Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

THE GREAT DISCOVERY IN I9th-CENTURY RUSSIAN LITERATURE
The following intriguing description appears on the back cover of this book: THE GREAT DISCOVERY IN I9th-CENTURY RUSSIAN LITERATURE. The famous Russian poet and writer Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837), fatally wounded in a duel by his brother-in-law and rival, left behind his secret ciphered journal, which was discovered and smuggled out of the U.S.S.R. There has been much speculation and mystery surrounding this journal. According to legend, Pushkin's will stipulated that the journal not be published until one hundred years after his death. Some people claimed that the journal did not exist at all.
The journal does exist and consists of explicit confessions about intimate relationships that Pushkin had with his wife, her two sisters, and other women, which brought him to his tragic end. These astonishing events and reflections reveal unknown details of Pushkin's life - the life a nineteenth-century Russian Don Juan. If all this is factual, then it is truly a great discovery in nineteenth-century Russian literature. I would add that the same would be true for world literature as well.

Despite the suspicious circumstances related by Armalinsky, we must be fair and at least admit the possibility that these were actual events. The hint that the journal is indeed authentic is the reaction of the Russian press. The specific nature of the official Soviet literary criticism is very different from that in the free world. If an official critic in a Soviet magazine is furious about a particular literary work and vigorously disclaims it, the ordinary people understand that this is worth reading. If an official critic praises a book, people do not pay attention to it. In other words, that which the Soviet government hates, the Soviet people like. It is worth noticing that the books attacked are usually not available to Soviet readers, so a critic can impose "his" (meaning government) opinion on the readers, who are intentionally deprived of an opportunity to establish their own opinions!

Something similar occurred this time, too. Major Soviet magazines (Ogonek, Voprosi Literaturi) published screaming articles denouncing and threatening to castrate Mikhail Armalinsky for smuggling the manuscript out of the Soviet Union. Soviets challenged Armalinsky to a duel! Why? Because Pushkin holds a place of highest honor in Russia, second only to Lenin. And the Soviet government tolerates nothing erotic to be related to their "saints." What is interesting is that, as usually happens in the Soviet Union, the article offered no literary proof of its outstanding dismay and based its accusations solely on critics disturbed emotions.

But what is all the fuss about? The journal is truly an erotic piece of literature. It is beautifully crafted. It can be described in a few words as a hymn to female genitalia. The author (whether Pushkin or Armalinsky or someone else remains to be seen) reveals his position toward life, which has only two values: literature and women (not necessarily in that order!).

A woman, for Pushkin, is the carrier, keeper, and custodian of the God, who appears on earth in the shape of her genitals and in the state of emotions that they produce. Because genitals are a physical form of God, their influence and force wears out, as does anything physical. Therefore, the only way to maintain the strength of the sacred feelings produced by female genitalia was, for Pushkin, to change women and, consequently, their genitals in order to refresh God's appearance with constant renewal. This task clashed with his marriage in the last years of his life, and reflections of that create the content of Secret Journal.

The footnotes by Armalinsky in the English edition explain the references to the names of people mentioned by Pushkin.

The journal contains many erotic observations of human nature that are poignant and clever; some are funny, many are controversial and even objectionable to some. But are not these qualities of a good piece of literature that is enjoyed and recommended to others?

It would be interesting to see a detailed analysis that would prove me wrong, but I have not yet seen one. According to U.S. law but not Russian law, one is innocent until proven guilty. Thus, meanwhile, let us enjoy Pushkin's Secret Journal. As Armalinsky says in the preface, "Pushkin's literary reputation is so strong that his personal reputation could not shake it, but on the contrary promises us a remarkable study of human nature, which, because of its immutability, makes us all one with the past as well as the future."

Secret Journal - ...
I read Puskin's Secret Journal, and I waited in anticipation to read his thoughts, feelings on life, literature, family life and Russia.

For Alexander S. Pushkin is my favorite writer, and I was thrilled when the book finally arrived.I immediately opened the package and sat down to what I thought was going to be an experience, the chance at a glimpse into the mind of a literary genius.

