SOURCE: Introduction to Who Is to Blame?: A Novel in Two Parts, by Alexander Herzen, translated by Michael R. Katz, Cornell University Press, 1984, pp. 15-39.

In the following essay, Katz places his synopsis of the novel Who Is to Blame? between a discussion of its literary precedents and a review of the critical evaluations it has received since its publication.

Intellectual Ferment

During the decade that followed the abortive Decembrist Rebellion of 1825, Russia was a bleak and hostile place. Tsar Nicholas's official policy of repressive measures had resulted in complete political stagnation and produced, particularly among the educated gentry, a feeling of intense isolation and an atmosphere of mutual suspicion. Only a few serious journals were allowed to be published and circulated among a coterie of devoted readers. With most channels for expression virtually closed, the intellectual community was forced inward upon itself. Comradeship and companionship, sought in...