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Russian Fairy Tales Paperback – September 12, 1976

by Aleksandr Afanas'ev (Author)

4.5 343 ratings

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Beautifully illustrated, here is the most comprehensive collection of classic Russian tales available in English.

This comprehensive collection introduces readers to universal fairy-tale figures and to such uniquely Russian characters such as Koshchey the Deathless, Baba Yaga, the Swan Maiden, and the glorious Firebird. The more than 175 tales culled from a landmark multi-volume collection by the outstanding Russian ethnographer Aleksandr Afanas'ev reveal a rich, robust world of the imagination.

Translated by Norbert Guterman
Illustrated by Alexander Alexeieff
With black-and-white illustrations throughout
Part of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Rambunctious, full-blooded, and temperamental, these stories are tense with action, magical, and human. They are gorgeous.”
—Eudora Welty

“The oral folk tradition in Russia was truly a magic spring [that] flowed inexhaustibly, reviving, consoling, and enlightening all who partook of it . . . These stories have an ingenuity that marks them as uniquely Russian.”
—Time

“A beautiful book. I recommend it to all readers, young and old, who are interested in the folktale and its unique qualities.”
—Isaac Bashevis Singer, The New York Times Book Review

“Luckily someone garnered these jewels before they were lost [and] bound them into one volume before they disappeared . . . It is filled with action, magic, and humanity.”
—St. Louis Globe-Democrat

From the Inside Flap

Nearly 200 characteristic and colorful traditional folk and fairy tales are brought together in the only comprehensive edition available in English. Of the original 1945 edition, Eudora Welty wrote, "These Russian tales are rambunctious, full-blooded and temperamental. They are tense with action, magical and human, and move in a kind of cyclone of speed....These tales are gorgeous."

From the Back Cover

Nearly 200 characteristic and colorful traditional folk and fairy tales are brought together in the only comprehensive edition available in English. Of the original 1945 edition, Eudora Welty wrote, "These Russian tales are rambunctious, full-blooded and temperamental. They are tense with action, magical and human, and move in a kind of cyclone of speed....These tales are gorgeous."

About the Author

ALEKSANDR AFANAS'EV (1826-1871) published his groundbreaking collection of Russian folktales and fairy tales in eight volumes, from 1855 to 1867. His success in polarizing Russian folklore and culture is reflected in the work of writers and composers from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov to Igor Stravinsky.

NORBERT GUTERMAN(1900-1984) was a Polish-born translator of scholarly and literary works from French, Polish, Latin, and Russian. Immigrating to the United States in 1933, he also translated works by Bella Chagall, Paracelsus, and Henry Lefebvre.

ALEXANDER ALEXEIEFF(1901-1982) was a Russian-born artist, film animator, filmmaker, and illustrator who created the artwork for Pantheon's first edition of Doctor Zhivago.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

RIDDLES

Near a highway a peasant was sowing a field. Just then the tsar rode by, stopped near the peasant, and said: “Godspeed, little peasant!” “Thank you, my good man!” (He did not know he was speaking to the tsar.) “Do you earn much profit from this field?” “If the harvest is good, I may make eighty rubles.” “What do you do with this money?” “Twenty rubles go for taxes, twenty go for debts, twenty I give in loans, and twenty I throw out of the window.” “Explain to me, brother, what debts you must pay, to whom you loan money, and why you throw money out the window.” “Supporting my father is paying a debt; feeding my son is lending money; feeding my daughter is throwing it out of the window” “You speak the truth,” said the tsar. He gave the peasant a handful of silver coins, disclosed that he was the tsar, and forbade the man to tell these things to anyone outside of his presence: “No matter who asks you, do not answer!”

The tsar came to his capital and summoned his boyars and generals. “Solve this riddle,” he said to them. “On my way I saw a peasant who was sowing a field. I asked him what profit he earned from it and what he did with his money. He answered that if the harvest was good he got eighty rubles, and that he paid out twenty rubles in taxes, twenty for debts, twenty as loans, and twenty he threw out of the window. To him who solves this riddle I will give great rewards and great honors.” The boyars and generals thought and thought but could not solve the riddle. But one boyar hit upon the idea of going to the peasant with whom the tsar had spoken. He gave the peasant a whole pile of silver rubles and asked him: “Tell me the answer to the tsar’s riddle.” The peasant cast a glance at the money, took it, and explained everything to the boyar, who returned to the tsar and repeated the solution to the riddle.

