Nervous People and Other Satires

Nervous People and Other Satires by Zoshchenko, Mikhail. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780253201928.

Typical targets of Zoshchenko’s satire are the Soviet bureaucracy, crowded conditions in communal apartments, marital infidelities and the rapid turnover in marriage partners, and "the petty-bourgeois mode of life, with its adulterous episodes, lying, and similar nonsense." His devices are farcical complications, satiric understatement, humorous anachronisms, and an ironic contrast between high-flown sentiments and the down-to-earth reality of mercenary instincts. Zoshchenkos sharp and original satire offers a marvelous window on Russian life in the 20s and 30s.