Written at the beginning of the 19th century, this novel by Vasily Narezhny is a vivid example of Russian satirical prose. The work recounts the adventures and misfortunes of Prince Gavrila Simonovich Chistyakov, who travels throughout Russia and encounters various social strata, revealing the manners and vices of his time. The title refers to the famous French novel about Gil Blas, but with a distinctly Russian national flavor. The author uses humor and irony to depict the social contradictions, daily life, and characters of Russian people from different estates. This novel stands as one of the first realistic works in Russian literature, anticipating the development of critical realism in domestic prose.