Petersburg — Andrei Bely

Set in Saint Petersburg during the Revolution of 1905, this classic of Russian literature draws comparisons to James Joyce's Ulysses for its display of symbolism and humor
 
After enlisting in a revolutionary terrorist organization, the university student Nikolai Apollonovich Ableukhov is entrusted with a highly dangerous mission: to plant a bomb and assassinate a major government figure.

But the real central character of Petersburg is the Russian capital itself -- caught in the grip of political agitation and social unrest at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Intertwining the worlds of history and myth, and parading a cast of unforgettable characters, Petersburg is a story of apocalypse and redemption played out through family dysfunction, conspiracy, and murder.
 
“The most important, most influential, and most perfectly realized Russian novel written in the 20th century.” -- The New York Times Book Review