Our People Abroad. Where Oranges Ripen

Nikolai Alexandrovich Leykin was once a famous St. Petersburg writer-humorist, journalist, and publisher. His popularity was colossal: the end of the 19th century was called the 'era of Alexander III and writer Leykin' by poet A. Blok. A. P. Chekhov... considered Leykin his 'godfather': from the early 1880s, Leykin published his own magazine — the humorous weekly 'Oskolki', to which he attracted young Anton Chekhov, revealing his talent. The book 'Our People Abroad' is one of the most famous works of Leykin. It is a cheerful narrative about the trip of merchant Nikolai Ivanovich Ivanov and his wife Glafira Semyonovna to France — to the famous World Exhibition in Paris. The book was so liked by readers (it went through 24 editions during the author's lifetime!) that Leykin wrote a sequel — 'Where Oranges Ripen', in which the merchant couple decides to visit the French Riviera and Italy. Leykin's gentle humor towards compatriots who went out to see the world and show themselves is still relevant today.