in the city of N

[Michele A Berdy]

Dear SEELANGers

An internet friend with an engaging blog called LanguageHat posed a question
a few days ago that I'm embarrassed to say I don't know the answer to and in
fact never thought to ask. He asked why Russian authors writing about
provincial cities called them "N" (or S, etc.). Beyond "it's a convention"
and "it gives an air of verisimilitude" - I have no idea. Where did this
convention come from? Has anyone written about this?

 

The second question that followed: can anyone think of pre-revolutionary
Russian fiction about provincial cities (other than St. Petersburg and
Moscow) where the city is identified? 

Many thanks!

Michele Berdy

 


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