What do you think?
Rate this book
The Captain's Daughter: And Other Stories
Famous for his enormously influential poetry and plays, Alexander Pushkin is also beloved for his short stories. This collection showcases his tremendous range, which enabled him to portray the Russian people through romance, drama, and satire. The sparkling humor of the five “Tales of Belkin” contrasts with a dark fable of gambling and obsessive greed in “The Queen of Spades” and the masterful historical novella, “The Captain’s Daughter,” a story of love and betrayal set during a rebellion in the time of Catherine the Great.
Translated by Natalie Duddington and T. Keane
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Translated by Natalie Duddington and T. Keane
From the Trade Paperback edition.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1834
119 people are currently reading
1951 people want to read
About the author
Alexander Pushkin
3,081 books3,467 followersWorks of Russian writer Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin include the verse novel
Eugene Onegin
(1831), the play
Boris Godunov
(1831), and many narrative and lyrical poems and short stories.
See also:
Russian: Александр Сергеевич Пушкин
French: Alexandre Pouchkine
Norwegian: Aleksander Pusjkin
Spanish:Aleksandr Pushkin
People consider this author the greatest poet and the founder of modern literature. Pushkin pioneered the use of vernacular speech in his poems, creating a style of storytelling—mixing drama, romance, and satire—associated ever with greatly influential later literature.
Pushkin published his first poem at the age of 15 years in 1814, and the literary establishment widely recognized him before the time of his graduation from the imperial lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo. Social reform gradually committed Pushkin, who emerged as a spokesman for literary radicals and in the early 1820s clashed with the government, which sent him into exile in southern Russia. Under the strict surveillance of government censors and unable to travel or publish at will, he wrote his most famous drama but ably published it not until years later. People published his verse serially from 1825 to 1832.
Pushkin and his wife Natalya Goncharova, whom he married in 1831, later became regulars of court society. In 1837, while falling into ever greater debt amidst rumors that his wife started conducting a scandalous affair, Pushkin challenged her alleged lover, Georges d'Anthès, to a duel. Pushkin was mortally wounded and died two days later.
Because of his liberal political views and influence on generations of Russian rebels, Pushkin was portrayed by Bolsheviks as an opponent to bourgeois literature and culture and a predecessor of Soviet literature and poetry. Tsarskoe Selo was renamed after him.
See also:
Russian: Александр Сергеевич Пушкин
French: Alexandre Pouchkine
Norwegian: Aleksander Pusjkin
Spanish:Aleksandr Pushkin
People consider this author the greatest poet and the founder of modern literature. Pushkin pioneered the use of vernacular speech in his poems, creating a style of storytelling—mixing drama, romance, and satire—associated ever with greatly influential later literature.
Pushkin published his first poem at the age of 15 years in 1814, and the literary establishment widely recognized him before the time of his graduation from the imperial lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo. Social reform gradually committed Pushkin, who emerged as a spokesman for literary radicals and in the early 1820s clashed with the government, which sent him into exile in southern Russia. Under the strict surveillance of government censors and unable to travel or publish at will, he wrote his most famous drama but ably published it not until years later. People published his verse serially from 1825 to 1832.
Pushkin and his wife Natalya Goncharova, whom he married in 1831, later became regulars of court society. In 1837, while falling into ever greater debt amidst rumors that his wife started conducting a scandalous affair, Pushkin challenged her alleged lover, Georges d'Anthès, to a duel. Pushkin was mortally wounded and died two days later.
Because of his liberal political views and influence on generations of Russian rebels, Pushkin was portrayed by Bolsheviks as an opponent to bourgeois literature and culture and a predecessor of Soviet literature and poetry. Tsarskoe Selo was renamed after him.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
December 5, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
من این کتاب رو با ترجمهی "حسین نوروزی" از نشر جامی خوندم که شامل داستانهای دختر سروان، بوران، تابوتساز و متصدی چاپارخانه بود.
از ترجمه راضی بودم و اولین مواجهم با آثار پوشکین بود. انگار دارم خلاف رودخونه شنا میکنم =)
من این کتاب رو با ترجمهی "حسین نوروزی" از نشر جامی خوندم که شامل داستانهای دختر سروان، بوران، تابوتساز و متصدی چاپارخانه بود.
از ترجمه راضی بودم و اولین مواجهم با آثار پوشکین بود. انگار دارم خلاف رودخونه شنا میکنم =)
May 18, 2024
Fun, fast paced, action packed melodrama.
February 13, 2019
Un volume che raccoglie insieme Le novelle del compianto I.P.Belkin ovvero sei brevi racconti che ci presentano la vita nei villaggi russi, tutto avvolto in un mix di guerra, onore, rispetto, vendetta, superstizione e molto altro; la Storia del villaggio di Gorjuchino è una sorta di documentario; La donna di picche è un racconto breve dove il gioco d'azzardo fa da sfondo alla vita dei protagonisti; infine La figlia del capitano, l'unico romanzo del volume è un vero e proprio romanzo storico in cui la Russia zarina fa da sfondo a mille battaglie, un romanzo in cui l'amore nonostante tutto trionfa sempre.
Ciò che mi ha colpito di Puskin, di cui assoltamente nulla avevo letto, è stato lo stile veramente semplice e scorrevole; a parte i nomi dei protagonisti, impossibili da ricordare, il testo scorre meravigliosamente, a volte interrotto da dialoghi, immagino, in dialetto russo che sono rappresentati molto bene e che fanno sorridere; il tutto è sfumato da una sottile ma sempre presente vena ironica che non fa mai male.
Ciò che mi ha colpito di Puskin, di cui assoltamente nulla avevo letto, è stato lo stile veramente semplice e scorrevole; a parte i nomi dei protagonisti, impossibili da ricordare, il testo scorre meravigliosamente, a volte interrotto da dialoghi, immagino, in dialetto russo che sono rappresentati molto bene e che fanno sorridere; il tutto è sfumato da una sottile ma sempre presente vena ironica che non fa mai male.
January 12, 2020
Fantastične priče i fantastični Puškin. Jedanaest predivnih priča. Svaka je posebna na svoj način. Preporuka od 🧡🇷🇺
August 22, 2021
The Captain's Daughter and Other Stories by Alexander Pushkin, translated from the Russian by Natalie Duddington, is an engaging novella situated in eighteenth century Russia. The first-person narrator, Pyotr Andreyich Grinev finds himself embroiled in the historical rebellion of peasants and Cossacks against the government of Catherine II. The rebellion, led by Pugachov, was ultimately crushed, and Pugachov was executed.
The narrator begins his journey as a compassionate but naïve young man. As he sets off on his new career in the army, he has a chance encounter with a man freezing in a blizzard. He generously gives him a warm coat, an act that reaps benefits when he encounters the same man during the turmoil of the peasant’s rebellion and its ensuing bloodbath. Meanwhile, the narrator has fallen in love with the captain’s daughter and sets off on a hazardous mission to rescue her from the clutches of his rival. The novella has all the makings of a Sir Walter Scott historical romance but in a condensed and tighter structure.
