M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin

This article offers a new view of the storyline and dramatic conflict in Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin’s dramatic satire Shadows. According to the author’s hypothesis, the driving force of the plot is an off-stage character Schalimov whom literary critics have often considered as an ‘ideal’, quixotic character. In the article Schalimov is analyzed from the point of view of political intrigues in which the characters of the play are involved. The author of the article also offers his idea of the reasons behind Saltykov-Shchedrin’s sudden loss of interest to this play.

The paper presents materials of the project on publishing the encyclopedia M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin and his contemporaries. Among the project goals is the representation of the writer’s various connections with his contemporaries, particularly not only with those whom he knew personally, but with those who existed in his creative consciousness irrespective of any personal acquaintance and who responded to his works. This approach allows a more objective understanding of the writer’s texts.