The Queen of Spades and Other Stories by Alexander Pushkin
Four of Pushkin’s best short story collections are included in this anthology in new translations. One of the best short stories ever written is Pushkin’s The Queen of Spades, which examines the nature of obsession. While Peter the Great’s Blackamoor is an early attempt at time travel, The Tales of Belkin are clever parodies of sentimentalism. The Captain’s Daughter is a novel-length masterwork that combines Sir Walter Scott-style historical fiction with elements from Russian fairy tales. The stories are closely read in the Introduction, which also sets them in the context of European literature.
The Queen of Spades and Other Stories by Alexander Pushkin
24 used from $1.35
Free shipping
Amazon.com
No of the criteria, The Queen of Spades must be included. It is a gambling narrative and the first undeniable masterpiece in the category by the author dubbed the “Russian Shakespeare” in his native country. Pushkin was a versatile talent who transformed the clumsy 18th-century Russian into the flexible and exquisite literary language we use today. Despite being predominantly a lyric poet, he began to write prose fiction toward the end of his brief life, as evidenced by Eugene Onegin, the first major novel written in verse in Russia.
The Queen of Spades is not only an exciting book to read, but it is also a stunning contemporary piece of writing and the classic story of St. Petersburg. The incredibly cold, detached presentation of the narrative belies how hotheaded its author was. He had to submit his manuscripts to Nicholas I for his personal approval after being banished for his rebellious beliefs. Of course, Pushkin indulged in gambling himself occasionally, losing his poetry in the process. And he made an effort to engage in duels.
The book offers numerous annotations at the conclusion and a lengthy introduction to the works. You can get a thorough understanding of Pushkin’s general works and a lot of information on the current works by reading just this one book.
One becomes an immediate Pushkin lover after reading the superbly crafted stories. Although I am not an expert in literature, I have read works by Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and others, and it is obvious that the style and subject matter are related. It is simple to understand how Tolstoy was influenced by these writings.
Although there are romantic overtones and mystical elements in Queen of Spades, the stories are primarily founded on realism and historical incidents from the 18th and 19th centuries. Overall, these are wonderful tales that make people grin.
