The Clergy cover

The Clergy

Rating 3.8
Word count
599K words
Chapters
60

Tags

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Die Klerisei by N. S. LeskovAuthor: Leskov, N. S. (Nikolai Semenovich), 1831-1895,Language: German, Class: PG: Language and Literatures: Slavic (including Russian), Languages and Literature, Release Date: Dec 18, 2016

Editor's review

Die Klerisei (meaning "The Clergy") is a novel by the Russian writer Leskov, here in a German translation, released free by Project Gutenberg. Leskov is known for his narrative language and folk idiom; this work centers on the life and spiritual world of the Russian clergy and carries a strong tone of social observation and satire. The German translation preserves the original's long discursive passages and group portraits of characters, offering readers both a literary experience and a window into nineteenth-century Russian religion and social structure. Its value lies in presenting, in literary form, the daily life, contradictions, and predicaments of the clergy, with a distinctive style and lively dialogue. Readers should note the age of the translation and German usage of its time; some long sentences and religious-cultural background may pose difficulties. Suitable as extended thematic reading in Russian literature or as material for translation studies in a comparative literature perspective.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Literature enthusiasts studying nineteenth-century Russian literature and Leskov's works
  • Comparative literature researchers interested in religious fiction and images of the clergy
  • Readers with German reading ability who want to see how Russian literature appears in German translation
  • Readers with a thematic interest in Russian social history and Orthodox culture

Not a good fit for

  • Beginners with weak German who want an easy read
  • General fiction readers impatient with religious themes and long discursive passages
  • Readers who want only a Chinese translation and are unwilling to engage with a foreign-language text

Reading tips

  1. Learn about Leskov's life and creative background before entering the text, to understand what the satire targets.
  2. Organize character relationships chapter by chapter, noting the different positions and fates of the clergy figures.
  3. Compare key passages with the Russian original or a Chinese translation to appreciate the German translator's handling of language.
  4. After reading, consult materials on nineteenth-century Russian religious reform and social history to extend your understanding of the novel's context.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60

FAQ

Can I read this book without knowing German?
This is a German translation, so reading it directly without German is difficult. It is advisable first to find a Chinese translation of Leskov's work to understand the story, then use this book for language or translation comparison; if you only want the content, a Chinese or Russian translation is more suitable.
Is this book Leskov's representative work?
Leskov is known for his short stories and novellas; Die Klerisei is one of his longer works dealing with the clergy. Whether it is the best starting point depends on the reader's interest: if you are interested in religious themes and social group portraits, this book has unique value; if you are new to Leskov, you might start with his shorter narrative works.
What religious background is needed to read it?
A basic understanding is needed of the structure of the nineteenth-century Russian Orthodox Church, the norms of clerical life, and contemporary social discussion of the church. Without this background, the novel's discursive passages and satire can feel remote; it helps to read a concise introduction to Russian religious history first.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov Author · Russian · 1831–1895

Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov (1831–1895) was a Russian writer. Born in Oryol Province, he worked in the courts and in commercial firms before devoting himself to literature from 1861. His major works include Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, The Cathedral Clergy, The Enchanted Wanderer and The Left-Handed Craftsman of Tula and the Steel Flea. Leskov drew on colloquial speech and everyday provincial observations; his narratives often adopt the voice of a storyteller, fusing folk narrative traditions with literary language in a humorous and satirical tone, and frequently deal with provincial life, clergy and ordinary people. The library holds four of his works, including German translations such as Novellen and Der versiegelte Engel, und andere Geschichten. He died in Saint Petersburg in 1895.

More by the same author

Top rated in the same category