One of the appeals of the novel lies in the relationship between the characters. Pugachov, the ostensible villain in the piece who leads the rebellion, is portrayed sympathetically despite his gruff mannerisms. He repays Pyotr Andreyich for his generosity by sparing his life and assisting him in rescuing his beloved. But the most delightful relationship is between the narrator and his servant, Savelyich. Their humorous bantering back and forth echoes the chatter of another famous duo, Don Quixote and his trusty servant, Sancho Panza. Savelyich is fiercely protective of his master, proffering practical advice and guidance. His down-to-earth wisdom serves Pyotr Andreyich well if he chooses to listen.
A romantic historical novella which includes the hero’s coming of age, blizzards, duels, a villain in military uniform, a sympathetic rebel leader, the heroic rescue of a damsel in distress, and an encounter with Catherine the Great set against the backdrop of a Russian rebellion. In the hands of Alexander Pushkin, the narrative exudes warmth and makes for a quick, delightful, and swashbuckling read.
Highly recommended, especially for those who enjoy Russian novels.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
The narrator begins his journey as a compassionate but naïve young man. As he sets off on his new career in the army, he has a chance encounter with a man freezing in a blizzard. He generously gives him a warm coat, an act that reaps benefits when he encounters the same man during the turmoil of the peasant’s rebellion and its ensuing bloodbath. Meanwhile, the narrator has fallen in love with the captain’s daughter and sets off on a hazardous mission to rescue her from the clutches of his rival. The novella has all the makings of a Sir Walter Scott historical romance but in a condensed and tighter structure.
One of the appeals of the novel lies in the relationship between the characters. Pugachov, the ostensible villain in the piece who leads the rebellion, is portrayed sympathetically despite his gruff mannerisms. He repays Pyotr Andreyich for his generosity by sparing his life and assisting him in rescuing his beloved. But the most delightful relationship is between the narrator and his servant, Savelyich. Their humorous bantering back and forth echoes the chatter of another famous duo, Don Quixote and his trusty servant, Sancho Panza. Savelyich is fiercely protective of his master, proffering practical advice and guidance. His down-to-earth wisdom serves Pyotr Andreyich well if he chooses to listen.
A romantic historical novella which includes the hero’s coming of age, blizzards, duels, a villain in military uniform, a sympathetic rebel leader, the heroic rescue of a damsel in distress, and an encounter with Catherine the Great set against the backdrop of a Russian rebellion. In the hands of Alexander Pushkin, the narrative exudes warmth and makes for a quick, delightful, and swashbuckling read.
Highly recommended, especially for those who enjoy Russian novels.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
October 28, 2012
I already read these stories in The Complete Prose Tales of Alexandr Sergeyevitch Pushkin, but wanted to reread Pushkin's prose in a more recent translation. This volume includes Duddington and Keane translations which are somewhat less formal in diction and easier to read.
"The Captain's Daughter" is a little heavily theatrical, which is understandable when you know Pushkin and the bildungsroman style. Its strength lies in its historic and journalistic merit. Like Tolstoy's account of The War of 1812 in War and Peace, Pushkin covers the Pugachev Rebellion admirably well.
The five stories "of Belkin" are interesting and quaint but not very well-developed or unique. One thing I did enjoy about them was the narrator's setup introduction by witnesses and letters. Later writers would learn to follow this type of indirect narration to protect themselves from the censors. "Kirdjali" is a related bit of folklore on par with the book of Judges in the Bible, but was too brief to pull in the reader.
"The Queen of Spades", as I felt on my first reading, is my favorite of Pushkin's prose. The characters of Hermann and the old Countess are believable and unique, and pitched against one another perfectly. It employs the theme of mysticism using both gambling and ghosts, without much need for exposition.
Finally, the unfinished "The Negro of Peter the Great" (my elder copy had translated the title "The Moor…" which is perhaps more diplomatic, but evokes Shakespeare's Othello) contains a strong plot, and it's a shame it doesn't continue after its 41 pages. I have some doubts about the gilded czar that Pushkin makes of Peter. However, the early days of Petersburg make for a fascinating setting, and the contrasting Paris vs. Petersburg culture clashes set this story on an epic scale.
"The Captain's Daughter" is a little heavily theatrical, which is understandable when you know Pushkin and the bildungsroman style. Its strength lies in its historic and journalistic merit. Like Tolstoy's account of The War of 1812 in War and Peace, Pushkin covers the Pugachev Rebellion admirably well.
The five stories "of Belkin" are interesting and quaint but not very well-developed or unique. One thing I did enjoy about them was the narrator's setup introduction by witnesses and letters. Later writers would learn to follow this type of indirect narration to protect themselves from the censors. "Kirdjali" is a related bit of folklore on par with the book of Judges in the Bible, but was too brief to pull in the reader.
"The Queen of Spades", as I felt on my first reading, is my favorite of Pushkin's prose. The characters of Hermann and the old Countess are believable and unique, and pitched against one another perfectly. It employs the theme of mysticism using both gambling and ghosts, without much need for exposition.
Finally, the unfinished "The Negro of Peter the Great" (my elder copy had translated the title "The Moor…" which is perhaps more diplomatic, but evokes Shakespeare's Othello) contains a strong plot, and it's a shame it doesn't continue after its 41 pages. I have some doubts about the gilded czar that Pushkin makes of Peter. However, the early days of Petersburg make for a fascinating setting, and the contrasting Paris vs. Petersburg culture clashes set this story on an epic scale.
September 9, 2020
3.5 stars
There’s a little sense of dissonance when I read a classic and my response is “huh, okay.” This is especially true when I read the classic in translation; in this case, the translation is very smooth, contemporary, and easy to read, which causes its own form of dissonance. These now feel like contemporary stories rather than something written in the early 19th century, and compared to contemporary stories they don’t particularly stand out to me, but then I neither read them in their original language nor am familiar with the history of Russian literature so as to appreciate the ways in which Pushkin was blazing a new trail.
The stories:
“The Captain’s Daughter”: This novella occupies almost half of the book. It involves a romance between a young officer and the angelic daughter of the captain, set during the time of Pugachev’s rebellion, and Pugachev himself is the most vibrant character in it. The story moves along briskly and is fairly satisfying, though the characters are not particularly complex. This edition also includes an omitted chapter, which is interesting in that Pushkin ditched a bunch of melodrama and overt paternalism.
“The Tales of Ivan Petrovich Belkin”: These five stories, mostly around 15 pages each, are given a framing device in that they were all collected by a fictional young dead man, but they aren’t actually linked, so I’ll discuss them separately.
“The Shot”: The narrator pieces together the story of a multi-episode duel from others. It’s a bleak world in which men are expected to kill and die in duels over the most mundane insults, and those who refuse lose all respect from their fellows. (Pushkin, sadly, died himself in a duel at age 37.)
“The Snowstorm”: A prank disrupts a love affair. This is a cleverly structured story, in which after reading the end you go back and read over the earlier parts with fresh eyes, something I love in a short story. It made me uncomfortable in that I didn’t find Burmin’s behavior deserving of a happy ending.
“The Undertaker”: A man has ungenerous thoughts and is punished with a nightmare. Um, okay.
“The Postmaster”: Another narrator piecing together someone else’s story, this time of a postmaster and his prodigal daughter. This didn’t do much for me.
“Mistress Into Maid”: A sweet little story about a forbidden romance, also involving some pranking, but this time harmless. I enjoyed this one.
