Die Klerisei

by N. S. (Nikolai Semenovich) Leskov

"Die Klerisei" by N. S. Leskov is a novel written between 1866-1871. Set in the provincial town of Stargorod, it chronicles the lives of three clergymen: the elderly Propst Saweli Tuberosow, the impulsive Diakon Achilla Desnizyn, and the modest Pfarrer Sacharija Benefaktow. When a state inspector arrives from Petersburg, political intrigue and personal vendettas threaten to destroy the community. The novel explores tensions between clergy and state power in nineteenth-century Russia.