέσεων και των παραβολών.
Και έδωσε τα πολιτικοκοινωνικά του «Παραμύθια», τους περίφημους σατιρόμυθους, που αποτελούν τις πιο σπινθηροβόλες σελίδες τού μεγάλου πεζογραφικού έργου του, καυστικές σάτιρες, υπαινικτικές ή διαφανείς, με στηλιτευτικούς σαρκασμούς και πικρή κοφτερή ειρωνία. Ζωόμορφοι και ανθρωπόμορφοι τύποι παρελαύνουν στις «ιστορίες» του, αρκούδες, λύκοι και αλεπούδες, λαγοί και κουνέλια, αρπακτικά όρνεα και κάθε λογής πετούμενα, πλάσματα των ποταμών και των δασών, αγαθά ή θηριώδη, μια τοιχογραφία συναρπαστική της ρωσσικής κοινωνίας του 19ου αιώνα: τυραννικοί κυβερνήτες, άπληστοι γαιοκτήμονες, μικρόμυαλοι αριστοκράτες, απαίδευτοι αξιωματούχοι, αναιδείς γραφειοκράτες, απόκτηνωμένοι μουζίκοι, κούφιοι διανοούμενοι, ψευτοφιλελεύθεροι, κόλακες των ισχυρών, παράσιτα.
Αυτοί οι γοητευτικοί σατιρόμυθοι είναι κείμενα με διαχρονικές προεκτάσεις. Οι ιδέες, οι συγκρούσεις, οι αντιφάσεις, υπάρχουν και στις πιο σύγχρονες κοινωνίες, όπου στραγγαλίζεται η ελευθερία, η δικαιοσύνη, ή όπου διαιωνίζεται η απάθεια των μαζών, η τύφλωση και η εθελοδουλεία. Η σάτιρα του μεγάλου ρώσου πεζογράφου συμπυκνώνει αιώνιες αλήθειες, εκρηκτικά και προφητικά μηνύματα.
Έβλεπε πως το σύστημα έχει σαπίσει ολότελα και έπρεπε να ανατραπεί από τα θεμέλια. Για να παρακάμψει ο Σαλτίκωφ-Στσεντρίν τους φραγμούς και τις παγίδες της τσαρικής λογοκρισίας και να εκφράσει τις αγωνιστικές ιδέες του κατέφυγε στη γλώσσα του Αισώπου και του Κρυλώφ, στο τέχνασμα του ζωομορφισμού, των μεταμφιέσεων και των παραβολών.
Και έδωσε τα πολιτικοκοινωνικά του «Παραμύθια», τους περίφημους σατιρόμυθους, που αποτελούν τις πιο σπινθηροβόλες σελίδες τού μεγάλου πεζογραφικού έργου του, καυστικές σάτιρες, υπαινικτικές ή διαφανείς, με στηλιτευτικούς σαρκασμούς και πικρή κοφτερή ειρωνία. Ζωόμορφοι και ανθρωπόμορφοι τύποι παρελαύνουν στις «ιστορίες» του, αρκούδες, λύκοι και αλεπούδες, λαγοί και κουνέλια, αρπακτικά όρνεα και κάθε λογής πετούμενα, πλάσματα των ποταμών και των δασών, αγαθά ή θηριώδη, μια τοιχογραφία συναρπαστική της ρωσσικής κοινωνίας του 19ου αιώνα: τυραννικοί κυβερνήτες, άπληστοι γαιοκτήμονες, μικρόμυαλοι αριστοκράτες, απαίδευτοι αξιωματούχοι, αναιδείς γραφειοκράτες, απόκτηνωμένοι μουζίκοι, κούφιοι διανοούμενοι, ψευτοφιλελεύθεροι, κόλακες των ισχυρών, παράσιτα.
Αυτοί οι γοητευτικοί σατιρόμυθοι είναι κείμενα με διαχρονικές προεκτάσεις. Οι ιδέες, οι συγκρούσεις, οι αντιφάσεις, υπάρχουν και στις πιο σύγχρονες κοινωνίες, όπου στραγγαλίζεται η ελευθερία, η δικαιοσύνη, ή όπου διαιωνίζεται η απάθεια των μαζών, η τύφλωση και η εθελοδουλεία. Η σάτιρα του μεγάλου ρώσου πεζογράφου συμπυκνώνει αιώνιες αλήθειες, εκρηκτικά και προφητικά μηνύματα.