My elations and joy quickly soured as I started to read this book.It reads like a cheap sex novel, filled with prostitutes, orgies and other detestable sexual adventures.

For any avid Pushkin fan who reads this and knows about the author, you will agree with me.For those who are not fans of Pushkin, or are not well knowledgeable of his works, this book will give you a distorted view of him - a false view.

One of the reasons why I ardently disprove of this book is because I have done extensive research on him, family life, and etc.This does not indeed make me an expert, for I do not claim to be such.However, I am well versed in his literary works, to see a farce or the truth.

Thus, I do not recommend anyone to read or buy this farce...

dilemmas over dilemmas
Once I started to read this journal ý immensed my self in those pages that revealed the authors human needs,having a loving wife, happy kids,very ýntriguing environment, betrayels, mercyness, suspicion and finally reaching the end of his limit to the mortalýty by a duel with his brother-in-law. one might say that was that worthed to be killed like that after having captured the whole nations heart by being one of the most admired native son in russian literature!

As the author stated in his journal" it is better to die with honour then to live as a dishonoured man" where the tsar was overwatching writers wife all over the places and sometimes calling her in for having to be near to her and to touch her! on the other hand, the writer's brother in-law d'anthes had an eye for pushkins wife natalia pushkina and having to spread rumors all over that he had an affair with authors wife!

whatever may pushkin have done within his troubled marriage, human honour would always judge ýtself whether the unfaithfullness and mistrust one another in a marriage belongs only to the committed ones or not! ... Read more

Book Description
Introduction by John Bayley; Translation by Natalie Duddington ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

solid introduction to Pushkin
Pushkin is the Godfather of Russian literature._The Captain's Daughter and other Other Stories_ is a decent representation of his writing style, but I found the stories much less interesting than his poetry.With that said, the title piece is by far the strongest of the collection.The story is full of high drama, love, intrigue and betrayal, as the main character struggles to maintain his sense of honor and dignity.It was a bit over the top for me, but no one writes about human emotion with the depth that Pushkin does.For that alone, _The Captain's Daughter_ is worth the read.Skip the other stories.In the final analysis, I highly recommend it.

One of Russia's Literary Masters
If you are interested in delving into the fascinating world of Russian literature, look no farther for your starting point than Pushkin.
Writing from a perspective of one who knew how the Russian gentry and aristocracy lived, Pushkin had the great ability to weave into his narrative firsthand accounts of living as a member of the upper class.
The Captain's Daughter presents us with the young officer Grinyov, who is sent to be an officer, as his father was, in a far-flung regiment on the frontier.Here Grinyov, and his faithful servant, have an interesting adventure with fellow officers, ruffians and locals. I wont give away the ending, however, the twists and turns keep you turning the pages.All the while, Grinyov's character remains true to form, upholding the ideals of his upbringing.
Fabulous read...and a quick one at that.

Worth a read
A nice sample of Pushkin's fiction talent, which is just as fun to read as his poetry.

The Master of Russian Literature
Pushkin greatest renoun is based on his poetry. But I like his short stories very much. They are crisp, intriguing, and educational. These stories are a treasure of Russian literature. They combine mystery and realism, persuasive language and simplicity--all trademarks of Pushkin's genius.

The dream of life.
Pushkin is Mozart of Russian verse, prose and drama. That sounds like banality to any Russian but may help a person outside of our literary tradition to deal with the Russia's greatest writer.

Small, less thanhandsome misfit in a constant and direct dialog with the Muses. A man whosesocial, financial and matrimonial achievements are no match to hisart.

His talents bloomed in the Lyceum, he was hailed by the mostprominent poet of Russian Classicism - Gavrila Derzhavin, who had appointedthe youngster his poetical heir.

But Pushkin made only a fewcontributions to the genre - he was a devoted romantic, a Byronite.Mermaids, gypsies and noble robber brothers were the inhabitants of hisadolescent poems.

Drinking bouts with local Hussar officers were toppledby the boy's passionate odes to Liberty. Alexander was a celebrityguest.

