Why was Nikolai Leskov called the ‘most Russian writer’?

Nikolai Leskov is not only one of the most original Russian writers, but also one of the most underrated. Yet, his contribution to the history of Russian literature is more conveniently compared to that of Ivan Turgenev. The latter "revealed" the peasantry to the Russian reader. Without his ‘A Hunter's Sketches’, which contains a whole host of peasant types, the educated Russian public would have long wondered who they were dealing with. Leskov did the same with the clergy. Priests, deacons and nuns are his heroes. But, he treated them differently: some with sympathy, others the opposite. This intense gaze into these lives was no accident. Leskov came from what was then known as the "bell nobility": his grandfather, great-grandfather and all the men on his father's side were priests.

His father was the first to break with tradition: he graduated from seminary, but refused to become a priest, greatly angering his father. Instead, he entered the Oryol Criminal Chamber, where he rose to the rank that entitled him to hereditary nobility.

Education

The future writer's education fared even worse: in five years at the Oryol gymnasium, Leskov only completed three grades. In 1847, at the age of 16, he entered the Oryol Chamber of the Criminal Court – the same place where his father had once served. Realizing that her son was doing something wrong, his mother wrote to her brother, who lived in Kiev. Soon, the young man was sent under his uncle's supervision to serve in the Treasury and attend university as an auditor.

But, his true schooling came from his other uncle, the Russified Briton Alexander Yakovlevich (Dzhemsovich) Scott. In 1857, Leskov quit his job and joined his uncle's company, Scott & Wilkens, a commercial enterprise engaged in brokerage. For Leskov, this service turned into years of wandering across Russia. He traveled half the country, studying horse breeding, the ways of life in various provinces, as well as various languages and dialects. He interacted with pilgrims, Old Believers and sectarians. Russia revealed itself to him in its diversity of faiths and destinies. This experience would prove invaluable for the future writer.

Journalism

"These were the best years of my life, when I saw much and lived easily," he recalled. His letters to Scott from his travels were so captivating that the Englishman would read them aloud, predicting a literary future for the author. The prophecy came true: when the firm went bankrupt, Leskov, unable to find a position with another private company, went into journalism. His first ‘Essays on the Distilling Industry’ were written in Penza in 1859.

Two years later, in St. Petersburg, he wrote extensively for various publications. His start was brilliant, but in 1862, disaster struck. In an essay on the St. Petersburg fires, he repeated the rumor that students were the arsonists. He criticized the authorities for their poor extinguishing efforts. Everyone was offended: liberals and authorities alike. This unwelcome attitude was exacerbated by his novel ‘No Way Out’, in which he ridiculed his fellow writers. Everyone turned their backs on Leskov.

Literature

It’s known that he adored antique curiosities and had a particular passion for antique chiming clocks. His prose is like a collection of rarities, an antique store, a cabinet of curiosities, where an English chronometer lies next to an icon. His narrative style is not an imitation of folk speech, but an artistic refraction of it. Leskov's narrator is a character, like ‘Levsha’ (‘Lefty’) from his fairy tale of the same name: an obsessive artisan, a sullen saint, a life-beaten wanderer.

In 1887, Leskov met Leo Tolstoy. This acquaintance developed into a spiritual kinship. The writer became a vegetarian – not out of fashion, but from a deep inner conviction. Leskov was the first to publicly call for the publication of a vegetarian cookbook in Russian in 1892. It was published two years later. He also created the first vegetarian character in Russian literature (in the story ‘Figure’).

In 1895, Leskov passed away. He left behind prose that, even today, defies simple reading. His books are populated by saints and sinners, eccentrics and martyrs, all speaking a language that never existed. Andrey Leskov, the writer's son, wrote ‘The Life of Nikolai Leskov’, a detailed biography of his father. And his great-granddaughter, Tatyana Leskova (born 1922), is a legend of Brazilian ballet. At age 99 (!), she was awarded the Brazilian Presidential Medal for her contribution to the development of dance.