“The Queen of Spades”: This is a somewhat longer story about gambling and obsession, in which a calculating young man will go to almost any length for a guaranteed win at cards. I found this one pretty good and with a satisfying ending.
“Kirdjali”: Eight pages about the legend of an Eastern European bandit. Okay.
“The Negro of Peter the Great”: This is an unfinished fragment, around 40 pages long, of what was perhaps intended to be a novel. The title isn’t politically correct these days but the “Negro” in question is a (lightly fictionalized?) version of Pushkin’s own maternal great-grandfather, Abram or Ibrahim Gannibal, who was brought to Russia as a boy, adopted by Peter the Great as his godson, sent to France to study military engineering, and later returned to Russia to be an important figure in the military and the court. The fragment deals largely with Ibrahim’s love troubles, as well as his relationship with Peter the Great, who’s presented in a very positive light. This is interesting from a historical perspective though a fragment is unlikely to satisfy in a storytelling sense.
Overall, I’m glad to have read some work by a classic author I hadn’t been exposed to before, and appreciated the window into 18th and early 19th century Russia. But while the writing is perfectly fine, I can’t say any of it blew me away. I also have the sense that this collection doesn’t represent Pushkin’s best work, much of which was poetry and plays.
There’s a little sense of dissonance when I read a classic and my response is “huh, okay.” This is especially true when I read the classic in translation; in this case, the translation is very smooth, contemporary, and easy to read, which causes its own form of dissonance. These now feel like contemporary stories rather than something written in the early 19th century, and compared to contemporary stories they don’t particularly stand out to me, but then I neither read them in their original language nor am familiar with the history of Russian literature so as to appreciate the ways in which Pushkin was blazing a new trail.
The stories:
“The Captain’s Daughter”: This novella occupies almost half of the book. It involves a romance between a young officer and the angelic daughter of the captain, set during the time of Pugachev’s rebellion, and Pugachev himself is the most vibrant character in it. The story moves along briskly and is fairly satisfying, though the characters are not particularly complex. This edition also includes an omitted chapter, which is interesting in that Pushkin ditched a bunch of melodrama and overt paternalism.
“The Tales of Ivan Petrovich Belkin”: These five stories, mostly around 15 pages each, are given a framing device in that they were all collected by a fictional young dead man, but they aren’t actually linked, so I’ll discuss them separately.
“The Shot”: The narrator pieces together the story of a multi-episode duel from others. It’s a bleak world in which men are expected to kill and die in duels over the most mundane insults, and those who refuse lose all respect from their fellows. (Pushkin, sadly, died himself in a duel at age 37.)
“The Snowstorm”: A prank disrupts a love affair. This is a cleverly structured story, in which after reading the end you go back and read over the earlier parts with fresh eyes, something I love in a short story. It made me uncomfortable in that I didn’t find Burmin’s behavior deserving of a happy ending.
“The Undertaker”: A man has ungenerous thoughts and is punished with a nightmare. Um, okay.
“The Postmaster”: Another narrator piecing together someone else’s story, this time of a postmaster and his prodigal daughter. This didn’t do much for me.
“Mistress Into Maid”: A sweet little story about a forbidden romance, also involving some pranking, but this time harmless. I enjoyed this one.
“The Queen of Spades”: This is a somewhat longer story about gambling and obsession, in which a calculating young man will go to almost any length for a guaranteed win at cards. I found this one pretty good and with a satisfying ending.
“Kirdjali”: Eight pages about the legend of an Eastern European bandit. Okay.
“The Negro of Peter the Great”: This is an unfinished fragment, around 40 pages long, of what was perhaps intended to be a novel. The title isn’t politically correct these days but the “Negro” in question is a (lightly fictionalized?) version of Pushkin’s own maternal great-grandfather, Abram or Ibrahim Gannibal, who was brought to Russia as a boy, adopted by Peter the Great as his godson, sent to France to study military engineering, and later returned to Russia to be an important figure in the military and the court. The fragment deals largely with Ibrahim’s love troubles, as well as his relationship with Peter the Great, who’s presented in a very positive light. This is interesting from a historical perspective though a fragment is unlikely to satisfy in a storytelling sense.
Overall, I’m glad to have read some work by a classic author I hadn’t been exposed to before, and appreciated the window into 18th and early 19th century Russia. But while the writing is perfectly fine, I can’t say any of it blew me away. I also have the sense that this collection doesn’t represent Pushkin’s best work, much of which was poetry and plays.
March 14, 2021
„Пикова дама“ и „Капетанова кћи“ су ми се неизмерно свиделе, „Госпођица сељанка“ у оквиру „Приповедака покојнога Ивана Петровича Бјелкина“ такође, али остале приче нису оставиле неки посебан утисак на мене.
February 27, 2011
A fantastic collection of moving and inspiring short works by one of the masters of Russian fiction. I loved this book and recommend it highly. The austerity of the text, its rigid and unrelenting strictness in its adherence to realisim and a 'no frills' style of writing (the details and descriptions are certainly sparse and spartan but certainly contribute much to the atmosphere, depicting a Russia straddling the line between aristocratic decadence and barbarous severity) can be off putting and admittedly a bit boring and a slog to get through. But Pushkin's stories always pay off wonderfully with nods to the unknown (Queen of Spades and its dark arts touches) and realistic portrayals of men and women in a certain time and certain place, yet like the greatest of writers, speaking to anyone, anywhere. It's a more than worthy journey to see yourself to the end of this great collection.
November 9, 2021
It is commonly said that Pushkin was to Russian literature what Shakespeare was to English. Indeed, both were formative in the development of literature in their respective languages. The introduction to this volume declares, “Pushkin is not only Russia’s primary and archetypal author but her most astonishingly versatile one.” Perhaps best known for narrative poetry, he also wrote plays, fairy tales in verse, non-fiction, novels, and the concern of this collection, short stories. It should go without saying that we readers in English are handicapped by translation, which is more of an issue for poetry than for prose. Pushkin’s short stories are among his later works and their influence was more on the nature of literary themes and descriptions rather than rhetorical or poetical language.
The best known of his stories, “The Captain’s Daughter,” for instance, was published the year before his death in a duel at age 37. The story line is fairly straightforward, the central characters few and somewhat stereotyped, and the denouements predictable. What I thought best in the story were depictions of peasants, their proverbs and sayings, of village life, of the gulf between the nobility and the rest of the population, of the anger and violence simmering below the surface and sometimes flaring up, and of the beauty and the dangers of the Russian winter.
The collection includes two unfinished stories, “Egyptian Nights” and “The Blackamoor of Peter the Great,” which are still worthy of inclusion. Of the others, I best enjoyed “The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin.”
The stories are dated in style and the story lines—by modern standards—are unexceptional. Given their time and context, however, they are groundbreaking and worth reading even if for that alone.
The best known of his stories, “The Captain’s Daughter,” for instance, was published the year before his death in a duel at age 37. The story line is fairly straightforward, the central characters few and somewhat stereotyped, and the denouements predictable. What I thought best in the story were depictions of peasants, their proverbs and sayings, of village life, of the gulf between the nobility and the rest of the population, of the anger and violence simmering below the surface and sometimes flaring up, and of the beauty and the dangers of the Russian winter.
