Customer Reviews

The Collected Stories (Everyman's Library)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

English Literature has its Shakespeare, American its Melville, German its Goethe, and Russian Literature, well, it has Alexander Pushkin. Although there are a lot of well-known and frequently-read writers from the 19th century Russia, like Gogol, Tolstoi or Dostoyevski, Pushkin is supposed to be the one who started the movement which made Russian Literature part of World Literature.

Pushkin is known as a poet (his novel "Eugen Onegin", written in verses, is the crown of his art), not as a dramatist or a novelist. As a citizen of the former Soviet Union, I know from my own experience that school children have to learn his poetry by heart from the very beginning of their school career. Even if his prose couldn't reach the importance of his poetry, it could still establish some reputation because of its uniqueness. This collection unites his greatest works in prose. Since the stories vary in kind and quality, I decided to write a short comment on some of them hoping that the review will be more helpful this way.

DUBROVSKII (5 STARS): This is a story about a young man desperate to take revenge on the man who killed his father. As a wanted criminal, Dubrovskii assumes the identity of a French teacher at his enemy's and lures for the possibility to hold his word and to kill the man he hates the most. Making his plans, he didn't expect to fall in love with the daughter of his victim. Since their love is mutual, he must decide what is more important for him, his love or his revenge... This story is the most famous of Pushkin's works. It takes place in Russia of the 18th century with its problems and victories. "Dubrovskii" portrays the struggle of different classes, of the new society influenced by the Western world and the old Russian rule that doesn't accept any changes without a battle.

THE QUEEN OF SPADES (2 STARS): This is probably the only story in this collection I didn't like at all. It presents us a young officer seeking the gambling trick of an old lady that would make him rich overnight. It's no surprise that he fails and loses everything including his mind. The story is quite predictable and offers moral views that rather belong into a children's book than a work of fiction for adults.

THE CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER (4 STARS): This is Pushkin's only story that reaches the length of a novel. Its background is Pugachev's revolt that took place in the late 18th century. The main character is the somewhat naive young man falling in love with the daughter of his commanding officer who gets killed during the revolt. He struggles to save her from the bandits and almost loses his life doing it. The story shows us Pushkin's turn towards Romantic period in literature and his ways of looking at the past of his country. "The Captain's Daughter" can be easily called a historical novel containing some critisicm of society. The negative point about it was the feeling that the plot is somehow constructed, artificial beyond artistic liberties. The parallels to "Dubrovskii" are obvious though they don't minimize the pleasure of reading.

This volume presents us Pushkin's prose (there are more stories than commented on above). As told before, some of it is excellent, some isn't. Nevertheless I rate this book with 5 stars because it unites works by Alexander Pushkin that MUST be read by someone who is interested in him.

This book contains the major prose works of Aleksandr Pushkin, which include "The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin", "Dubrovskii", "The Queen of Spades", "The Captain's Daughter", and "A History of Pugachev". Also included in the book are many unfinished stories and fragments, which provide some glimpse into what Pushkin was thinking in between the years that he wrote his masterpieces.

Pushkin's stories range from melancholy to humorous to psychological and yet they are all written in a clear, and crisp style that is easy to grasp. Unlike Pushkin's poetry, little is lost in the translation of his prose works from Russian to English and thus we can fully appreciate his genius.

Although all of Pushkin's prose works are excellent, but one that continues to remain in my memory for some reason is "Egyptian Nights". Here the two main characters are Charskii, the nobleman who upholds the aesthetic and personal nature of poetry writing, and the greedy Italian improvisator, who lives by giving public shows and is able to deliver a poem (and quite astonishing at that) on any topic at a moment's notice - but for a fee. Is it possible that Charskii and the Italian both represent different facets of Pushkin's own personality? Anyway, I thought the story ending was erotic and exotic...

Even if you are not interested in Russian literature or in Russian culture in general, I would daresay that you would find it hard to put this collection of stories down after you started reading them.

The only problem that I had was with the publisher. I wish that they had provided a bookcover, because the paint on the outside of the hardcover kept coming off onto my hands!