209 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1869
5 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin
490 books124 followersMikhail Saltykov was born on 27 January 1826 in the village of Spas-Ugol (modern-day Taldomsky District of the Moscow Oblast of Russia) as one of the eight children (five brothers and three sisters) in the large Russian noble family of Yevgraf Vasilievich Saltykov (1776—1851) and Olga Mikhaylovna Saltykova (née Zabelina) (1801—1874). His father belonged to an ancient Saltykov noble house that originated as one of the branches of the Morozov boyar family. According to the Velvet Book, it was founded by Mikhail Ignatievich Morozov nicknamed Saltyk (from the Old Church Slavonic word "saltyk" meaning "one's own way/taste"), the son of Ignaty Mikhailovich Morozov and a great-grandson of the founder of the dynasty Ivan Semyonovich Moroz who lived during the 14-15th centuries. The Saltykov family also shared the Polish Sołtyk coat of arms. It gave birth to many important political figures throughout history, including the Tsaritsa of Russia Praskovia Saltykova and her daughter, the Empress of Russia Anna Ioannovna.
Saltykov's mother was an heir to a rich Moscow merchant of the 1st level guild Mikhail Petrovich Zabelin whose ancestors belonged to the so-called trading peasants and who was granted hereditary nobility for his handsome donation to the army needs in 1812; his wife Marfa Ivanovna Zabelina also came from wealthy Moscow merchants. At the time of Mikhail Saltykov's birth, Yevgraf was fifty years old, while Olga was twenty five. Mikhail spent his early years on his parents' large estate in Spasskoye on the border of the Tver and Yaroslavl governorates, in the Poshekhonye region.
"In my childhood and teenage years I witnessed serfdom at its worst. It saturated all strata of social life, not just the landlords and the enslaved masses, degrading all classes, privileged or otherwise, with its atmosphere of a total lack of rights, when fraud and trickery were the order of the day, and there was an all-pervading fear of being crushed and destroyed at any moment," he remembered, speaking through one of the characters of his later work Old Years in Poshekhonye. Life in the Saltykov family was equally difficult. Dominating the weak, religious father was despotic mother whose intimidating persona horrified the servants and her own children. This atmosphere was later recreated in Shchedrin's novel The Golovlyov Family, and the idea of "the devastating effect of legalized slavery upon the human psyche" would become one of the prominent motifs of his prose. Olga Mikhaylovna, though, was a woman of many talents; having perceived some in Mikhail, she treated him as her favourite.
The Saltykovs often quarrelled; they gave their children neither love nor care and Mikhail, despite enjoying relative freedom in the house, remembered feeling lonely and neglected. Another thing Saltykov later regretted was his having been completely shut out from nature in his early years: the children lived in the main house and were rarely allowed to go out, knowing their "animals and birds only as boiled and fried." Characteristically, there were few descriptions of nature in the author's works.
Saltykov's mother was an heir to a rich Moscow merchant of the 1st level guild Mikhail Petrovich Zabelin whose ancestors belonged to the so-called trading peasants and who was granted hereditary nobility for his handsome donation to the army needs in 1812; his wife Marfa Ivanovna Zabelina also came from wealthy Moscow merchants. At the time of Mikhail Saltykov's birth, Yevgraf was fifty years old, while Olga was twenty five. Mikhail spent his early years on his parents' large estate in Spasskoye on the border of the Tver and Yaroslavl governorates, in the Poshekhonye region.
"In my childhood and teenage years I witnessed serfdom at its worst. It saturated all strata of social life, not just the landlords and the enslaved masses, degrading all classes, privileged or otherwise, with its atmosphere of a total lack of rights, when fraud and trickery were the order of the day, and there was an all-pervading fear of being crushed and destroyed at any moment," he remembered, speaking through one of the characters of his later work Old Years in Poshekhonye. Life in the Saltykov family was equally difficult. Dominating the weak, religious father was despotic mother whose intimidating persona horrified the servants and her own children. This atmosphere was later recreated in Shchedrin's novel The Golovlyov Family, and the idea of "the devastating effect of legalized slavery upon the human psyche" would become one of the prominent motifs of his prose. Olga Mikhaylovna, though, was a woman of many talents; having perceived some in Mikhail, she treated him as her favourite.
The Saltykovs often quarrelled; they gave their children neither love nor care and Mikhail, despite enjoying relative freedom in the house, remembered feeling lonely and neglected. Another thing Saltykov later regretted was his having been completely shut out from nature in his early years: the children lived in the main house and were rarely allowed to go out, knowing their "animals and birds only as boiled and fried." Characteristically, there were few descriptions of nature in the author's works.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 14, 2014
One of my acquaintances started a business from scratch. He use to do all of his work all by himself without any help. His business started to grow and slowly but steadily, he hired a couple of employees. After that, I didn't ever see him working himself. At first he lost the will to work himself and then slowly and gradually, the ability. It's a beautiful story and it somehow reminded me of this incident. Reminded me of how you must stay on your feet. Hard work is a virtue, laziness is a curse. If you're relying on people for things you ought to be doing yourself, it might end up suffocating you.
