Russian Fairy Tales

Russian Fairy Tales by Aleksandr Afanasev is a classic collection of Russian folk tales. Originally published in 1866, this version was translated by Norbert Guterman in 1946. In this book there are over 200 stories and poems that were collected by Afanasev, these tales are a mosaic of Russian folklore running the gamut from tragedy, romance, humor and adventure. Simple tales that you can well imagine being passed from one generation to another on long Russian nights.

It is obvious in the reading that many, if not most, of these tales were meant to teach life lessons. Many of the stories end abruptly with the death of the main character, illustrating the point of the story - not to do, go or eat something that you have been warned off show more of. Of course some are obviously simple tales meant to evoke laughter and escape. From obscure stories of simpletons, princesses and talking creatures to the more famous tales of Baba Yaga, Jack Frost and the Fire Bird, one can see how these stores became known as oral poetry.

Passed along verbally over the generations, many variations of the same story emerged. Some would add a humorous slant to their version, others added political touches that had meaning to his audience, while the sly, enterprising storyteller often ended his tale thusly, “This is the end of my tale, and I now would not mind having a glass of vodka.”. show less

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. Source: Google Books

Interesting stories - It seems the theme is the same. I wonder if our Hans Christian Anderson Fairy tales have the same repetitive story?

This is the first book that made me fall in love with the Pantheon Fairy Tale Library.

It's a collection of Russian Folk Tales, with a decent index and cute illustrations that go along with the stories.

This is the first book that made me fall in love with the Pantheon Fairy Tale Library.

It's a collection of Russian Folk Tales, with a decent index and cute illustrations that go along with the stories.

Book Description: Toronto: Pantheon Books Random House of Canada Limited, 1973. Hard Cover Red Cloth. Very Good Condition. Second Edition. 6" x 9" 661 Pages. Illustrated in black and white. Translated by Norbert Guterman from the collections of Aleksandr Afanas'ev.

Una bella edizione per questa raccolta completa di fiabe, curata dal padre dell'etnografia russa, Aleksandr Nikolaevič Afanas'ev. Linguista, studioso di folclore, scrittore ha riunito le fiabe popolari della tradizione, chiamate dalla gente “kazki”, ossia "le cose dette", tramandate e vive nella memoria collettiva. Troviamo in queste storie il mondo contadino e l'immaginario scaturito dal regno animale, vegetale, dai paesaggi e dai ritmi delle stagioni: bestie palanti, streghe, principi ardimentosi e principesse vittime di incantesimi. Gli ingredienti tipici della favolistica nella lontana terra russa.