''A Decayed Family'' (russian: Захуда′лый род, translit=Zakhudaly rod) is an unfinished novel by

Nikolai Leskov Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov (russian: Никола́й Семёнович Леско́в; – ) was a Russian novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and journalist, who also wrote under the pseudonym M. Stebnitsky. Praised for his unique w ...

, subtitled "The Family Chronicles of Princes Protazanov" (Семейная хроника князей Протозановых). Parts one and two of it were first published in the

1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &ndas ...

Nos. 7,8 and 10 of ''

The Russian Messenger The ''Russian Messenger'' or ''Russian Herald'' (russian: Ру́сский ве́стник ''Russkiy Vestnik'', Pre-reform Russian: Русскій Вѣстникъ ''Russkiy Vestnik'') has been the title of three notable magazines published in ...

'' as part of a trilogy which also included ''

Old Years in Plodomasovo '' Old Times in Plodomasovo'' (Ста′рые го′ды в селе′ Плодома′сове) is a novella by Nikolai Leskov which was first published in 1869 and later formed a trilogy, with '' The Cathedral Clergy'' (1872) and '' A Decayed ...

'' (1869) and '' The Cathedral Clergy'' (1872).

History

The publication of the novel has led to Leskov's severing all ties with ''The Russian Messenger''. The main issue was the magazine's editor-in-chief

Mikhail Katkov Mikhail Nikiforovich Katkov (russian: Михаи́л Ники́форович Катко́в; 13 February 1818 – 1 August 1887) was a conservative Russian journalist influential during the reign of tsar Alexander III. He was a proponent of Rus ...

's disagreement with the author's position as regards Russian

dvoryanstvo The Russian nobility (russian: дворянство ''dvoryanstvo'') originated in the 14th century. In 1914 it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members (about 1.1% of the population) in the Russian Empire. Up until the February Revolutio ...

. At the time of the publication Katkov (while praising the novel's artistic qualities) told the members of the magazine's stuff: "We've made a mistake, this is not our man, has nothing to do with us, is departure isnot something to be pitied." Outraged by editorial cuts, Leskov decided against starting upon the third part of the novel, leaving it unfinished. Leskov himself rated ''A Decayed Family'' higher than ''The Cathedral Clergy'' and '' The Sealed Angel'', referring to it as his "most mature work".N. Leskov's letter to A. Suvorin, 2 March 1889. The publication in the magazine of parts 1 and 2 received high praise from

Ivan Aksakov Ivan Sergeyevich Aksakov (russian: Ива́н Серге́евич Акса́ков; , village Nadezhdino, Belebeyevsky Uyezd, Orenburg Governorate – , Moscow) was a Russian littérateur and notable Slavophile. Biography Aksakov was born in ...

and

Nikolay Pirogov Nikolay Ivanovich Pirogov (Russian: Никола́й Ива́нович Пирого́в; — ) was a Russian scientist, medical doctor, pedagogue, public figure, and corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1847), one of the m ...

. In 1875 ''A Decayed Family'' came out as a separate edition. "Here its second part is presented in my own version, not that of Katkov," Leskov wrote in a letter to Ivan Aksakov on March 23, 1875. As ''The Complete Leskov'' started to be published by

Alexey Suvorin Aleksei Sergeyevich Suvorin (Russian: Алексей Сергеевич Суворин, 11 September 1834, Korshevo, Voronezh Governorate – 11 August 1912, Tsarskoye Selo) was a Russian newspaper and book publisher and journalist whose publ ...

's publishing house, ''A Decayed Family'' was included into the Volume 6, which also featured Leskov's most radical anti-clerical essays and stories. On July 16, 1889, Leskov received the news that the whole issue of Volume 6 had been arrested by the police, which led to his first major heart attack. In July 1890 Volume 6 came out in the alternative version, ''A Decayed Family'' included.

References

External links

Захудалый род
by Nikolai Leskov. The original Russian text. {{DEFAULTSORT:Decayed Family, A Novels by Nikolai Leskov 1874 Russian novels Works originally published in The Russian Messenger