This was my first exposure to Nikolai Leskov's work, and I found it quite enjoyable. Leskov was a Russian writer of the 19th century. Although he has never gained much fame in the U.S., in Russia, evidently, his reputation is much greater. At any rate, these are stories about middle class and working class Russian life in the 1800s, told with wry wit and just a touch of fantasy. Extremely enjoyable for anyone who likes the tone and pace of writers like Turgenev and Chekov ( )