The collection includes two unfinished stories, “Egyptian Nights” and “The Blackamoor of Peter the Great,” which are still worthy of inclusion. Of the others, I best enjoyed “The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin.”
The stories are dated in style and the story lines—by modern standards—are unexceptional. Given their time and context, however, they are groundbreaking and worth reading even if for that alone.
April 7, 2025
Loved this collection of stories by Alexander Pushkin. Clever writing, excellent punch lines, so much wit and humour with which Pushkin graces the reader with. My personal favourite(s) must be The Tales of Belkin — easy to read, yet you can see how so much modern Western short story writing must have in part its roots in his work.
October 28, 2010
Невероятна класика!
December 31, 2025
Aleksandar Puškin je specifičan jer u sebi spaja pesnika, pripovedača i svedoka vremena na način koji deluje lako, a zapravo je izuzetno precizan i dubok. Njegov stil je čist, jasan i elegantan, bez suvišnih ukrasa, ali sa ogromnom emocionalnom snagom. Puškin ume da u nekoliko rečenica prikaže karakter, sudbinu i moralnu dilemu, zbog čega njegovi likovi deluju živo i stvarno, čak i kada su smešteni u istorijski kontekst. Kod njega nema patetike — emocije su suzdržane, ali upravo zato snažnije pogađaju čitaoca.
„Kapetanova kći i druge priče” je izuzetno dobra knjiga jer pokazuje Puškina u punoj pripovedačkoj zrelosti. „Kapetanova kći” je roman o časti, ljubavi i izborima u vremenima pobune i haosa, gde lična sudbina nikada nije odvojena od istorije. Ostale priče dodatno otkrivaju njegovu širinu: od suptilne ironije do tihe tragedije svakodnevnog života. Ovo je knjiga koja se čita lako, ali ostavlja dubok trag. Idealna je i za one koji tek ulaze u rusku književnost i za iskusne čitaoce, jer se svakim novim čitanjem otkriva nešto novo i slojevitije.
Ovo je moje treće čitanje ove fenomenalne knjige.
„Kapetanova kći i druge priče” je izuzetno dobra knjiga jer pokazuje Puškina u punoj pripovedačkoj zrelosti. „Kapetanova kći” je roman o časti, ljubavi i izborima u vremenima pobune i haosa, gde lična sudbina nikada nije odvojena od istorije. Ostale priče dodatno otkrivaju njegovu širinu: od suptilne ironije do tihe tragedije svakodnevnog života. Ovo je knjiga koja se čita lako, ali ostavlja dubok trag. Idealna je i za one koji tek ulaze u rusku književnost i za iskusne čitaoce, jer se svakim novim čitanjem otkriva nešto novo i slojevitije.
Ovo je moje treće čitanje ove fenomenalne knjige.
March 24, 2025
Racconto più famoso di Puskin, avevo delle aspettative alte. La vicenda in sé non è male, racconta di una storia d'amore nell'epoca delle rivolte di Pugačëv contro la zarina Caterina II. Interessante per comprendere meglio la cronaca di quell'epoca e le rivolte dei cosacchi ma la storia non è niente di che, anzi... Per quanto all'inizio prenda e a metà sembri fare giustizia al popolo rivoltoso dei servi della gleba, termina con una deludente captatio benevoletia pro-zarista. Non la miglior opera di Puskin, sconsiglio.
May 2, 2024
Ranges from 4-4.5. Imagine my shock when I realized I picked like one of the most revered Russian authors?!? I felt like that girl knowing I was reading like classical Russian work. Loved the stories in this! I’ve become a slut for short stories recently. Would love to read more of his work and especially his poems because apparently those are his best work?!?? Brb going to deep dive in to Russian history again <3
March 16, 2024
Originally published in 1834, The Captain's Daughter is a war time love story. The protagonist is sent off to war by his father to force him to become an adult. Along the way he falls in with gamblers and thieves, ultimately falling in love with the Captain's daughter. It is this love that motivates his war time performance and strategy.
July 8, 2024
A masterpiece
March 31, 2025
An excellent collection of short stories by Pushkin. I especially enjoyed The Captain's Daughter and Dubrovsky, as they were interesting romantic adventures in the historical Russian countryside.
April 7, 2022
Это самая длинная история, подлинная новелла. Молодого человека отправляет в армию его отставной военный отец. Вместо того, чтобы быть назначенным ко двору в Санкт-Петербурге, он оказывается на юге России в небольшом форте «на задворках». По пути туда у него две случайные встречи перед прибытием. Его командир — симпатичный парень, у которого на самом деле всем заправляет жена, и юноша сразу же влюбляется в «Капитанскую дочку».
Я нашел это интересной сказкой, в которой много всего. Миниатюрные описания персонажей фантастические и рисуют яркие портреты даже самых третичных из них. Начальные свежие главы полны невозмутимого юмора, который заставил меня ухмыльнуться. Затем все становится серьезным, и появляются описания насильственной смерти и прошлых пыток. Наш молодой человек полон чести и мужества, а его правдивость помогает ему как в трудные ситуации, так и из них.
Есть несколько признаков того, что Пушкин все еще экспериментировал с прозой, и включают несколько вещей, таких как объявление героя, что он придумал выход из сложной ситуации, но что читателю придется подождать до следующей главы, чтобы узнать, что это такое. Там много приключений, настоящая любовь, сильная ненависть, близкие вызовы и что-то вроде deus ex machina, но история мне понравилась.
Я нашел это интересной сказкой, в которой много всего. Миниатюрные описания персонажей фантастические и рисуют яркие портреты даже самых третичных из них. Начальные свежие главы полны невозмутимого юмора, который заставил меня ухмыльнуться. Затем все становится серьезным, и появляются описания насильственной смерти и прошлых пыток. Наш молодой человек полон чести и мужества, а его правдивость помогает ему как в трудные ситуации, так и из них.
Есть несколько признаков того, что Пушкин все еще экспериментировал с прозой, и включают несколько вещей, таких как объявление героя, что он придумал выход из сложной ситуации, но что читателю придется подождать до следующей главы, чтобы узнать, что это такое. Там много приключений, настоящая любовь, сильная ненависть, близкие вызовы и что-то вроде deus ex machina, но история мне понравилась.
August 16, 2015
A present from kak Ayu Adisty. She mistook me as a Pushkin's fan--when I am actually a Dostoevsky's fan--and gave me this book (along with a Dostoevsky, of course). Read this first because I'm curious about Pushkin. His name rarely mentioned than other classic-Russian writers (like Gogol, Dostoevsky or Tolstoy. OR Tolstoy) but he was mentioned as the Father of Russian literature, the one who shaped Russian literature, so I'm all perked up.
This book contained six stories: The Captain's Daughter, The Queen of Spades, Dubrovsky, Peter The Great's Negro, The Station-Master and The Snowstorm. From all of them I enjoy the last work the most, The Snowstorm, and then Dubrovsky. The Snowstorm because its twist, Dubrovsky because Pushkin bravely give such an unsatisfying ending for Dubrovsky's fate--it's not even good OR bad.