The guest he remained. The officers - The Decembrists - rebelledagainst the tsar. Puskin was not invited. The conspirators felt that"the son of the Muses" is fond of the revolutionary rhetorics,not the cause.

Later, asked by the triumphant monarch does he regret hisabsence in rebellious ranks on that fateful December day, Pushkin confirmedhis affinity with his hanged friends. He wanted to be taking seriously, hewas ready to suffer. But the tsar was only amused and let Alexandergo.

Pushkin soared high in empirea, the verse of unbelievable beauty andclarity was streaming from his quill, but his everyday life was dominatedby gambling, drinking and chasing the known libertines. Yearning to beaccepted socially he offered his friendship to unworthy and very often hadto contend with their condescending attitude. He was not the first sociallyawkward creator in human history but that understanding did nothing tolessen the pain.

In his final years Pushkin decided to settle down, toaccept the responsibilities, to marry, to get the position in the tsar'scourt.

Natalia Goncharova, the first beauty of Petersburg, consented tomarry him - her family was impoverished, Alexander - insistent.He wasgiven the court rank - kamerjunker, nearly the lowest in the hierarchy, fitfor a very young man making his very first steps in the court. He wasinsulted but the wife's acclaimed beauty compensated for that and the otherdisapointments. They all envy him - the lucky man!

There was never enoughmoney to put that gem in a proper setting. The beauty was expecting herdue. If Alexander is incapable there are others.

Art remained the onlyconsolation. Once he woke up in the middle of the night, put on a light andfevereshly scribbled the newborn lines. He read them to the wife. - Don'tyou ever do that to me again! - said the sleepy beauty.

His art is notable to conquer that perfection, the beauty of verse is nothing to thebeauty of flesh.

Pushkin is made fun of, proclaimed a cuckold. His lifeis nearing the end.

In his last year the tortured genius writes Captain'sDaughter. No mermaids here, no gypsies. It's clarity and restrained beautyis unsurpassed in our literature.

A son of old officer Petr AndreevichGrinev turns seventeen. He is enlisted as a toddler in a prestigeousregiment in Petersburg, now he is an officer already. He has no extensiveeducation - just the basic ideas of nobility and some knowledge of French.His name is telling - Petr means a stone, father's name - a man, a male. The father wants to keep the son unspoiled - Petr is refused his ticket tothe Petersburg. He goes to the steppes instead, to the fortress in themiddle of nowhere.

On the way he gets drunk, loses money, suffers fromhangover, abuses his old servant -with no harm to his innerintegrity.

He begins to enjoy the simple life in the fortress, captain'sdaughter is aware if his feelings and seems to feel the same way. Short and ugly comrade-in-arms, Alexei Shvabrin envies him and speaks dirty ofthe girl. Duel puts Petr in a bed. The love flourishes.

All that aprelude to the Russian rebellion, "senseless and merciless".

The fortress is taken, the captain is hanged, his wife lies naked anddead in a dirt. Petr's life is spared on impostor's whim. Masha, thecaptain's daughter, is hidden in the local priest's house. Shvabrin isappointed the fortress commander and has the girl who rejected him in hispower.

All will end well. The young lovers are ready to sacrifice, theirlove will conquer all, the empress Ekaterina is merciful - just like heradversary "emperor" Pugachev.

Like a drowning man gasping forair Pushkin had to get in contact with the qualities his life is soutterlly lacking - integrity, loyalty,love accepted and given back. He hadexperienced all that in Captain's Daughter.

No matter what happens PetrGrinev is true to his nature - the quality respected by friends andenemies. He is always ready to do the right thing - no matter what's theprice. There are things more important than life. Or love.

Puskin's lifeis over, he is not respected, not loved by the woman he chose. So heescapes in art, lives another life, the dream of life he never had.

Lesstalented writer would have succumbed to the pure escapism, but AlexanderPushkin is a genius, what we have instead is a timeless masterpiece, clearand restrained, very modern prose, the characters we care about.No onesucceed in imitating that style.

Puskin is not very well known in theWest. The verse is so Russian it defies a translation, the prose isdeceptively simple - it's very different from "prophetic"writings of Dostoevsky or Tolstoy, the export variant of The Great LateRussian Literature.The reader used to contemplating "the mysteriousRussian soul" will be disappointed.

