City Folk and Country Folk by Sofia Khvoshchinskaya Translated by Nora Seligman Favorov

 The most sunniest, funniest book I have read this year! City Folk and Country Folk

by Sofia Khvoshchinskaya Translated by Nora Seligman Favorov excellently well, is a book that you must absolutely read!!! because it will bring you a lot of laughs, smiles, thanks to these incredibly funny protagonists. Written in 1861, it is perfect, to my point of view, if not yet done before, for an adaptation in different mediums, theather the best one.

Nastasya Ivanovna is a noblewoman of the countryside. She lives in Snetki, she is 55 years, widow, with a girl, Olenka of 17 and an aunt, her guest from several time from Moscow, Anna Ilinishna, never married, close to her 50s, fixated with religious icons of the most diversified saints, praying all the time and seeing devil in every person she meets. She is snob and she has strong opinions of every person and situation. Although these weird behaviors of Anna, the three of them stay well together. But a hurricane arrives in their existence and everything will change. 

A man of the city, Ovcharov, one day is walking along that territory. Nastasya is a lady absolutey opened and cordial and when she spots him, thinking also at her daughter of 17 years, why not invite this gentleman that she is remembering very well and with positivity, for a tea?

Ovcharov was an habituée of this family, and he is pleased to see Nastasya again, accepting with joy the invite, asking news of the other people who lived in the area. Nastasya is thrilled of telling, although the idea of a potential love- story of her daughter with this man of 40 years so unhealthy and physically destroyed is excluded. Some women, she thinks, are in love for this kind of emaciated man, but this one is not the case of Olenka.

Imagine now that in the middle of an innocent conversation like this one is, this man, Ovcharov asks of staying in the property of Nastasya, in the bathhouse, all summer, because he wants to recuperate some health, specifying what he needs and asking how much he must pays to her.

Nastasya, although a bit embarassed at first by this request, is also joyous, because she remembers this man: she wouldn't want any money but she is forced to accept it. 

After all these two ladies are happy; there is someone else, a discreet presence in their territory; but the worst must yet to come with the arrival in the room of Anna Ilinishna. Anna doesn't see with favor the presence of a man in their propriety. He is like a devil, she specifies Anna. "You are a widow, you daughter is just 17 years." 

The character of Olenka is wonderfully ingenuous and genuine. She tells everything she has in her mind and remembers to her mother that, after all, in a city, with a situation like this one no one would have complained. So, why starting in a countryside?

At first, all the people will stay at their place: Ovcharov, pretty snob, will avoid the presence of the ladies and the ladies, although living this situation conflictually (oh: they had of course servants putting them all in connection for food and other necessities) will decide that maybe it's better to stay isolated for avoid any kind of talk.

One day it happened that Olenka spots Ovcharov while he is walking, and Ovcharov starts a long conversation with her. Ovcharov is shocked and irritated by the frank and sometimes not appropriate conversation of Olenka, in grade of revealing what it is going on in their house. There is a big conflict between Nastasya and Anna. This last one doesn't want to eat anymore with them because of him!

Ovcharov will continue to see Olenka. He tried to give her something to read, thinking that the girl doesn't have a lot of culture; one day he will write a piece about women and their conditions who will share with her; Olenka will read this piece to Anna and Nastasya; Anna continues to remark how that man is just laughing at them all.

Anna always more irritated will continue to stay close in her room. Nastasya, a sunny character for sure, will try with the local priest. The local priest, happy to be there, will tell to Nastasya that yes, he will try, but that, to his point of view there is nothing to do with Anna, because she has the habit of speaking with a different kind of clergy, the one of the city, more important, more influential. He won't listen to him. Better it would be calling an eminent man of Church.

It is true. Anna won't listen to the priest.

Oh, the priest knew it, and it didn't live it as a tragedy at all; all the contrary; entertained by that grumpy single woman. 

At the same time Olenka receives the news that there is maybe an available boy for her; she should settle down.

Katerina Petrovna will be the connection with this boy; but maybe there is something unclear between Petrovna and that boy; the lover of the same Petrovna?

Olenka is so brought at the house of Petrovna by Ovcharov and then she will remain there, silent, for once, without expressing any negativity at the idea of marrying Simon for four days.

Then, once returned home, the ladies, mother and daughter, both exasperated for various reasons, with Petrovna, Ovcharov and Anna, that ungrateful aunt, will take several decisions.

What they will proceed to do is just to set themselves free from these intruders, who had put a lot of bad mood in their existence. 

Unique, sunny, funny, light, you'll spend wonderful, wonderful moments reading this book for sure!

For everyone!

Highly recommeneded.

I thank Columbia University Press for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori