{"product_id":"hard-times-a-novel-of-liberals-and-radicals-in-1860s-russia-paperback","title":"Hard Times: A Novel of Liberals and Radicals in 1860s Russia - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eVasily Sleptsov\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eMichael R. Katz\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator), \u003cb\u003eWilliam C. Brumfield\u003c\/b\u003e (Introduction by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVasily Sleptsov was a Russian social activist and writer during the politically charged 1860s, known as the \"era of great reforms,\" and marked by Alexander II's emancipation of the serfs and the relaxation lifting of censorship. Popular in his day, Sleptsov's contemporaries Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov praised his writing:, with Chekhov once remarkeding, \"Sleptsov taught me, better than most, to understand the Russian \u003ci\u003eintelligent\u003c\/i\u003e, and my own self as well.\" \u003cbr\u003e The novella \u003ci\u003eHard Times \u003c\/i\u003eis considered Sleptsov's most important work\u003ci\u003e. \u003c\/i\u003eIt focused popular attention on the radical and liberal movements through its fictional setting, where the characters contend with constantly evolving political and social dilemmas. \u003ci\u003eHard Times\u003c\/i\u003e was immediately recognized as a vibrant and compelling depiction of prerevolutionary Russian intellectual society, full of lively debates about the possibilities of liberal reform or radical revolution that questioned the viability of a political system facing massive social problems. \u003cbr\u003e This is the first English-language version of \u003ci\u003eHard Times, \u003c\/i\u003eexpertly and fluidly translated by Michael Katz. Highly readable, it provides important historical insights on the political and social climate of a volatile and transformative period in Russia history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eVasily Sleptsov\u003c\/b\u003e (1836-1878) wrote fiction for several magazines, including \u003ci\u003eAnnals of the Fatherland, Russian Speech\u003c\/i\u003e, and the\u003ci\u003e Contemporary\u003c\/i\u003e, where he published his novella \u003ci\u003eHard Times\u003c\/i\u003e in 1865. He went on to found the magazine the\u003ci\u003e Women's Herald, \u003c\/i\u003e establish the Znamenskaya commune for women, and become an activist for women's equality. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael R. Katz\u003c\/b\u003e is C.V. Starr Professor Emeritus at Middlebury College. He is the author of two monographs and is a renowned translator of Russian literature, and who has published English versions of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, and Chekhov. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWilliam C. Brumfield\u003c\/b\u003e is professor of Slavic languages at Tulane University and has published extensively on mid-19th century Russian literature, with a special emphasis on Vasily Sleptsov.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 136\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 26, 2016\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51759211348256,"sku":"9780822964223","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/242a75700f98f9bd78bef356dd7d7a67.webp?v=1780145618","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/hard-times-a-novel-of-liberals-and-radicals-in-1860s-russia-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}