On the Edge of the World by Nikolai Leskov

On the Edge of the World Reviews

• 
  Vit Babenco

  There is religion and there is faith, and they are two different things.
  Noble Christian Pharisees do believe in Christ but their Christ is like a picture on a candy wrapper…
  

  The picture in its frame stood on a table, before which the Princess was seated, lost in thought. The surroundings were beautiful: palms, arums, banana-plants, warbling and fluttering birds, and she was lost in thought. About what? She said to me she was seeking Christ…
  This lady – may God accord her health – was the first to unfold to me the secret of how to find Christ; there He could be shown to all who wish Him to come under the palms and banana plants to listen to the singing of canaries? But will He come there?

  
  The narrator, being still comparatively young, is appointed as bishop, to a very distant Siberian diocese. There he finds out that the clergy is dark and illiterate… Baptized natives pretend to believe but their faith is an incredible concoction of shamanism, Buddhism and Christianity… He considers missionary work poor and decides to go with inspection and this journey turns into the greatest ordeal of his life…
  

  He spat in my eyes and then rubbed them with the sleeve of his reindeer coat.
  “What are you about?”
  “Rubbing your eyes, Bachka.”
  “Get along, you fool…”
  “No, wait a moment, Bachka – I’m not a fool. You’ll soon see again.”
  It was quite true, when he rubbed my face with his fur coat sleeve, my frozen eyelashes thawed and my eyelids opened. But on what? What was to be seen? I do not know if it can be even more terrible in hell: all around there was profound impenetrable darkness – and it seemed alive, it trembled and cracked like a monster whose body was a compact mass of frozen dust and whose breath was life-destroying cold. Yes, it was death in one of its most awful shapes, and meeting it face to face, I was terrified.

  
  The indomitable blizzard rages in the snowy wilderness… They are buried alive… They are lost… The deadly cold and harrowing hunger mean the sure death… But the primitive heathen saves him and after this moral lesson the bishop’s attitude to religion changes for good…
  

  “What an enigma is the journey of this pure, exalted soul in such a clumsy body, and in this terrible wilderness? Why is he incarnated here and not in lands more blessed by nature? Why is his understanding so limited that he is unable to have a broader and clearer conception of his Creator?”

  
  Good isn’t brought by religion, good is brought by the kindness of human heart and soul.
• 
  Illiterate

  Leskov develops humane ideas of goodness and faith within a fine portrait of Siberia and snowstorms.
• 
  Trounin

  О подвиге православных миссионеров сложена повесть “На краю света”. Требовалось просвещать дикие народы, забывающие себя в глухих и далёких местах. Потянулись туда мужи, тяжестей не испугавшиеся. Одним из таких был архиепископ Нил, составивший в 1874 году “Путевые записки”. Знал о них и Николай Лесков, что решил отразить в рассказе “Темняк”, представив тяжести проповедования в условиях севера. Немного погодя рассказ принял вид повести, дополнив яркие картины рассуждениями о текущем положении духовенства. Как всегда, проблема современников сводится к пониманию их измельчания. Дабы это в очередной раз продемонстрировать, достаточно ознакомиться с доставшимися на долю архиепископа Нила испытаниями.
  
  
  (c) Trounin
• 
  Dmytro Fedorchak

  Чудова історія про православне місіонерство на півночі і місцевих жителів Якутії і инших північних народів. Гарно протиставляється «офіційне» священство з людьми, які догматично не до кінця розуміють ідеї християнства/православ’я, але з етичної точки зору бувають набагато «кращі» за тих же самих священників-місіонерів.
  Книгу можна розглядати і як критику нещирого місіонерства, так і історію «людяності і етики», яка ширша релігійних догм.
  Чимсь нагадало оповіді Толстого.
• 
  Elise

  Great story about the difference between saying you love Christ and Showing you love Christ no matter the circumstances.
• 
  Anne-Marie

  This book was on the list of recommended reads this past spring in one of my English classes, and because it was pretty difficult to procure in a timely manner by way of interlibrary loan, I didn't get the chance to finally read it until today. Thank goodness for extended loan dates.
  
  On the Edge of the World was fairly easy to read through, expressing ideas which are direct enough yet deeply profound; the translator did an excellent job of preserving the story in the spirit Leskov intended it, speaking to the heart of human dignity and what it truly means to be Christ-like. The book's synopsis does a much better job of summarizing it than I ever could, but what I will say is that Leskov (Russia's version of America's Mark Twain) artfully uses language that is both candid and introspective to make the narrator's journey completely relatable, regardless of a reader's religious persuasion.
  
  Now I saw clearly that honest weakness is more excusable than mindless zeal... This passage found closer to the end of the story may seem to be a common sense type of adage, but bears so much meaning after having read the narrator's previous motivations.
  
  This is one of those works I feel is a must-have for every person who wonders about the human condition and/or is serious about true spirituality. It's been a while since a work has humbled me this much, and has made me believe in the inherent goodness of our fellow human beings. I wholeheartedly recommend this story and will defiinitely be adding this to my personal library. It's an absolutely stunning work.
  
• 
  Emma

  It was a nice retelling of what missionaries were going through to reach very isolated people in Russia to bring them the faith, and the best attitude to have towards them. Even a bishop can learn a few lessons.
  It reminded me of the great story of the Three Simple Men, by Tolstoy, it's really the same spirit.
  It made me think of the amazing job done by Bishop now Saint Innocent of Alaska/Moscow.
• 
  R

  Wow.
• 
  Matthew Cade

  I have to admit, for one of the required readings of the semester, I thoroughly enjoyed this. The way that the author blends the narrative together and paints vivid pictures of the story being told is quite fascinating. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys America's Mark Twain to get a view of Russia's Leskov and find an international equivalent of great writing.