Zul Zulfikar Zulfikar itibaren Bereg, Leningradskaya oblast', Rusya, 188272 itibaren Bereg, Leningradskaya oblast', Rusya, 188272

A painfully humorous read, this story is very much in the tradition of Gogol and Dostoevsky in employing the absurd to undermine and satirize the socio-political trends of the time. It was banned in the Soviet Union upon publication in 1925 and remained so until 1987. It tells the story of Sharik, a dog with an instinct for survival, and of the Professor that sought to use his innovative talent to cultivate something modern out of this dog. The story thus serves as a kind of allegory of the monster that is created when the intelligentsia haphazardly espouse and eventually practice an idea that sounds good in theory, but poses grave practical problems. There are many points of humor which require more knowledge of Russian culture and history of the time, but its most basic level of humor is understandable even to the mildly educated reader. Highly recommended for lovers of satire and Soviet history.