Alexander Pushkin: The Collected Stories Hardcover – May 18, 1999

I had just finished Anna Karenina and remembered that I had this volume of Pushkin on the shelf.I figured that since Tolstoy took his clues from "Russia's first great writer" that these must beat least as good. I must say that I enjoyed these stories much more, and I adored Anna Karennina.Perhaps this is because they were short stories yet I believe that Pushkin has a more directstyle and some of his stuff is just hysterical. Having read Massey's incredible "Peter the Great,"I thought the Blackamoor of Peter the Great caught Peter's spirit perfectly.All in all, like Tolstoy, Chekov and the rest of the Russian greats, this is a wonderful glimpse into afar way land of long ago with curious customs and characters that are so well developed. I love how heilluminates the position and sentiments of serfdom for it goes a long way to understand just how many ofus had families who emerged from serfdom which was just another form of slavery and how freedom as weunderstand it is really a modern thing. I believe that the story "Dubrovskii" to be worth the price ofadmission by itself.A perfect companion for the cold winter nights.

A whole book could be written on the fascinating story of Pushkin's life cut short at 37 in an 1837 duel, as well as the undeniable impact Pushkin had on Russian literature, including on two Russian giants of Western literature, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, and, to a lesser degree, on Russian music, including that of Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky.Pushkin was a poet, but wanting to "deal with the affairs of society, he had to learn to speak its language" thus, he had to "train himself to write in prose."This is a splendid collection of all of Pushkin's stories in prose, including the novella "The Captain's Daughter." His prose has been labeled "swift and economical." To Pushkin, the style of the prose was secondary to the story itself. I love his stories and, in my opinion, this purchase is worth it for the masterful "History of Pugachev," Pushkin's history of the man who rebelled against Catherine the Great.Enjoy.

Pushkin, like many Russian writers, is great at setting the context and then presenting a conflict that makes sense in that context. The reader has a sense of being present in the Russia of the time and sharing the complex relationships that would naturally emerge in such a place. He presents the drama of the ordinary and also of the extreme.Again, like other Russian writers, sometimes her presents stories that lack a narrative arc and simply end without resolution. This, too is similar to life; sometimes life begins, is, and ends with drama. How weird is that?

Pushkin is by all measure a must-read for fans of Russian literature. This book is a great collection of his stories in a high-quality collectible hardcover. I found the stories themselves to be a mixed bag--some were excellent and some were less interesting. My favorites were the Captain's Daughter and Dubrovski. Unfortunately, Dubrovski was one of the stories Pushkin didn't quite finish. Overall, the collection of stories covers a wide variety of topics even including Cleopatra. This definitely deserves to be considered a classic.

I just love this book. From the introduction, chronology to the wonderful tales, awesome read. It is so fascinating and I feel like I am there. Highly recommend.

Alexander Pushkin is among the greatest poets and writers of all time - period!He is the soul of Russia - it's Shakespeare and a towering force of breathtaking insight into the human condition.If these stories don't make you think deeper and better and arouse your creative instincts you are probably only somewhat alive.

This book contains the short stories of Alexander Pushkin. Pushkin ranks as one of the greatest arthors in Russian literary history and these stories confirm this judgement The translation is excellant and I cannot beleive that any reader who enjoys great literature will not love this book.

This is a collection of classic stories. Russia's favorite writer. Excellent.