An Anthology of Russian Folk Epics

by Tatyana G. Ivanova

An extensive introduction provides basic information about Russian epics, their historical background, their poetics, the history of their collection, their performance context, and their main interpretations. In addition, their is a short introduction to each song, explaining its plot, allusions, and interpretations. A glossary of common terms and a selected bibliography of studies about the Russian epic in English and Russian are also included in the volume.

Genres: Poetry, Russia, Mythology, Classics

464 pages, Hardcover

First published December 10, 1998

Reviews

[when-cows-fly · Rating 4 out of 5]

"My darling lady, my dear mother ... why did you bear me, unhappy Dobrynya? ... my lady, my dear mother, you should have lowered me into the black sea ... I, Dobrynya, would have lain there in the sea forever, I would have lain there forever I, Dobrynya wouldn't have ridden through the open field, I Dobrynya, wouldn't have killed innocent souls, I wouldn't have spilled blood in vain, I, Dobrynya, wouldn't have made fathers and mothers cry, I Dobrynya, wouldn't have made young wives widows, I wouldn't have made young children orphans."

"I would have gladly born you, child, with the luck and fate of Ilya Muromets, with the strength of Svyatogor the bogatyr, with the boldness of bold Alyosha Popovich, I would have born you with the stylish walk of Churila Plyonkovich, but I bore you with the courtesy of Dobrynya Nikitich. There are only so many qualities God hasn't given others; God hasn't given others and hasn't granted others."

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason I don't rate this excellent anthology five stars is a slight awkwardness in the rhythm of the translations. These are beautiful, lyric, musical works in the original, and this musicality is often completely absent in the translation. But it's next to impossible to both remain true to the content and retain the sounds and structures of the original, so for students of folklore, this is the best option. The casual reader without a knowledge of Russian will likely sense that there is something missing. Russian language students will find this a useful read-along to conquer the challenging and unfamiliar language of the bylina tales.

[laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

skip the introduction and get right to the songs...

[Will Flewelling · Rating 4 out of 5]

High quality for a very niche audience