June 17, 2024
Incisive critique of Russian political hierarchy in the 19th century. Via a humorous and rather absurd yet ironic narrative, it elucidates the exploitation of the peasantry and the absurdities of the contemporary social hierarchies.
December 16, 2023
Fortunately, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin’s allegorical story How a Muzhik Fed Two Officials is short. Like much Russian humor it is rather dour and explicit. Two very senior Russian officials, bureaucrats who carry the rank and title of generals, find themselves whisked to an earthy paradise. Being long accustomed to the giving of orders and having no practical habits or hobbies, they are incapable of taking even minimal actions in thierown behalf. Luckily their little island also has a compliant but multi talented Muzhik.
A muzhink is a Russian surf. Neither slave not free, he is bound to a particular place unless that place is sold or taken by another. Generally, they are agricultural labor, but they may be tradesmen, or specialized workers. In any case they are bound to the land and to through the land to its owner.
Without thinking, or caring, the two officials exploit the laborer, taking from him not just bare survival, but comfortable living while the muzhink lives on whatever is left of his labor. Get it?
A muzhink is a Russian surf. Neither slave not free, he is bound to a particular place unless that place is sold or taken by another. Generally, they are agricultural labor, but they may be tradesmen, or specialized workers. In any case they are bound to the land and to through the land to its owner.
Without thinking, or caring, the two officials exploit the laborer, taking from him not just bare survival, but comfortable living while the muzhink lives on whatever is left of his labor. Get it?
September 26, 2020
Oh how necessary the peasantry is to the wellbeing and continued existence of the upper classes. That said, Muzhik or no Muzhik, the 'Haves' have no excuse for their lack of basic skills beyond their own private requirements in life. Long live Muzhik.
July 7, 2019
Fell flat, not the most interesting plot line.
December 14, 2022
Fantastically sarcastic ☺️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2024
Hilarious look at the bureaucratic mindset and self-imposed slavery.
March 27, 2024
Какая же база от Салтыкова-Щедрина, которую прочувствуешь на максималках уже в осознанном возрасте.
Фр, веселись, мужчина!
Фр, веселись, мужчина!
October 29, 2025
What in the actual fuck even was the point of this story? Is this a troll? It could've easily been 'The story of how grass grew' or 'The story of how paint dried'.
August 21, 2023
An allegory in which bureaucrats are dying from hunger in spite of being surrounded by all sorts of food and other goodies. They need peasant (muzhik) to feed them and serve them as without exploiting working classes they can't exist!
May 27, 2024
Vislabākais, kas bija skolas programmā pa 12 gadiem, lai neteiktu, ka tas bija vispār vienīgais labais, kas bija skolā un vienīgais, kas mani nedaudz sagatavoja tam, kas pēc tam sekoja..
February 11, 2016
Отметил пользовательское отношение генералов к мужику. Генерал мужика воспринимает не как человека, а как ленивое животное, которое можно и нужно использовать для достижения своих целей. Ну вот например, какое у меня отношение к ишаку, животное которое можно использовать для перевозки маленьких и средних грузов. Считаю ли я, что ишак имеет равные со мной права? Нет, я так не считаю. Вот примерно так же генералы относятся и к мужику.
November 17, 2016
Agak melucukan juga sebenarnya. Sebelum itu, Muzhik adalah golongan orang Russia yang daif, bukan pemain muzik ya.
Pengajarannya adalah sesetengah orang kadang kala seperti tidak mahu adapt dengan persekitaran baru. Dua orang bekas pegawai kerajaan itu walaupun sudah bersara dan berpindah ke desa, namun masih mahu hidup seperti gaya bos. Meskipun berduit, tapi hidup nya tak kena cara seperti orang desa.
Pengajarannya adalah sesetengah orang kadang kala seperti tidak mahu adapt dengan persekitaran baru. Dua orang bekas pegawai kerajaan itu walaupun sudah bersara dan berpindah ke desa, namun masih mahu hidup seperti gaya bos. Meskipun berduit, tapi hidup nya tak kena cara seperti orang desa.
November 28, 2022
Didn't quite get the story, but one thing I understood was how government officials
exploit the normal people, the poor especially. That's what I understood from the
story. It was an ok-ish kinda experience reading this story.
exploit the normal people, the poor especially. That's what I understood from the
story. It was an ok-ish kinda experience reading this story.
May 20, 2012
What did I think? Russians are crazy. Crazy, crazy, crazy.
August 2, 2016
Two ex-officials unable to do many things on their own eventually find a muzhik to help them out...
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews