Lefty. Leon, the Butler's Son. The Unexchangable Ruble. The Toupee Artist

Besides the famous tale "Lefty" illustrated by Kukryniksy, the collection of works by Nikolai Semenovich Leskov (1831–1895) includes the story "Leon, the Butler's Son", the novella "The Unexchangable Ruble" illustrated by Evgeny Tikhonovich Migunov (1921–2004), and the novella "The Toupee Artist" illustrated by Mstislav Valerianovich Dobuzhinsky (1875–1957).
In Russian literature, Nikolai Semenovich Leskov (1831-1895) is famous for his unique style, vivid language, and authorial intonation reminiscent of folk tales. When reading "Lefty", it creates the impression that the tale of the Tula craftsman is narrated by a storyteller from the people, unfamiliar with many foreign words, and as a result, generously seasoning his speech with funny neologisms. Critics have often reproached the expressiveness of Leskov's speech for being affected. Leskov employs stylization of folk speech in many other works, including those included in this book. Nikolai Semenovich was well-acquainted with the life of the common people. According to him, he "grew up among the people" — he traveled extensively across the country. It is no coincidence that L. N. Tolstoy spoke of Leskov as the "most Russian of our writers". Maxim Gorky, contemplating Leskov's prose, called it "a bright painting or, rather, an icon painting". In such a distinctive way, Leskov was indeed a literary icon painter. In his works, he created a portrait gallery of righteous individuals and ascetics, surrounded by swindlers, extortionists, thieving officials, and nihilists of all kinds, aiming to destroy the healthy patriarchal core in the soul of the Russian person. One of these righteous individuals is Leskov's Lefty. Throughout his life, the writer created an entire gallery of bright positive characters characterized by honesty, morality, and an inability to come to terms with evil. He followed Gogol's commandment to exalt "in a solemn hymn the unnoticed laborer". The artists whose illustrations adorn this book do not need detailed introduction. From the posters of Kukryniksy — Mikhail Vasilyevich Kupriyanov (1903-1991), Porfiry Nikitich Krylov (1902-1990), and Nikolai Alexandrovich Sokolov (1903-2000) — one can trace all the key events of the USSR's war with fascist Germany, as well as the major moments of the post-war period occurring on the world political stage. It is unlikely that there was a person in the Soviet Union who had not seen drawings, caricatures, or cartoons made by these talented artists. Their illustrations for "Lefty" are extraordinarily expressive. Evgeny Tikhonovich Migunov (1921-2004) is remembered by many readers for his illustrations for the Strugatsky brothers' novella "Monday Begins on Saturday" and for "Alice in Wonderland" by Kir Bulychov. His graphic drawings are always characterized by a special dynamism. The name of Mstislav Valerianovich Dobuzhinsky (1875-1957) is indissolubly linked with the work of the "World of Art" association. For the novella "The Toupee Artist", he created not only illustrations but also initials.