Pelagia and the White Bulldog (with a transcript)

The new edition of the novel «Pelagia and the White Bulldog» with an additional chapter «Transcript».

In it, Boris Akunin tells how the novel was created, what lay at the heart of the plot, and how its characters came to be.

The action takes place in 19th century Russia, in the Zavolzhsk province.

The synodal inspector Bubentsev arrives in the provincial center, the city of Zavolzhsk, from the capital with a mission to investigate manifestations of paganism in the province and to suppress them, converting the apostates to true Orthodoxy. In the course of his investigation, he encounters the Zytyaks — a local people who, although they have embraced Christianity, still retain many pagan beliefs and customs. The locals, including the supreme authorities, the governor and the archbishop-lord, are in no way welcoming to the inspector in his endeavor — they have lived side by side with the Zytyaks for many years, have grown accustomed to their presence, and do not wish to instigate any repressions on religious grounds. However, Bubentsev, being determined to curry favor with the capital's chief prosecutor Konstantin Petrovich Pobedyin, is in no way inclined to back down from his plans.