Nervous People, and Other Satires

Edited, with an introduction, by Hugh McLean. One of the great satirists of the twentieth century. The first truly comprehensive selection of his works. All of these writings newly translated for this volume. (Vintage Russian Library) V-751

Typical targets of Zoshchenko's satire are the Soviet bureaucracy, crowded conditions in communal apartments, marital infidelities and the rapid turnover in marriage partners, and "the petty-bourgeois mode of life, with its adulterous episodes, lying, and similar nonsense." His devices are farcical complications, satiric understatement, humorous anachronisms, and an ironic contrast between high-flown sentiments and the down-to-earth reality of mercenary instincts.