Before the Sunrise

Mikhail Zoshchenko (1894-1958) is primarily known to readers as a sharp satirist, whose collections of short stories "on topical issues" were hugely successful in the 1920s. However, he also had a dark side, which he fought against throughout his life. The writer desperately sought salvation from depression, neuroses, and melancholy through artistic words and scientific knowledge. In the autobiographical novella "Before the Sunrise," Zoshchenko attempts to trace the roots of his heavy mental state to traumatic episodes of childhood, adolescence, and the horrors experienced during World War I. Through a critical analysis of his own psyche, he seeks to understand why he cannot become truly happy.