Lefty. Stories and Novella

Nikolai Leskov (1831–1895) is «the most Russian of Russian writers». He masterfully depicts folk life, using a vivid, lyrical language.
The main theme of his work is the search for a righteous person, the depiction of a righteous hero. But who... is this hero? A saint, a sinless person? Or someone striving for good, undaunted, loving life? Or perhaps a suffering person, wronged, but not blaming anyone for their suffering?
Perhaps many and many fates of talented and humble, unjustly offended ordinary people, of whom Lefty is a collective embodiment? And again we return to the key theme of Leskov - the search for the righteous. And Lefty is an undeniable righteous person, and this manifests at every stage of his life and, of course, in death. In the face of which he continues to think about others, about his country, while he himself does not receive anyone's attention - due to, paradoxically, his low social status, which in the eyes of others is more important than human health and even life. Yes, we already know that Leskov's stories about the righteous are as captivating and exciting as they are unusual and witty, and they are so sad, sometimes to tears. But perhaps the secret of Leskov lies in this paradox - so different, so multifaceted, yet invariably speaking to us about the most important things in life. About things that do not change, even in the flow of such rapidly flying time…
Answers to these questions can be found in the novellas and stories included in this collection.
For middle and high school age.