I am reluctant to recommend thatbook to a Western reader.But Pushkin is one of the reasons I still livehere. ... Read more

Product Description
Alexander Pushkin (1799 1837), Russia s greatest writer, wrote much more than his novel in verse Eugene Onegin. In this selection of five of his finest narrative poems, all his essential qualities are on display his ironic poise, his stylistic variety, his confounding of expectations, his creation of poetry out of everyday language.

The Gypsiesis modern Russian literature s first masterpiece. Telling the anti-Romantic tale of an effete city-dweller whose search forunspoiledvalues among a band of gypsies ends in tragedy, it is the major but unacknowledged source for Bizet s Carmen. InThe BridegroomPushkin turns the Romantic ballad into a whodunnit filled with sexual dread and subconscious terror. InCount Nulin,a deliciously comic tale of country life, he stands Shakespeare sRape of Lucreceon its head what would have happened if Lucrece had slapped Tarquin s face?The Tale of the Dead Princess(Pushkin s version of the Snow White story) transforms Russian folk tale into purest art, and its companion-piece, the eerieTale of the Golden Cockerel(inspired by his bitter experience in with Tsar Nicholas I), savagely politicizes the folk-tale form.

Antony Wood is one of the very few translators who can bring Pushkin authentically alive in English. If, as The Tablet has said, hecomes close to the translator s ideal,so Simon Brett comes close to the illustrator s. This well-known engraver has captured the essence of each of these poems in a single dramatic image, from the firelight reverie of the title poem to the grisly action ofThe Bridegroom.The Gypsies is a double masterpiece: a masterly translation of Pushkin for today and a triumph of the illustrator s art.

Antony Wood is publisher of Angel Books, London. His previous translations of Pushkin s poetry include Mozart and Salieri: The Little Tragedies, Boris Godunov, and a number of lyric poems. He was awarded a Pushkin Medal by the Russian government in 1999, the bicentenary year of Pushkin s birth.

Simon Brett has been making wood engravings since 1961. His prints, bookplates, and book illustrations are among the finest of the present time, and he writes frequently on the history, practice, and current condition of the engraver s art. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Pushkin defines Russian literature
Pushkin is to Russian speakers what Shakespeare is to English speakers. His influence on the prose and poetry of the language is second to no one and writing influences Russian literature to this day. Amazingly Pushkin only lived until the age of 38. Even now you can visit his gravesite (as I did) and still see teenage girls weeping and putting flowers on his grave.

This edition of the complete prose of Pushkin is truly excellent. The Queen of Spades and the Captain's Daughter are included are and are worth the price alone.

The translators, Arndt and Debreczeny, do a fine job in translating Pushkin's prose, while the stories are set up in chronological order so the reader can see Pushkin's growth as a prose writer. In fact this was the volume of Pushkin writings in English I took with me while living in Russia for a short while.

Very readable and a worthwhile introduction to the greatest of Russian writers.

Excellent walk through Pushkin's prose maturation
What makes this book so beautiful is that word "Complete".In one handy reference you can enjoy all of Pushkin's prose.Mr. Debreczeny's translation of Pushkin's work is hearty. I believe it's nearly as close as we can come to feeling the work outside of really knowing Russian.

That would be amazing for me: to know Russian and read Pushkin in the language that he raised high in the face of the patrician encroachment of French that had relegated Russian to servant status.Each language must have a unique and valuable propriety in it's innermost meanings, and in reading this work (plus knowing something of Russian culture), I believe you can feel that unique Russian "thing" even through this translation.

You have about fifteen pieces plus Pushkin's own pre-work/research and some fragments.Mr. Debreczeny has arranged them such that you walk through the development of Pushkin as a prose writer.Early on, he did have quite a disdain for prose in comparison to poetry.To paraphrase Debreczeny, Pushkin's first serious writing treated prose as a necessary evil, writing with technical correctness but approaching parody of itself with strict adherence to the concept of prose as a sterile, low medium for expression.

