Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin

The Queen of Spades

Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin

Ned Summers 

A perfectly sized chunk of escapism. Read in one 45 minute sitting; absorbing whilst remaining easy to read. A good story for a dark, cold evening.

Amir M 

I'm not gonna imply that this book is overrated, but I certainly didn't get what I was hoping for from it.

Sofia Collodel

"Two fixed ideas cannot exist in the brain at the same time any more than two bodies can occupy the same point in space." 


A wonderful short story about human avarice and obsession with money and wealth, clearly showing what people is willing to do to get it. Why it was so short ?? Because it contains everything it needs in just a few words.
Hermann was ready to do whatever was necessary just to know the secret of the play cards that could assure him a huge wealth, so he played with Lizavetta’s emotions, trying to convince her of his love, just to learn the secret from the Countess.
I really liked this short story. It was the first work I have read from Pushkin and I was pleasantly surprised.

Анастасия Розова

3.5/5
*Read for class.

I wish it was longer, but I liked it enough.

Ilse

"Three, seven, ace, will win for you if played in succession, but only on these conditions"

After some more thinking over this story, I'm bumping my rating up from 3 to 4 stars, as I really enjoyed how this story was put together, and how Pushkin brought his characters and setting to life. The twist at the end was amazingly written (though not very surprising, thinking it over afterwards). Nevertheless, Alexander Pushkin really knows what he was doing into this story, and has created a beautiful portrayal of human avarice. Definitely a must read!

LaToia Bates

Somehow I think that something was lost in translation. The story was enjoyable however I found it lacking in atmosphere. Don't get me wrong I really enjoined the read I just wished I had a translation with a bit more meat (or knew Russian then I would have no need for a translation.)

Александр Сергеевич Пушкин

В Панов

Пиковая дама

Ana Jankovic

I loved how I managed to read this in only one sitting. It is probably because it is very short, but also very intriguing. The story is witty, has a message and a couple of memorable quotes, I'll list mine down below:
''Play interests me greatly,' replied the person addressed, 'but I hardly care to sacrifice the necessaries of life for uncertain superfluities.''(Herman)

"Two fixed ideas cannot exist in the brain at the same time any more than two bodies can occupy the same point in space. The tray, seven, and ace soon chased away the thoughts of the dead woman, and all other thoughts from the brain of the young officer."

"In his heart there echoed something like the voice of conscience, but it grew silent, and his heart once more turned to stone."

"The bread of the stranger is bitter," says Dante, "and his staircase hard to climb." But who can know what the bitterness of dependence is so well as the poor companion of an old lady of quality?"

"He could not believe his eyes, nor could he understand how he had made such a mistake. At that moment it seemed to him that the queen of spades smiled ironically and winked her eye at him. He was struck by her remarkable resemblance... "The old Countess!" he exclaimed, seized with terror."

Karolína Kýčková

The negro of Peter the Great, Dubrovsky, The captain's daughter.

The queen of spades

Maria

The Queen of Spades has long been acknowledged as one of the world's greatest short stories. In this classic literary representation of gambling, Alexander Pushkin explores the nature of obsession. Hints of the occult and gothic alternate with scenes of St Petersburg high-society in the story of the passionate Hermann's quest to master chance and make his fortune at the card-table. Underlying the taut plot is an ironical treatment of the romantic dreamer and social outcast. This volume contains three other major works of Pushkin's fiction, moving from the witty parodies of sentimentalism and high melodrama in The Tales of Belkin to an early experiment with recreating the past in Peter the Great's Blackamoor. It concludes with the novel-length masterpiece The Captain's Daughter, which combines historical fiction in the manner of Sir Walter Scott with the colour and devices of the Russian fairy-tale in a narrative of rebellion and romance. These new translations, as well as being meticulously faithful to the original, do full justice to the elegance and fluency of Pushkin's prose. The Introduction provides insightful readings of the stories and places them in their European literary context. A chronology of the Pugachov Uprising illuminates the events in The Captain's Daughter.

The Queen of Spades ; The Captain's Daughter ; Peter the Great's Blackamoor

Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin

Jim Hagan

Ibragimova Renata

Nikita 

Catrin Ashton

Mari

Siya S

Ilona Labská 

Philip Seifi

Cams Campbell

Alexander Pushkin

This volume contains new translations of four of Pushkin's best works of fiction. The Queen of Spades has long been acknowledged as one of the world's greatest short stories, in which Pushkin explores the nature of obsession. The Tales of Belkin are witty parodies of sentimentalism, while Peter the Great's Blackamoor is an early experiment with recreating the past. The Captain's Daughter is a novel-length masterpiece which combines historical fiction in the manner of Sir Walter Scott with the devices of the Russian fairy-tale. The introduction provides close readings of the stories and places them in their European literary context.

The Queen of Spades

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