Aleksandr Afanasev

Books: Fairy Tales | Folktales

Russian Fairy Tales (1945)

Russian Fairy Tales (1945) translated by Norbert Guterman, Illustrated by Alexander Alexeieff

Fantastic collection of Russian Folk and Fairy tales. Some that I had read before, some that were similar to other tales from other areas, which is not surprising, consider that so many themes appear repeatedly across cultures. I was fascinated by the similar beginnings and endings and other themes that ran through the tales "Go to bed, the morning is wiser than the evening" was one theme that appeared repeatedly, and many tales frequently ended with the assertion that the story teller was there for the big final celebration, although the wording was somewhat unusual. All in all, highly enjoyable and highly recommended.

Publisher: Pantheon Books