Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin: The Lonely Scorpion

This book is a new biography of Mikhail Yevgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin (1826-1889), one of the classics of Russian literature. The narrative genre goes beyond traditional biography: with all the scientific rigor and academic approach to sources, the author managed to create... an emotional story, in which the word is often given to the hero himself, and it is up to the reader to draw conclusions.
The subject of the biography is an intelligent, talented, and extremely awkward person, both for those he encountered in service or literary polemics and, in a sense, for himself. Because his talents, not only literary but also administrative, were accompanied by a very peculiar and complex character, one of the main features of which was a relentless desire to contradict. His wishes were fulfilled, but their fulfillment ultimately did not make him happy. Saltykov-Shchedrin successfully advanced in his service, which became the main source of plots for his works — both brought him income, but he habitually lamented throughout his life about the lack of funds. He had friends, a beautiful wife, readers, and admirers, but he felt lonely, abandoned, and this feeling took on dramatic proportions by the end of his life.
The book reproduces numerous photographs, autographs, caricatures of the hero of the book and his contemporaries, illustrations to Saltykov-Shchedrin's works. There is an annotated index of mentioned persons.