One of the major satirical novels of modern Russia, Saltykov-Schedrin's hilarious chronicle is a harch criticism of Tsarist Russia, strangely pertinent to today. A relatively obscure little gem from the unceasingly superb Apollo Classics line offers an equally amusing portrayal of that most complex of nations more than a century ago ... a joyfully surreal and playful novel, which manages to be insightful and prescient at the same time' The Big Issue.