The Decembrists of 1825

The narrator recounts the backstory of his arrest in December 1825, his imprisonment in St. Petersburg, and his life as a political criminal. Through his account, the reader gains insights into how individuals demanding social reforms were treated 200 years ago. This could only be done covertly until the uprising. After their conviction, the so-called "Decembrists" proved that they belonged to the kind of people one can look up to. This was especially true for artists and intellectuals, such as the Petrashevtsy around F.M. Dostoevsky or Lev Tolstoy. Their legacy is still considered sacred by the Russians today. The path to their souls leads only through this sanctuary, of which N.I. Lorer is a part.