Pushkin's writing is simple and easy to understand, unlike many classics with their seemingly confusing string of words. Reading Pushkin's as easy as reading any popular novel nowadays, and it's really engaging. I don't even feel bored reading his stories despite the simpleness. There're something charming and romantic in his writing. And I fall in love!
Now I'm also Pushkin's fan! Thank you for giving me this book, kak Ayu!
This book contained six stories: The Captain's Daughter, The Queen of Spades, Dubrovsky, Peter The Great's Negro, The Station-Master and The Snowstorm. From all of them I enjoy the last work the most, The Snowstorm, and then Dubrovsky. The Snowstorm because its twist, Dubrovsky because Pushkin bravely give such an unsatisfying ending for Dubrovsky's fate--it's not even good OR bad.
Pushkin's writing is simple and easy to understand, unlike many classics with their seemingly confusing string of words. Reading Pushkin's as easy as reading any popular novel nowadays, and it's really engaging. I don't even feel bored reading his stories despite the simpleness. There're something charming and romantic in his writing. And I fall in love!
Now I'm also Pushkin's fan! Thank you for giving me this book, kak Ayu!
May 29, 2008
Pushkin, of course, is the master of Russian literature. While Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, etc, are more well-recognized in the West as 'seminal figures' of Russian literature, it is Pushkin who truly embodies Russian storytelling.
The translation of "The Captain's Daughter" (a novella, 140 pp) was excellent. Were this collection rated on the novella alone, it would easily get five stars.
However, the rest of the stories in the collection (about another 150 pp) suffered, unfortunately, from stilted and occasionally confused translating. A shame, too, because Pushkin's stories are really meant to be simple and easily understood.
Much like a Russian O. Henry, Pushkin generally thrives on the ironic. His storytelling is spartan: only the most basic details are provided, but each story is heartfelt, simple, and quite beautiful.
There is a strong selection of stories in this collection, and overall, the storytelling is very good. The translation could be improved, but is fairly readable; it's a shame that the translation can bog down the flow of Pushkin's stories.
The translation of "The Captain's Daughter" (a novella, 140 pp) was excellent. Were this collection rated on the novella alone, it would easily get five stars.
However, the rest of the stories in the collection (about another 150 pp) suffered, unfortunately, from stilted and occasionally confused translating. A shame, too, because Pushkin's stories are really meant to be simple and easily understood.
Much like a Russian O. Henry, Pushkin generally thrives on the ironic. His storytelling is spartan: only the most basic details are provided, but each story is heartfelt, simple, and quite beautiful.
There is a strong selection of stories in this collection, and overall, the storytelling is very good. The translation could be improved, but is fairly readable; it's a shame that the translation can bog down the flow of Pushkin's stories.
December 31, 2024
В этот раз на моей стороне выступают такие уважаемые деятели культуры, как Лев Толстой и Джеймс Джойс. “Повести Пушкина голы как-то”, – писал Лев Николаевич, и был совершенно прав. Джойс обошёлся с Александром Сергеевичем и того хуже: “ни грамма интеллекта… как в наше время можно увлекаться столь примитивной продукцией”... Мне откровенно не нравится проза Пушкина, поэтому я хочу с ней разделаться и перейти к чему-то более занимательному. Да, простовато – для меня. Если разглядывать вооружённым глазом, может оказаться интереснее. Читала статью переводчика на английский язык, который совершил много открытий чудных по поводу произведения: он заметил в тексте несколько аллитераций, к которым я, увы, бываю глуховата, особенно при скучном чтении. Самая интересная – “п-л-т” в важных для повести словах, складывающихся во вполне осмысленное “плут”. В статье он развивает и эту мысль – что Гринёв по сути есть трикстер, посредник между мирами и плут. Он учит французского гувернёра русскому языку, он попадает в логово Пугачёва, будучи офицером царской армии, он нарушает устав армии и идёт драться на дуэли. Вообще перед Гринёвым встаёт множество дилемм – пойти ли служить разбойнику, отдать ли проигрыш проходимцу, рассказать ли в полиции о Маши Мироновой. Это всё-таки не топорный персонаж, мчащийся с шашкой наголо рубить врага. В повести для него становится самым важным сохранить дворянскую честь – недаром эпиграфом является пословица “береги честь смолоду” – попутно пройдя все выпавшие на его долю испытания. Фабула построена на типичном сказочном сюжете – герой покидает отчий дом, чтобы пуститься в далёкое путешествие, разгадать все загадки и получить в конечном счёте заслуженную любовь, при этом всё происходит в достаточно близкой Пушкину исторической реальности. События Пугачёвского бунта перекликается с 1830-и, когда Россию сотрясали бунты холерные. Пушкин сам наблюдал их жестокость, сцена расправы над жителями крепости несколько выдаётся своей кровавостью и натуралистичностью из спокойного повестования и написана под впечатлением увиденного автором в деревнях. Советское литературоведение считало, что А.С. должен быть не согласен с пацифистской позицией Гринёва (вспомним знаменитые строки о бессмысленному и беспощадном русском бунте), однако документальных подтверждений этому нет – наоборот, Пушкина искренне ужасает хаос и разгром, оставшиеся после холерных волнений. Скорее всего, его позиция совпадает с позицией Петра.
Мне кажется, чтобы сейчас по-настоящему полюбить повести Пушкина, надо полюбить их с детства, как было с Мариной Цветаевой. Она с большой любовью пишет о “Капитанской дочке”, подробно описывая, в какой восторг приводила её повесть, как заставляла замирать, ожидая, что а очередном перечитывании что-то пойдёт не так, как живо ей виделся и сам страшный и влекущий Пугач, и Гринёв. Тогда, даже повзрослев, ты будешь перечитывать их с трепетом и интересом, хотя бы потому, что они пробудят милые воспоминания из детства, когда воображение дорисовывало живые детали в скупом повествовании, а приключенческие сюжеты ещё заставляли сердце волнительно биться. Или быть уж очень увлечённым литературоведом, у которого есть ум и знания для тщательного анализа – мне такого не выдали. Всё же с благодарностью отмечаю, что могло быть и хуже (см. “Дубровский”). Тут всё-таки жизнь, неожиданные повороты, отсутствуют явные романтические штампы и решение проблем в лоб.
Мне кажется, чтобы сейчас по-настоящему полюбить повести Пушкина, надо полюбить их с детства, как было с Мариной Цветаевой. Она с большой любовью пишет о “Капитанской дочке”, подробно описывая, в какой восторг приводила её повесть, как заставляла замирать, ожидая, что а очередном перечитывании что-то пойдёт не так, как живо ей виделся и сам страшный и влекущий Пугач, и Гринёв. Тогда, даже повзрослев, ты будешь перечитывать их с трепетом и интересом, хотя бы потому, что они пробудят милые воспоминания из детства, когда воображение дорисовывало живые детали в скупом повествовании, а приключенческие сюжеты ещё заставляли сердце волнительно биться. Или быть уж очень увлечённым литературоведом, у которого есть ум и знания для тщательного анализа – мне такого не выдали. Всё же с благодарностью отмечаю, что могло быть и хуже (см. “Дубровский”). Тут всё-таки жизнь, неожиданные повороты, отсутствуют явные романтические штампы и решение проблем в лоб.