The tsar realized that the peasant had not abided by the imperial command, and ordered that he be brought to court. The peasant appeared before the tsar and at once admitted he had told everything to the boyar. “Well, brother, for such an offense I must order you put to death, and you have only yourself to thank for it.” “Your majesty, I am not guilty of any offense, because I told everything to the boyar in your presence.” As he said this, the peasant drew from his pocket a silver ruble with the tsar’s likeness on it, and showed it to the tsar. “You speak the truth,” said the tsar. “This is my person.” And he generously rewarded the peasant and sent him home.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pantheon; Reissue edition (September 12, 1976)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 672 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0394730909
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0394730905
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 11 years
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 4 - 6
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.84 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.02 x 1.38 x 9.13 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #546,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,168 in Fantasy Anthologies
- #1,979 in Cultural Heritage Fiction
- #4,623 in Folklore (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 343 ratings

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Mr. Nobody

Great set of night time stories

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2006

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I got this book to read to my 4 1/2 year old daughter. I have been reading her a few a night and she loves them. There are tons of short fairy tales which are both magical and fun. I can easily read two a night for months! Many stories involve Baba Yaga who is one of our favorite characters. I like the fact that "witches" and other magical beings represent complex characters capable of both good and evil. This is in stark contrast to many more well known fairy tales where the witch, is portrayed to be just evil. The stories are also less dark and frightening and frequently funnier. The book uses a rich vocabulary which is proving a valuable tool in teaching my daughter as well as myself. In short, I like it and strongly recommend it.

27 people found this helpful

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Mark A. Fitzgerald

Poignant Stories from Russian Culture

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2013

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These stories seem to be a part of a cultural life, clearly Russian, that one can take a hold of. My own sense of having a Russian heritage adds to my interest, but the stories themselves are immediately captivating, and the nature of fairy tales is that one's mind works, and delights in both developing problem and solution. I personally have become acquainted with a body of tales from several to numerous cultures; this invests us in some of the richness that surrounds us. These particular stories have a very plucky, vital quality, and sound good in the telling and spelling out. I would recommend this version, because of the fun it is to open up and read to oneself or aloud to others.

5 people found this helpful

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Tim Nance

Great Collection, but Quantity over Quality

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2008

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Fairy tales, or fictional stories related to local folklore, have long been an important part in the Russian cultural tradition. Very popular throughout Russian history, these rich and diverse tales were typically passed from generation to generation orally due to the fact that the vast majority of Russians were illiterate. However, these stories were not just for the Russian serfs and poor. Rich and poor alike enjoyed these stories, including the Czars. For example, Czar Ivan IV (the Terrible) was said to have "three old blind men [following] each other at his bedside, relating fairy tales before he slumbered". The book Russian Fairy Tales, collected by Aleksandr Afanas'ev and translated by Norbert Guterman, gathers and translates many of these fairy tale stories into one source.

The book itself consists of a large amount of stories (179 total) followed at the end of the book by a folkloristic commentary. There is no apparent ordering to the stories; they seem randomly dispersed. The vast majority of the stories are very short, averaging only a few pages each. In fact, many of the stories are less than a page long. I would have preferred less and longer stories, which are more complicated and detailed. Fortunately, there were a few such stories in the book, which I found to be the most enjoyable ones. The book is handsomely illustrated throughout by Alexander Alexeieff in a style resembling wood carvings, matching the feel and style of the stories perfectly. The commentary at the end of the book, written by Russian linguist Roman Jokobson, goes into depth about the history of folklore in Russia and how these stories were passed on. It is well written and very informative and enjoyable, offering an insight into the process and cultural basis of these stories.

The stories themselves are very diverse yet simple. There are a few common themes throughout, including regular appearances by Baba Yaga (a witch-like character), anthropomorphic animals, and peasant empowerment. Many of the stories also have dark themes, characters, and events that would seem inappropriate in today's children stories. For example, there are many instances of death and limbs or heads being hacked off. Like most fairy tales, most of the stories end with a positive lesson or moral; the overly greedy get punished and the heroic and respectful get rewarded. However, there are a few odd stories that seem to have no moral and end abruptly, such as one below:
The bear entered the room. From fear the old man groaned [...] and the old woman coughed [...]. The bear found them and ate them.
Maybe this is just a facet of Russian humor, but it seems quirky and out of place. However, the stories are for the most part entertaining, albeit a bit repetitive after the first hundred or so.

