Family of Noblemen

Family of Noblemen by Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin delivers a darkly comic and acerbic portrait of a gentry clan unraveling amid the upheaval of post-emancipation Russia. This satirical fiction follows the Golovliovs—petty, vindictive, and absurdly self-righteous—whose petty cruelties and tangled loyalties expose the moral rot of an ancien régime struggling to adapt. Set in the turbulent years before and after the liberation of the serfs, the novel blends sharp social critique with rich character study. Saltykov-Shchedrin populates his world with unforgettable figures—Arina Petrovna, the iron matriarch; the restless orphans Anninka and Lubinka; the scheming Porfiry Vladimirych; and the peasant Yevpraksia—each nicknamed and sketched with cutting wit. Themes of hypocrisy, gender and class friction, and the slow awakening of the peasantry surface without turning the work into mere propaganda; instead, the narrative balances satire and sympathy to reveal human complexity. Ideal for listeners who enjoy classic Russian satire, dark humor, and character-driven fiction, this audiobook will appeal to fans of social realism and literary comedies that lampoon power, tradition, and moral decline.