The Petty Demon: The Russian Symbolist Classic

The Petty Demon is one of the funniest Russian novels. It is also the most decadent of the great Russian classics, replete with naked boys, sinuous girls, and a strange mixture of beauty and perversity. This Symbolist novel, originally published in 1907, offers a vivid portrayal of Russian provincial life through the eyes of the sadistic schoolteacher Peredonov. As Peredonov descends into paranoia and madness, he becomes haunted by a mysterious little demon, Nedotykomka, reflecting the banality and evil of his existence. Recognized as one of the most provocative and sexually open Russian novels, The Petty Demon has left a lasting mark on literature, with Peredonov becoming a symbol of sullen evil and calculating concupiscence. This edition includes censored sections that were originally removed, providing readers with a complete and uncensored experience of Sologub's vision. Peredonov is as comical as he is disgusting. He is at once a victim, a monster, a silly hypocrite, and a sadistic dullard. The plot moves from Peredonov’s petty quest for a promotion to arson and murder via one of the most incredible and uproarious scandal scenes in world literature, the masquerade ball, which the boy Sasha attends as a beautiful geisha. Read more