This volume brings together pretty much all of Pushkin's notable prose writings, with the exception of his narrative about the Journey to Arzum during the Turkish campaign in the late 1820s. Highlights of the collection include The Queen of Spades, a fascinating psychological look at a young man's efforts to extract a gambling secret from an 87-year old woman; The Tales of Belkin, Pushkin's first completed prose tales, each of which, in addition to being an interesting story with well- and concisely-developed characters, mildly sends up contemporary literary conventions; The Captain's Daughter, Pushkin's only novel-length prose work, a historical romance set during the Pugachev rebellion; Dubrovskii, an exciting unfinished story about a man who becomes a brigand after his family is driven off his estate by a wealthy neighbor; The Blackamoor of Peter the Great, an unfinished work about Pushkin's great-grandfather, an Abyssinian who became a confidante of Peter I; and the History of Pugachev, a nonfiction work about the famous rebellion against Catherine the Great.

Pushkin's prose was certainly heavily influenced by the literary world in which he lived--especially in Dubrovskii and The Captain's Daughter we constantly see the influence of the then-very-popular Lord Byron and Walter Scott. However, Pushkin seems to be aware of both the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary literary fashion, and the fact that he doesn't take it too seriously and strikes out on his own fairly often is surely a big part of the reason he has proven to be vastly more enduring than the likes of Scott. His characters, though predictably drawn almost exclusively from the landed gentry, are very well-developed considering the brevity of his works (the longest, The Captain's Daughter, is only about 120 pages). Some of his works, especially The Captain's Daughter and the History of Pugachev, unfortunately do bear clear marks of censorship at the hands of the archconservative Tsar Nicholas I, but this didn't prevent Pushkin from producing interesting narratives.

Pushkin is generally better-known for his poetry than his prose; however, as one would expect, his poetry is extremely difficult to translate. Although much effort has been spent on translating his poetry and some very good translations have resulted, these inevitably will heavily reflect the art of the translator and at least somewhat obscure the art of Pushkin himself. This problem is largely avoided with prose, a field in which Pushkin undeniably also excelled. As such, this volume, with its almost-exhaustive collection of Pushkin's great prose works and a very strong introduction, is an excellent choice for English-speaking readers interested in this great writer.

Readers seeking an entrée into Russian literature are prime candidates for this prose collection. Pushkin's stories are well-paced--not a word is wasted--and those who look beneath the surface of the writer's refreshingly lucid, taut and unembellished style will find a world that bristles with energy and life.

Among my favorite short stories in this collection are "The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin," "The Captain's Daughter" and "The Queen of Spades." The epistolatory introduction to "Tales of Belkin" consists of a wry letter from the publisher, which kicks off a hilarious and sweeping commentary on Russian society. Filled with such characters as an arrogant fop, a wistful maiden and a heartbroken father, these poetic stories are beautifully crafted by a bon vivant writer who, without a doubt, appreciates the art of entertainment. The only selection I don't care for is "The Undertaker," as it strikes me as silly, but the rest of Belkin's tales are page-turners. "The Captain's Daughter" is a heartwarming and often amusing tale of love, persistence and respect, as well as a not-so-oblique commentary on Tsarist aggression: the subject nearly landed young Pushkin in scalding-hot water. Incidentally, the protagonist Petr Andreich, who remains callow and a victim of circumstance throughout much of the story, reminds me of Pip from Dickens's Great Expectations (Penguin Classics). Finally, "Queen of Spades" is a poignantly dark and cynical exploration of greed and treachery.

The images this artist pours into his short stories, as well as the plethora of superb scenes and the economy of writing he employs, are reminiscent of modern screenwriting, and I suspect even harried readers accustomed to a steady diet of film and television will find themselves welcome here. To wit, several stories strike me as prime candidates for a short film; I'd especially like to see an adaptation of "The Shot," one of the five "Tales of Belkin." Too bad this Everyman's Library edition isn't available in paperback, although it's probably small and light enough to fit into a travel bag.

Regardless, it's a fine read.

My Titles
Shadow Fields
Snooker Glen

would put Pushkin in category with Turgenov and Chekov for a good read with a hot cup of tea in front of a roaring fire. Everyman's Library edition offers a decent look at historical Russian window through stories.

The classy look of the hardback cover is just perfect for the treasures inside the book. Thanks!

If you want to sincerely have a happy, fulfilling marriage to a Russian lady then you better not be complacent either.  Study the Pimsleur language lessons, read all the books you can, study Russian history and culture, read their literature.  The works of Pushkin alone are rewarding for any scholar with or without the motive of a beautiful Russian bride!