The Steel Flea

The Steel Flea is a piece of Russian comedy for a change. I am more familiar with Russian tragedy, but since this in essence is still a satire or social commentary it is not unlike the other Russian authors that I read. It is a short tale of Russian worker who aims to outdo the…

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Rating: 3 out of 5.

The Steel Flea is a piece of Russian comedy for a change. I am more familiar with Russian tragedy, but since this in essence is still a satire or social commentary it is not unlike the other Russian authors that I read.

It is a short tale of Russian worker who aims to outdo the British and their best invention – a miniature Steel Flea. Clearly a parable for the late 19th century, I found this edition quite nice but not much more than that.

The Steel Flea (Little Black Classics #40) – Nikolay Leskov

5 responses

  1. Bookstooge Avatar
    Bookstooge

    In any of these LBC’s, is it talked about WHY they chose what books they did for the series?

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. urlphantomhive Avatar
      urlphantomhive

      No, unfortunately not. There is no context whatsoever. All information is the one that is provided on the blurb but that is just 2 sentences maximum.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Bookstooge Avatar
        Bookstooge

        Bummer. I think the process of how these were chosen would be a great book to end the series.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. urlphantomhive Avatar
        urlphantomhive

        Yes, I think it would have added a lot. I am now reading some Penguin Classics with introduction and context and that is so much better!

        Here is an example of what is given on a blurb for The Steel Flea:

        “The Steel Flea is an uproarious and alcohol-soaked shaggy-dog story from one of Russia’s great comic masters.”

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Bookstooge Avatar
        Bookstooge

        Ouch….

        Liked by 1 person

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The author

After a day of work, Marjolein likes to wind down with a book or two, or five! Unapologetic reader of at the very least three books at any given time, she apparently is unable to settle on a favorite genre.

She might pause her audiobook just long enough to discuss books online.

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