November 22, 2025
It seems that Alexander Pushkin wrote prose in an early 1800’s tradition of using melodrama as a basis for creating a plot imbued with morai lessons that were embodied by a set of stock characters. All ten of Pushkin’s stories in this collection fit within these melodramatic and moralistic constructs.
Honor, Loyalty, Love, Mercy, and Humility are some of these qualities all of which are wrapped around actual Russian historical events and people. However, despite the confines of stereotypic characters lives a more complex one. Yemelyan Pugachev, an actual villain in Russian history who was both wantonly vicious as well as kind. He led murderous raids of villages and military outposts using the pretentious guise of Czar Peter III. But all of these harrowing actions paused and then changed into courtesy and kindness when he saw Pyotr, our young protagonist. Pugachov not only spared Pyotr from combat but called him ‘your honor’ and assisted him in finding his betrothed, Marya. These mixed elements combined to raise Pushkin’s popularity during his lifetime and beyond.
Another element that contributed to his popularity was the characters’ elevated levels of society. They were either military officers, land owners or in the nobility ranks. In the early and middle 1800’s in Russia, these types appealed more to a limited audience who were literate. They mirror those classes featured in Pushkin’s stories: people of means who could hire servants such as military officers, land owners, business-based families as well as royals and their peers.
All in all, I found the featured “Captain’s Daughter” story to be most interesting. Obviously it is nearly 100 pages longer than any of the others, so it can have more facets. But at first I laughed at its simplicity. It reminded me of a younger Dickens style. But after a book group discussion my condescending humor faded. One of our group members taught Russian history. He brought maps of showing the towns in the story, and he recounted actual people and events that were in the stories.
Thus, what was pure fiction in my little mind, grew to an understanding of why Pushkin was admired by his readers. He enhanced the human virtues of honor, loyalty, love, mercy and humility within Russian people and its noble Czar and Empress. For this, Pushkin continues to offer a warm nostalgia for a time before the Soviets took over.
Honor, Loyalty, Love, Mercy, and Humility are some of these qualities all of which are wrapped around actual Russian historical events and people. However, despite the confines of stereotypic characters lives a more complex one. Yemelyan Pugachev, an actual villain in Russian history who was both wantonly vicious as well as kind. He led murderous raids of villages and military outposts using the pretentious guise of Czar Peter III. But all of these harrowing actions paused and then changed into courtesy and kindness when he saw Pyotr, our young protagonist. Pugachov not only spared Pyotr from combat but called him ‘your honor’ and assisted him in finding his betrothed, Marya. These mixed elements combined to raise Pushkin’s popularity during his lifetime and beyond.
Another element that contributed to his popularity was the characters’ elevated levels of society. They were either military officers, land owners or in the nobility ranks. In the early and middle 1800’s in Russia, these types appealed more to a limited audience who were literate. They mirror those classes featured in Pushkin’s stories: people of means who could hire servants such as military officers, land owners, business-based families as well as royals and their peers.
All in all, I found the featured “Captain’s Daughter” story to be most interesting. Obviously it is nearly 100 pages longer than any of the others, so it can have more facets. But at first I laughed at its simplicity. It reminded me of a younger Dickens style. But after a book group discussion my condescending humor faded. One of our group members taught Russian history. He brought maps of showing the towns in the story, and he recounted actual people and events that were in the stories.
Thus, what was pure fiction in my little mind, grew to an understanding of why Pushkin was admired by his readers. He enhanced the human virtues of honor, loyalty, love, mercy and humility within Russian people and its noble Czar and Empress. For this, Pushkin continues to offer a warm nostalgia for a time before the Soviets took over.
July 27, 2020
Alexander Pushkin is praised for both his fantasies and his use of social realism in stories. Even that hardly captures the astounding range of his writings. In this volume alone we have a story set around a Cossack rebellion, a supernatural tale about gambling, a story of injustice and banditry, a sympathetic portrayal of a black man at Peter the Great’s court, and a final tale of seduction by a member of the upper classes.
Let us begin. The Captain’s Daughter is the story set around a Cossack rebellion. Our youthful, inexperienced (and often doltish) hero is sent by his parents to a remote military outpost in Orenburg. It seems like there is little to do there but fight a duel with an obnoxious comrade, fall in love, and have amiable discussions with the likeable superior officers there.
This hardly prepares us for what will happen next. An insurgency is led by a poor man, Pugachev. The fort is over-run, and many of those likeable characters that we have seen are promptly executed or killed by this would-be Czar.
Our narrating hero Pyotr Andreyich Grinyov only survives because he once showed kindness to Pugachev in his less successful days. An adventure follows in which Grinyov is able to rescue his sweetheart, Masha. However Grinyov’s close relationship with the enemy leads to him being put on trial, and he only narrowly escapes execution.
The story is conventional and romantic, but certainly not dull. Pushkin shows some progressive tendencies when he deplores the use of torture, though his views were fairly common at that time in Russia. There is still a colonialist belief that Russia is entitled to occupy the territories of neighbours however. It has the distinction of being Pushkin’s only completed novel.
The Queen of Spades is one of Pushkin’s most famous short stories, a fascinatingly ambiguous tale of avarice. A soldier and congenital gambler, Hermann learns of an old countess who possesses a supernatural ability for winning at cards. She is able to play three cards that always win.
The soldier decides to woo her long-suffering ward, but this is a ruse to get into the house. Once there, he does not visit the hapless Lizavyeta but instead seeks out the countess. He wishes to find out the three cards, but his violent threats cause the old woman to die of fright.
However it is not over then. Her ghost returns to give Hermann the three winning cards on condition that he marries her ward. What happens next is unclear. Hermann is winning a good deal of money based on those three cards, but suddenly he sees that he has played the Queen of Spades, and not the winning card as he thought. The Queen appears to have the face of the Countess. Hermann flees, a ruined man, and ends up in the madhouse.
What happened here? Did Hermann misread the card, or was it magically changed? Has his gambling mania led to insanity, or is he really being punished? If so, why? The dead countess promised him luck. Was she deceiving him, or does she doubt his willingness to marry Lizavyeta?
Does Hermann choose to lose unconsciously, because he is a gambling addict, and a total win would end his gambling forever? Or did he choose to lose out of guilt? Perhaps the Queen of Spades reminded him of the Countess, and affected his judgement? Who knows? Pushkin leaves the matter open for the reader to choose their own interpretation.
This collection of stories is sometimes tantalising and frustrating, because it includes two unfinished works. The first of these is Dubrovsky, which is about a young nobleman who is cheated out of his inheritance by the aristocrat, Kirila Petrovitch Troekurov, after Troekurov falls out with Dubrovsky’s father.
As a result, Dubrovsky becomes a bandit who attacks the wealthy, particularly those who played about in Troekurov’s swindle. To complicate matters, Dubrovsky falls in love with Troekurov’s daughter, Marya.
Marya’s father decides to marry her to an elderly aristocrat. We are led to imagine that somehow Dubrovsky will appear at the last minute to prevent the marriage, but this never happens, and the story ends with a footnote saying Dubrovsky disappeared, presumably leaving Russia.
This is another romantic novel with no particular serious message. The ending is disappointing, and I do wonder where Pushkin would have chosen to take it if he had completed the book.