I the later works, you will see the layering of complex themes and characters into prose that for me felt like driving a standard shift with power-assisted steering -- You get just enough resistance to feel the road and keep you engaged and thinking.Also, you just plain enjoy the ride.

Mr. Debreczeny is an excellent guide in his commentary and in his translation. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (4)

so this is literature . . .
Gentlemen, I am not impressed. I understand that Russians worship Pushkin as the be-all and end-all of their literary language, assigning him much the same significance as we do to Shakespeare or Germans, Goethe. If Pushkin is the best they have to offer, they'd better do some serious searching: perhaps a contest for a $10 prize would ferret out something deeper. True, Pushkin is a decent writer--and I recognize that, having a very sketchy command of Russian and not having read his prose in the Russian original, I cannot begin to capture a fair idea of what he actually sounds like--but I was utterly underwhelmed. And I gave the man a fair whirl: I read his complete tales of Belkin (of which, to be fair, The Undertaker was a reasonably funny stint) and a supposedly entertaining novella, The Captain's Daughter. I have been exposed to a wide array of Russian writers--some titanic, some less known, some quite obscure--and I have yet to find cause to jump up and down. Sorry.

The Best of Them All
Virtually anybody who prepares a list of the five greatest writers in world history will include at least one Russian on the list.If there is only one, that one should be Pushkin.

Unfortunately, Pushkin is given short shrift outside of his homeland.The reason is not hard to explain - most of his work is poetry, which translates badly.What's worse, even in translation his poetry wouldn't read any better than, say, Lermontov, whereas the difference would be obvious to a Russian, just as the difference between Shakespeare and Marlowe would be to an English speaker.

Pushkin's prose works provide a basis for remedying the situation. His stories are disarmingly simple and readable, just like his poetry.Yet practically every major Russian novelist of the nineteenth century acknowledged his debt to Pushkin as a model and crafter of prose, as well as a source of themes.This includes Gogol, Goncharov, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky.

My personal favorites are "The Captain's Daughter", "The Moor of Peter the Great", which is about Pushkin's own great grandfather, who was Ethiopian, and most of all "The Queen of Spades", which practically singlehandedly created the genre of stories of the supernatural.Any one of the stories can be done in one sitting (well, maybe one long sitting for a few of them).Do yourself a favor and make the acquaintance of one of the best writers that ever lived.

Pushkin's Genius Never Fails to Give Us Pleasure!
Given the crowded field of the 19th century writers of the Russian Empire, Pushkin is not appreciated enough. And it's understandable - with Gogol, Dostoievski, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Goncharov and Chekhov around, Pushkin gets squeezed out. His prose and his plays are wonderful to read even in translation, and if you're lucky enough to be able to read Russian, his poetry is simply unsurpassed among the Slavic poets, even the Polish Mickiewicz and the Ukrainian Shevchenko. Pushkin the poet belongs with Shakespeare, Goethe and Byron. Pushkin's stories are fun to read, and are a good introduction to the big league Russian Empire writers that follow him.

Master of Short Stories: Pushkin
Pushkin is a master of the short story form. His stories are written in the clear, taut, concise form that he has become famous for.The Aiken translation is considered by many Russians to be the best.Especiallyrecommended are the TALES OF BELKIN, The Postmaster.Have fun! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Pushkin Rocks!
I am a huge fan of Pushkin, and this isthe best book of his poems! I got this for my birthday, and I read it all night it was so good! I love his poems, and some are even funny.

Fantastic translation
I've bought this book as a gift to my English-speaking friend and was very impressed with the translation. It is so close to the Russian original. I also like that the books includes fairly tales - excellent reading for kids.

An Excellent Translation
After finding this book, I found it difficult to put down. Translating Russian poetry is a challenge indeed, and most translators will make mention of that, but Arndt does not. I have read the original Russian of most of these works, as well as several attempts (all unsuccessful) to translate Pushkin, and this is the first time that any person has been able to successfully render its depth and character in English. If you like good poetry, but can't read Russian, then this is the book you will want, and treasure for years to come. ... Read more