Altogether, Russian Fairy Tales delivers exactly what its title describes. Unfortunately, the author decided to go with quantity over quality. There are just too many extremely short stories and not enough long stories. That does not mean the works are not enjoyable, the reader just has to sift through a lot of less enjoyable or odd stories to get to the gems. However, the book does offer a good insight into the Russian folklore tradition, and the commentary at the end of the book was excellent. Also, the pictures throughout the book got me into the mood of the material, which added to the overall experience. I would recommend reading the book if you have any interest in Russian fairy tales.

13 people found this helpful

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Richard DeWitt

Baba Yaga says buy this book

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

First off, let me say this is a big book. Not physically big, or heavy mind you, but almost 700 pages, and it's jammed with tales, so for the price you're getting content. The picture also doesn't do the cover justice, it even looks nice sitting up there on your bookshelf.

If you like Russian folk tales, or folk tales in general, you'll like this compilation. I haven't gone through the whole thing, but I recognized a few tales from when I was a kid like Vasilisa the Beautiful. It's illustrated, but it's more of a book/book than anything, so if you're getting it to read for your kid I'd wait until they're maybe in the 5 and above range at least.

15 people found this helpful

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Shaherazade

and folkways of a culture is often better undertaken through a study of its oral literary traditions

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

For someone who is interested in folk literature, as an adult pursuit, the Pantheon series has no peer. This installment is just as well done as the other studies in the series. Understanding a culture into which you were not born is overwhelming. To study the philosophy, the religious and moral values, and folkways of a culture is often better undertaken through a study of its oral literary traditions, rather than through traditional history books. I feel that the Pantheon series has made this pursuit easier and more accessible. Now, more than ever, we need bridges to understanding diverse cultures. I have taught ESL students for many years, and through folk literature, I have found a way to foster understanding among my students. These books may cost more than other collections of folk literature, but they are worth the money, considering the publisher's commitment to excellence in research and translation.

4 people found this helpful

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Kathryn

Superb for general reading or for serious folk tale study

Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2008

Verified Purchase

I am a relatively serious student of fairy tales and folk tales. I was fascinated to find this book, and it did not disappoint at all.

I knew that Fairy Tales and folk myths in original (non-Disney) form offer a frightening glimpse into the medieval world, with death, violence, starvation, hunger, privations the norm.

This is a glimpse into the history of the world and one very well worth remembering.

Some themes are similar to those one might find elsewhere, such as in Grimm's. This does not detract from the value of this book, as many themes in world literature recur, as they are part of our collective unconscious.

A fascinating read.

18 people found this helpful

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Quentin Hudspeth

Not as pictured

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2024

Verified Purchase

Item is not as pictured. No dust jacket, broken corners. Otherwise ok.

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Leticia

Cultura

Reviewed in Brazil on October 8, 2021

Verified Purchase

É tão bom poder adquirir cultura de outros países e em outras línguas mesmo sendo de uma nação diferente!! O livro é muito bom, só não levem ao pé da letra por que, como sabem, o livro está escrito em inglês.

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Siddharth Tripathi

Outstanding collection

Reviewed in India on October 18, 2023

Verified Purchase

Translated Russian books were available in most book stores in the 90s, and they were cheap too; but then USSR split up and all that stopped and we were left with the good old "classics" from the west. And then the West took over Russian literature and so now we have to manage with collections like these. But can't complain. This is a great collection of Russian Fairytales - no one has written anything as good since these were printed.

One person found this helpful

Montse

Bien

Reviewed in Spain on November 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

Esta edición acompaña los cuentos con pequeñas ilustraciones. Desde mi punto de vista, es súper completo.
El contra es que el libro llegó con desperfectos.

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andrea tobias

excelente

Reviewed in Mexico on February 1, 2020

Verified Purchase

el producto llego en excelentes condiciones, el contenido del libro es bueno tiene muchos cuentos clasicos, podria tener mas comentarios de analisis pero es disfrutable.

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Karen Shrimpton

Global folktale chasing is fun and enlightening.

Reviewed in Australia on October 1, 2020

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Great book. Great tales. Highly recommended.

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