The same is true of Peter the Great’s Negro, one of the most intriguing of all unfinished works. The negro is Ibrahim, once a powerful Moor who was rescued from captivity by the Czar, and stands in great favour with him.
Ibrahim has a French mistress (she is married), but he decides to leave her and return to Russia. Later he learns that she has found another lover, but this is never confirmed. So Ibrahim agrees to marry another young noblewoman, but she is terrified of his appearance.
That’s all of the story we have, though there is reason to believe that his new wife was going to be unfaithful to him. Just where would Pushkin have taken this? We will never know.
What makes the work interesting is that Pushkin describes Ibrahim with total sympathy and even empathy, and there is no exoticism in his treatment of the Moor. It is the other characters who treat him as an exotic outsider, but Pushkin is happy to enter into Ibrahim’s skin, and show him as someone no different from us except by birth.
This is because the character is based on Pushkin’s maternal great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich Gannibal, a black African who was brought to Russia during the reign of Peter the Great. Pushkin is paying tribute to a family member. The book could have been an insightful one that challenged prejudice, but instead all we have is a fragment.
The last story in this collection is The Station-Master. The narrator describes with tolerance this much-maligned profession, and describes his experiences with an anonymous station-master. The titular character is an amiable man until his daughter Dunia is stolen from him by a hussar.
Is she abducted, or does she go of her own free will? Either way she seems happier in her new lifestyle. Meanwhile the station-master takes to drink and dies, and she visits his grave. Unlike the Prodigal Son (the station is adorned with pictures of this Biblical story), this prodigal daughter will not return during his lifetime.
The story is about class issues. The young hussar feels it is acceptable to take the station-master’s daughter because he is higher-ranking, and she is glad to have the chance to live in comfort.
The contrast in their lifestyles could not be greater. The station-master may be disturbed at any hour of the day to provide his service whereas Minskii (the hussar) never receives anybody before eleven. He is able to throw money at the poor station-master as if that makes everything right. The wealthy can freely exploit the poor and then discard them when it suits them.
This is a decent collection of stories and worth a read. I just wish Pushkin had been able to complete them all.
Let us begin. The Captain’s Daughter is the story set around a Cossack rebellion. Our youthful, inexperienced (and often doltish) hero is sent by his parents to a remote military outpost in Orenburg. It seems like there is little to do there but fight a duel with an obnoxious comrade, fall in love, and have amiable discussions with the likeable superior officers there.
This hardly prepares us for what will happen next. An insurgency is led by a poor man, Pugachev. The fort is over-run, and many of those likeable characters that we have seen are promptly executed or killed by this would-be Czar.
Our narrating hero Pyotr Andreyich Grinyov only survives because he once showed kindness to Pugachev in his less successful days. An adventure follows in which Grinyov is able to rescue his sweetheart, Masha. However Grinyov’s close relationship with the enemy leads to him being put on trial, and he only narrowly escapes execution.
The story is conventional and romantic, but certainly not dull. Pushkin shows some progressive tendencies when he deplores the use of torture, though his views were fairly common at that time in Russia. There is still a colonialist belief that Russia is entitled to occupy the territories of neighbours however. It has the distinction of being Pushkin’s only completed novel.
The Queen of Spades is one of Pushkin’s most famous short stories, a fascinatingly ambiguous tale of avarice. A soldier and congenital gambler, Hermann learns of an old countess who possesses a supernatural ability for winning at cards. She is able to play three cards that always win.
The soldier decides to woo her long-suffering ward, but this is a ruse to get into the house. Once there, he does not visit the hapless Lizavyeta but instead seeks out the countess. He wishes to find out the three cards, but his violent threats cause the old woman to die of fright.
However it is not over then. Her ghost returns to give Hermann the three winning cards on condition that he marries her ward. What happens next is unclear. Hermann is winning a good deal of money based on those three cards, but suddenly he sees that he has played the Queen of Spades, and not the winning card as he thought. The Queen appears to have the face of the Countess. Hermann flees, a ruined man, and ends up in the madhouse.
What happened here? Did Hermann misread the card, or was it magically changed? Has his gambling mania led to insanity, or is he really being punished? If so, why? The dead countess promised him luck. Was she deceiving him, or does she doubt his willingness to marry Lizavyeta?
Does Hermann choose to lose unconsciously, because he is a gambling addict, and a total win would end his gambling forever? Or did he choose to lose out of guilt? Perhaps the Queen of Spades reminded him of the Countess, and affected his judgement? Who knows? Pushkin leaves the matter open for the reader to choose their own interpretation.
This collection of stories is sometimes tantalising and frustrating, because it includes two unfinished works. The first of these is Dubrovsky, which is about a young nobleman who is cheated out of his inheritance by the aristocrat, Kirila Petrovitch Troekurov, after Troekurov falls out with Dubrovsky’s father.
As a result, Dubrovsky becomes a bandit who attacks the wealthy, particularly those who played about in Troekurov’s swindle. To complicate matters, Dubrovsky falls in love with Troekurov’s daughter, Marya.
Marya’s father decides to marry her to an elderly aristocrat. We are led to imagine that somehow Dubrovsky will appear at the last minute to prevent the marriage, but this never happens, and the story ends with a footnote saying Dubrovsky disappeared, presumably leaving Russia.
This is another romantic novel with no particular serious message. The ending is disappointing, and I do wonder where Pushkin would have chosen to take it if he had completed the book.
The same is true of Peter the Great’s Negro, one of the most intriguing of all unfinished works. The negro is Ibrahim, once a powerful Moor who was rescued from captivity by the Czar, and stands in great favour with him.
Ibrahim has a French mistress (she is married), but he decides to leave her and return to Russia. Later he learns that she has found another lover, but this is never confirmed. So Ibrahim agrees to marry another young noblewoman, but she is terrified of his appearance.
That’s all of the story we have, though there is reason to believe that his new wife was going to be unfaithful to him. Just where would Pushkin have taken this? We will never know.
What makes the work interesting is that Pushkin describes Ibrahim with total sympathy and even empathy, and there is no exoticism in his treatment of the Moor. It is the other characters who treat him as an exotic outsider, but Pushkin is happy to enter into Ibrahim’s skin, and show him as someone no different from us except by birth.
This is because the character is based on Pushkin’s maternal great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich Gannibal, a black African who was brought to Russia during the reign of Peter the Great. Pushkin is paying tribute to a family member. The book could have been an insightful one that challenged prejudice, but instead all we have is a fragment.
The last story in this collection is The Station-Master. The narrator describes with tolerance this much-maligned profession, and describes his experiences with an anonymous station-master. The titular character is an amiable man until his daughter Dunia is stolen from him by a hussar.
Is she abducted, or does she go of her own free will? Either way she seems happier in her new lifestyle. Meanwhile the station-master takes to drink and dies, and she visits his grave. Unlike the Prodigal Son (the station is adorned with pictures of this Biblical story), this prodigal daughter will not return during his lifetime.
The story is about class issues. The young hussar feels it is acceptable to take the station-master’s daughter because he is higher-ranking, and she is glad to have the chance to live in comfort.
The contrast in their lifestyles could not be greater. The station-master may be disturbed at any hour of the day to provide his service whereas Minskii (the hussar) never receives anybody before eleven. He is able to throw money at the poor station-master as if that makes everything right. The wealthy can freely exploit the poor and then discard them when it suits them.
