Aleksandr Pushkin, Povesti Belkina [The Tales of Belkin]

A.D.P. Briggs (University of Bristol)
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Alexander Pushkin's

Povesti Pokoinogo Ivana Petrovicha Belkina

[

The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin

] (to give them their full title, or simply

The Tales of Belkin

) were written in late summer of 1830 on the author's remote estate of Boldino, where he had become stranded because of a cholera outbreak. Published the following year, they consist of an introductory note (“From the Publisher”) and five short stories, the whole collection amounting to about 20,000 words.

Pushkin decided to publish them anonymously, partly in order to avoid the censor's eye – while not exactly subversive they do exude the kind of democratic spirit that might have got him into trouble – but perhaps also because he was a little unsure of himself, these being his first completed prose works. Even

1201 words

Citation: Briggs, A.D.P.. "Povesti Belkina". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 May 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11205, accessed 19 March 2024.]

11205 Povesti Belkina 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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