The Little Demon

By Fyodor Sologub

Book Overview

Discover Feodor Sologub's darkly comic masterpiece, "The Little Demon," a cornerstone of 19th-century Russian literature. This meticulously prepared edition presents a timeless exploration of human nature through the lens of biting social satire and profound psychological fiction.

Sologub's work delves into the complexities of the human psyche, revealing the hidden demons that lurk beneath the surface of everyday life. A significant contribution to translated Russian fiction, "The Little Demon" showcases the author's sharp wit and unflinching gaze.

Experience a literary classic that continues to resonate with its insightful commentary on society and the enduring power of the human spirit. This edition invites you to explore a world where the line between reality and illusion blurs, and the consequences of unchecked desires are laid bare. A must-read for enthusiasts of literary fiction and classic Russian storytelling.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1023384647
• ISBN13: 9781023384643
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Anson Street Press
• Length: 270 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Annotated Edition

This edition includes an Introduction and Foreword by the translator, various Forewards by the author, a section containing the textual variants of passages that were removed from the original published editions, and an appendix of 8 critical articles about the book. From the book's back cover: 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 giirls, and a strange mixture of beauty and perversity. The main hero, 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 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. The electricity of the relationship between the androgynous, pubescent Sasha and the lovely Lyudmila, with her exoptic perfumes, caresses and lubricious fantasies, seldom fails to hold the reader's attention. Even in its censored form, it is one of the most provacative and sexually open of Russian books. Sologub removed many pasages (15 percent of the text) which would have been unacceptable at the time of publication. In this edition these censored sections are appended, and are all keyed so that the reader can place them in the novel as it was originally written.

good, but.....

there are two main characters here. perodonov and the village. P is not quite a sympathetic figure. he starts about being pathetic and patronizing. he is led to believe some untrue things which makes his actions bizzare to the village, and therefore tension starts. between ambition and reality and lack of acceptance, p starts losing his sanity. the book is at times really great, but the plot isn't carried out masterly, and some of the things in the book seem to lack relevance in the end.

Intricate maze of selfish motives in a Russian village.

The Petty Demon is a turn of the century symbolistic novel set in a small Russian village. Many self-absorbed characters interact with only their own best interests in mind and attempt to deceive, mislead and cheat each other while the main character 'Peredonov' attempts to secure a school inspector's position for himself. A side plot is the unnatural relationship between Lyudmila (a young woman) and Sasha (a pre-pubescent male whom is often mistaken for a girl dressed as a boy). Lyudmila is obsessed with pagan thoughts about the young boy and pursues him in a slightly sexual manner without becoming a truly sexual relationship. Peredonov begins the novel as slightly disturbed and ends the novel by becoming completely mad and commiting murder in a fit of paranoia-induced rage.