V.F. Odoevskii (1804-69) was one of the most original and versatile writers of his generation. Written in 1839 and published the following year, The Cosmorama reflects the author's deep interest in the mystical and the non-rational. It tells tale of a small boy's involvement with a seemingly harmless child's toy which has fateful consequences for him and for those he encounters.

During the course of the story the narrator, Vladimir, is transformed from a rational man of the world into an incoherent and isolated wreck, fated apparently to live out the rest of his life in tormented despair. The pathway to doom is marked by a series of seemingly fortuitous but interlinked events of an increasingly grotesque, violent character. Not simply a melodramatic tale, this is in fact an unsettling intellectually challenging story giving rise to a range of philosophical, moral and social issues, including questions about the nature of reality, the conflict between social convention and passionate instinct.

This edition contains an introduction, generous notes in English, the text in Russian and a glossary and bibliography.