Soldier and Tsar in the Forest: A Russian Tale

by Alexander Afanasyev, Richard Lourie (Translator), Uri Shulevitz (Illustrator)

Not knowing the man he meets in the forest is the tsar, a young soldier discloses that he has deserted.

Genres: Picture Books, Russia

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev (Russian: Александр Николаевич Афанасьев) was a Russian folklorist who recorded and published over 600 Russian folktales and fairytales, by far the largest folktale collection by any one man in the world. His first collection was published in eight volumes from 1855-67, earning him the reputation of a Russian counterpart to the Brothers Grimm.

Born in 1826 in Boguchar, in Voronezh Governate, he grew up in Bobrov, becoming an early reader thanks to the library of his grandfather, a member of the Russian Bible Society. He was educated at the Voronezh gymnasium and from 1844-48 he studied law at the University of Moscow. Despite being a promising student, he did not become a professor, due largely to attacks upon his work by the conservative Minister of National Enlightenment, Count Sergey Uvarov.

Afanasyev worked for thirteen years at the Moscow's Main Archive Directorate under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire, during which time he also amassed a huge library and published numerous articles and reviews. In 1862 he was fired from his position, because of his association with philosopher Alexander Herzen. Jobless for a number of years thereafter, he sold his library in order to support his family, eventually finding work as a secretary at the Moscow City Duma and at the Moscow Congress of Justices of the Peace.

Afanasyev wrote a large theoretical work (three volumes of 700 pages each) – "The Poetic Outlook of Slavs about Nature" (Поэтические воззрения славян на природу) – which came out between 1865 and 1869. In 1870 his Русские детские сказки (Russian Children's Fairy Tales) were published. He died in poverty in 1871, at the age of forty-five.

(source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mistreated by his brother, who is a successful general but who refuses to recognize him as kin, a common soldier runs away and seeks shelter in the forest in this Russian folktale. The Tsar, meanwhile, becomes lost in this forest after chasing a stag, and the two meet up. The soldier, more wise to the ways of both forest and robbers, finds them shelter for the night and defends them both against a band of cutthroats. Eventually, when the two men are reunited in the capital, the soldier discovers that his erstwhile companion is the Tsar, and he is rewarded...

Although no credit is given on the cover of this picture-book from 1972, the colophon here lists this as tale #340 in Alexander Afanasyev's three-volume collection of Russian tales, and gives the further information that the story was translated by Richard Lourie. The tale itself is a fairly entertaining adventure story, one that is engaged both with a moral theme—although the soldier isn't depicted as being particularly virtuous here, he is certainly kind, in helping a stranger—and with the idea of luck. Events fall out the way they do, and fortunately the man the soldier helps is both a powerful Tsar and a person capable of gratitude, despite the soldier's sometimes rough treatment of him. I enjoyed Uri Shulevitz' illustrations here, which have a lovely palette, and a nice folk-art feeling to it. Recommended to young folklore lovers.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure I fully understood the motto I was supposed to get from this book but it was interesting.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neither the telling nor the illustrations captivated me. Nice use of color, but others have done better.

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is absolutely fantastic as it delightfully details the story of how both the Tsar and the soldier manage to defeat a band of robbers and making an honorable man out of the soldier. Uri Shulevitz’s illustrations are extremely colorful and actually capture the emotions of each character, such as the soldier looking sad when he is not invited to the royal banquet along with his brother. Also, I love the way that the background illustrations complement with the mood of the story such as the scene where the gloomy soldier goes into the forest and the background is a dark color.

“Soldier and Tsar in the Forest” is a delightful treat for anyone interested in Russian folktales and should be read to children ages six and up. However, parents may want to read this book first before they read it to their children due to the theme of the older brother disowning his own brother, some violence dealing with head cutting, and the length of this book. I would also recommend "The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship" for another Russian Folktale to read.

[Jean-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this to complement out middle age history lesson about the Russian. Good story. Colorful illustrations.