Steel Flea by Nikolai Leskov is a satirical and humorous novella that follows the misadventures of a young engineer who becomes infatuated with a magical flea that can perform incredible feats. The story is set in the Russian countryside and offers a glimpse into the absurdities and contradictions of 19th-century Russian society.
Leskov's prose is witty and engaging, and he expertly weaves together elements of folklore, technology, and social commentary. The characters are vividly drawn, from the ambitious engineer Yakov to the eccentric inventor Tyapa, and the interactions between them are both hilarious and thought-provoking.
The central theme of the story seems to be the tension between ambition and reality, as Yakov's obsession with the flea leads him down a path of increasingly absurd and dangerous experiments. Through Yakov's experiences, Leskov explores the pitfalls of blind ambition and the consequences of prioritizing personal glory over more meaningful pursuits.
Overall, Steel Flea is a charming and insightful novella that offers a unique perspective on the human condition. Leskov's blend of humor, satire, and social critique makes this book a delightful and thought-provoking read for fans of Russian literature and satire.
Book Description:
An 1881 comic story by Nikolai Leskov, presented in the form of a traditional skaz or folk-tale, but entirely of Leskov's invention. It tells the story of a left-handed Russian artisan required to impress Tsar Nikolas I with his craftsmanship by outdoing some famous Englishmen who have created a tiny mechanical flea. The Russian smith barricades himself with two skilled colleagues in his workshop until finally forced to come out and reveal the brilliant result of his labor. Far more famous in Russia than in the West, the story of The Steel Flea reveals much about nineteenth-century Russian attitudes toward the West and toward their own country, but is difficult to categorize. Either a celebration of Russian ingenuity or a critique of Russian autocracy, The Steel Flea has established itself as a classic worthy of any of the great Russian authors. [It should be noted that many of the most comical lines in the story are funny only in the original Russian, depending as they do on ridiculous malapropisms or ignorant combinations of words almost impossible to translate. Ms. Hapgood, for example, has had to do the best she could, rendering the mistaken word for "international" as "internecine," for "infusoria" as "nymfozoria," for "Pyramids" as "Keramids," for "stench" as "spiral," and so on.]
