Alexander Afanasyev (1826–1871)
Author of Russian Fairy Tales
About the Author
Image credit: Alexander N. Afanasjew. Wikimedia Commons.
Series
Works by Alexander Afanasyev
Russian Folktales from the Collection of A. Afanasyev: A Dual-Language Book (Dover Dual Language Russian) (2014) 16 copies
Das goldmähnige Pferd : russische Zaubermärchen ; aus der Sammlung von Alexander Afanasjew ; [aus dem Russischen] (1988) 5 copies
Russian Fairy Tales 5 copies
Sprookjes uit het oude Rusland 4 copies
Russian Fairy Tales 2 copies
La abuela Baba - Yaga 1 copy
Народные русские сказки. 1 copy
Le bestie del bosco 1 copy
L'oiseau de feu 1 copy
Cuentos populares rusos 1 copy
The Flying Ship 1 copy
La princesa hechizada y otros cuentos/ The Charmed Princess and Other Stories: Cuentos Populares Rusos/ Popular Russian… (2008) 1 copy
Russian Folk Tales for Children, Collected: by Aleksand Nikolaevich Afanas'ev. With Illustrations, etc. (Russian… (1870) 1 copy
Skazki 1 copy
Afanasjew 1 copy
Le grandi fiabe russe 1 copy
Lisa i zhuravl' 1 copy
Baba Yaga e Vasilisa, A Bela 1 copy
As mais belas fábulas russas 1 copy
Fiabe sul potere 1 copy
Fiabe popolari russe 1 copy
Zaveštani tetreb 1 copy
Ruske narodne bajke 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Afanasyev, Alexander
- Birthdate
- 1826-07-23
- Date of death
- 1871-10-05
- Burial location
- Pyatnitskoye Cemetery, Moscow, Russia
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- Russia
- Birthplace
- Boguchar, Voronezh Oblast, Russia
- Place of death
- Moscow, Russia
- Places of residence
- Boguchar, Voronezh Oblast, Russia (birth)
- Education
- Moscow University (Law)
- Occupations
- Writer
Journalist
Folklorist - Short biography
- Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev was a Russian folklorist who recorded and published over 600 Russian folktales and fairytales. 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. He was educated at the Voronezh gymnasium and from 1844-48 he studied law at the University of Moscow.
Afanasyev worked for thirteen years at the Moscow's Main Archive Directorate under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire. In 1862 he was fired from his position, eventually finding work as a secretary at the Moscow City Duma and at the Moscow Congress of Justices of the Peace.
He died in poverty in 1871, at the age of forty-five.
(source: Wikipedia)
Members
Reviews
Cuentos populares rusos (Coleccion Moby Dick 27) by Afanasiev
8470801244
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.… (more)
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.… (more)
These fairytales were…interesting to say the least. It was nice reading them and getting to know what a portion of the metaphorical landscape of Russian fairytales and folklore looks like. Some of them were weird, as what happens with most folklore of different countries. But they were definitely unique.
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Statistics
- Works
- 132
- Also by
- 7
- Members
- 2,464
- Popularity
- #10,404
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 42
- ISBNs
- 193
- Languages
- 14
- Favorited
- 3