Russia in 1839+s/o

The book of Marquis Astolf de Custine “Russia in 1839” is one of those works that even those who never read them heard something about. Since this book was published in Paris in May 1843, it is accompanied by scandalous glory. Forbidden by Russian censorship soon upon exit, the book of Kustin until 1996 has never been completely translated into Russian. Meanwhile, the French Marquis guessed many invariable features of Russian life. Sometimes his comments are offensive, sometimes, on the contrary, flattering. More precisely, the conclusion made by one of the first Russian readers of Kustin, the Moscow post-director A. Ya. Bulgakov, is indicated about this: “And the devil knows what his true conclusion is, then we are the first nation in the world, then we are the most vile!” Modern readers have the opportunity to make sure that Custine is smart and insightful, albeit a biased observer, and most importantly - a magnificent stylist, a master of honed aphorism. In this publication, a full translation of 1996 is published with some corrections, comments are substantially processed and supplemented