This is a decent collection of stories and worth a read. I just wish Pushkin had been able to complete them all.
Read
December 4, 2024Osvrt
"Kapetanova kći i druge priče" - Aleksandar Sergejevič Puškin
Pored pripovjetke "Kapetanova kći", u ovoj knjizi ćete pročitati još devet pripovjetki. U nekima od njih Puškin je opisao stvarne historijske događaje, a pripovjetka "Arapin Petra Velikog", je nedovršeni roman o Puškinovom pradjedu sa majčine strane. Puškin je volio historiju. U djelu "Kapetanova kći" obrađena je Pugačovljeva seljačka buna iz 1773-1774. Osim historijskih spisa, važan izvor su mu bila svjedočanstva očevidaca bune. Puškin je upoznao staricu koja je živjela u selu u kojem je bio Pugačov boravio. Tri mjeseca nakon što je djelo objavljeno, Puškin je preminuo.
"Pripovjetke pokojnog Ivana Petroviča Bjelkina", su prema nekim izvorima bile inspiracija Tolstoju za njegovo najpoznatije djelo "Ana Karenjina".
Prema riječima autora pripovjetka "Dubrovski" je nedovršena. Objavljena je nakon Puškinove smrti.
Neka Puškinova djela su dramatizovana, a neka ekranizovana.
Preporuka!
Citati:
"Lakoumni svijet bez poštede proganja u stvarnosti ono što dopušta u teoriji."
"Moralne pouke postaju čudesno korisne kad god ne možemo nešto drugo da izmislimo za svoje opravdanje."
"Ići za mislima velikoga čoveka najzanimljivija je nauka."
"Ljubav koja se ne nada i ništa ne traži, sigurnije će kosnuti žensko srce nego sva proračunata zavođenja."
"Kapetanova kći i druge priče" - Aleksandar Sergejevič Puškin
Pored pripovjetke "Kapetanova kći", u ovoj knjizi ćete pročitati još devet pripovjetki. U nekima od njih Puškin je opisao stvarne historijske događaje, a pripovjetka "Arapin Petra Velikog", je nedovršeni roman o Puškinovom pradjedu sa majčine strane. Puškin je volio historiju. U djelu "Kapetanova kći" obrađena je Pugačovljeva seljačka buna iz 1773-1774. Osim historijskih spisa, važan izvor su mu bila svjedočanstva očevidaca bune. Puškin je upoznao staricu koja je živjela u selu u kojem je bio Pugačov boravio. Tri mjeseca nakon što je djelo objavljeno, Puškin je preminuo.
"Pripovjetke pokojnog Ivana Petroviča Bjelkina", su prema nekim izvorima bile inspiracija Tolstoju za njegovo najpoznatije djelo "Ana Karenjina".
Prema riječima autora pripovjetka "Dubrovski" je nedovršena. Objavljena je nakon Puškinove smrti.
Neka Puškinova djela su dramatizovana, a neka ekranizovana.
Preporuka!
Citati:
"Lakoumni svijet bez poštede proganja u stvarnosti ono što dopušta u teoriji."
"Moralne pouke postaju čudesno korisne kad god ne možemo nešto drugo da izmislimo za svoje opravdanje."
"Ići za mislima velikoga čoveka najzanimljivija je nauka."
"Ljubav koja se ne nada i ništa ne traži, sigurnije će kosnuti žensko srce nego sva proračunata zavođenja."
January 26, 2023
Pushkin is the precursor to and among the first Russian literary titans. The prose has that familiar feeling, the comedy of humanity, the melancholy life of serfdom and so forth, but lacks the grand scale, philosophical depth and ecstatic neuroticism of the writers later in the century. I was particularly impressed by how one of the stories discussed race issues in a very sophisticated and empathetic way. I was not expecting that and it seemed well ahead of its time.
I very much enjoyed these stories, but that euphoria of finishing a story that weighs heavy on your mind, that you must sit and ponder for days after finishing, that you intrinsically know will dance among your thoughts for years, was absent.
To be fair this collection does not include some of his most highly regarded work('Eugene Onegin' and the 'Bronze Horseman') and he is incredibly important for literature and Russian culture. Also he died in a duel at age 37, and one can only conjecture about what may have spawned from his pen had he lived.
I very much enjoyed these stories, but that euphoria of finishing a story that weighs heavy on your mind, that you must sit and ponder for days after finishing, that you intrinsically know will dance among your thoughts for years, was absent.
To be fair this collection does not include some of his most highly regarded work('Eugene Onegin' and the 'Bronze Horseman') and he is incredibly important for literature and Russian culture. Also he died in a duel at age 37, and one can only conjecture about what may have spawned from his pen had he lived.
November 20, 2022
Pushkin is so dear to Russians, they see him as their Shakespeare, but "The Captain's Daughter" is the first Pushkin that has made this reader see it. It's the best Pushkin I've ever read. "The Queen of Spades" is perhaps his most famous story - I've got an edition with that and "The Captain's Daughter" and the story came as a revelation. It takes place during Pugachev's famous rebellion, and the rebel who proclaimed himself as a new tsar emerges as a fascinating, charismatic character. Russians, and the intelligentsia, see "Eugene Onegin" as his shining achievement, and while I appreciate the originality and artistry of it (Pushkin invented his own sonnet rhyme scheme) it has never made enjoyable reading for me. "The Captain's Daughter," on the other hand, and to a lesser extent "The Queen of Spades" are wonderful.
October 31, 2016
Do you need a second opinion on this book? Visit and explore www.oceanpearlbooks.wordpress.com. OceanPearl Books endeavors to provide well-informed book reviews, business readings, parenting tips, and consulting services for our clients worldwide. And it's all for Free!
OceanPearl Books - Book Review
Pyotr is an army officer who rescues Masha from murder at the hands of an insurgent. A novel that spirals through young romance, violence, and a heroine’s willingness to survive.
Pushkin entertains the reader with traditional romance.
The book is available at https://www.amazon.com/Captains-Daugh....
OceanPearl Books - Book Review
Pyotr is an army officer who rescues Masha from murder at the hands of an insurgent. A novel that spirals through young romance, violence, and a heroine’s willingness to survive.
Pushkin entertains the reader with traditional romance.
The book is available at https://www.amazon.com/Captains-Daugh....
May 20, 2018
Russian tales, some picaresque, others are character studies, and fhe Queen of Spades is a bit like one of Poe’s stories of obsession and the supernatural. Not bad but slightly nondescript compared to E Onegin, the novel in verse. The Captain’s Daughter, a love story set in the provinces during Pougachev’s rebellion, is kind of interminable (and has a sentimental ending) but the Queen of Spades is a pretty sharp ghost story about revenge. Is Russian literature more obsessed with gambling than in other cultures? If so, why?
November 8, 2022
Pushkin and Gogol are considered the cornerstones of Russian literature, and for good reasons. In this book we see yet one more time how much they excel in writing novellas and short stories. Although I consider Gogol the superior writer and Pushkin the better poet, but we can see from whom Gogol inherited his prowess in combining tragedy and satire and adding the flavor of moral dilemmas and consequences, which he'd subsequently pass on to other brilliant Russian writers like Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews