Nikolai the First 1827th Decree in N. S. Leskov’s Vision (The Story ‘Ovtsebyk’)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present distressing consequences of Nikolai the First decree (1827) about compulsory military service for Jewish boys of 12 years old. It focuses on the painful reaction of the main character (‘righteous man’) of Leskov’s story who sees the depressive scene of grope recruit children who were drown down the town from their native places to Siberia. This picture was one of the causes of his suicide. Refs 16.