"The Shot" is a story about a duel between two people, Sylvio and an unnamed Count. The narrative revolves around the shot that did not take place, one that goes on forever. The unfinished duel becomes something like a lifelong ambition for Sylvio, who is chasing the Count. Switching between different narrators, Pushkin is trying to piece together the line of events as they happened, but every time something new arises. A great story that keeps the reader on tenterhooks, wishing for a swif...

What seems to be quite an ordinary short story of a seduction and abduction of a young girl, "The Stationmaster" proves to be one of Pushkin's best tales. At first sight an innocent kiss, the parting gift of Dunia to the traveler sends the mundane world of the stationmaster Samson Vyrin into complete disorder. Pushkin's narrative style and knowledge of the human soul paint a picture of emotional waterfalls and whirlpools that threaten to engulf the characters. A story about how people cope...

"The Undertaker" is a supernatural gothic tale by Pushkin, which features Adrian Prokhorov, an undertaker, who comes to a new place. He is a very straight-forward man, and does not tolerate deviation from the norm. He is then invited to a wedding by his neighbours, where a lot of drinking is spent. The supernatural is just round the corner when a mishandled toast is proposed. The picturesque depiction of the danse macabre/walking-dead midnight party is exceptional, and Pushkin succeeds in ...

Pyotr Andreyich Grinyov is the only surviving child of a retired army officer. When Pyotr turns 17, his father sends him into military service in Orenburg. En route Pyotr gets lost in a blizzard, but is rescued by a mysterious man. As a token of his gratitude, Pyotr gives the guide his hareskin jacket. Arriving in Orenburg, Pyotr reports to his commanding officer and is assigned to serve at Belogorsky fortress under captain Ivan Mironov. The fortress is nothing more than a fence around a v...

The short story collection "The Belkin Tales" consists of five unrelated stories told by various narrators to a landowner who has recently died. Ivan Belkin, the landowner, was a strange and mysterious man, who indulged in the collection of stories. Here, Pushkin has included military figures, rich businessmen and ordinary people, who find themselves in extraordinary situations. The Belkin Prize is also the most prestigious award for short fiction in Russia. The stories included are the au...

"The Queen of Spades" is a short story that explores the sins of gambling and the bottomless greed of man. When an officer learns that there is a woman who holds the key to always winning at cards, he almost sells his soul to the Devil. The following actions reveal the secret to him, but at a horrifying price. The story is Pushkin's probing into human wickedness and how often our greatest desires spell our greatest downfall. A well-paced, supernatural story that keeps you hooked till the l...

Pushkin's story tells of the Russianized German card player, Hermann--an engineer in the army in Russia--who becomes obsessed with the secret of three consecutive winning cards after hearing a story about an old countess' winnings years prior. His obsession drives him to manipulate the countess' ward, Lizaveta Ivanovna, into letting him into their home.

In 1820, Pushkin visited the famous Fountain of Tears in Crimea, where he read about the ancient Crimean khans and rulers. Shrouded in secrets and legends, the ancient building impressed the young poet so much that he decided to write a poem about it. The resulting tale is a sad and tragic outcome of the sharp contradictions between the characters' expectations in the Khan's palace. Reality and dreams cannot coexist, and everyone has to pay a bitter price for their cherished desires. A pro...

"Eugene Onegin" is one of the most popular Russian classics of all time. Written in verse, it is Pushkin's answer to the Byronic hero in England, and further elevates Pushkin as the best Russian poet. A bored rich nobleman comes to rural Russia, where he meets a young woman with whom he falls in love. Some misunderstanding follows where Onegin kills a friend of his in a duel. The strictly conversational tone of the novel, as well as the careful depiction of characters, their inner worlds, ...

The story is set in Saint Petersburg in the early 19th century and tells the tale of a young man named Vladimir who falls in love with a beautiful young woman named Marie.Vladimir is an impoverished artist, while Marie is the daughter of a wealthy aristocrat. Despite the differences in their social status, the two become deeply in love, and Vladimir finds himself consumed by his passion for Marie.However, their love is not to be, as Marie's father is determined to prevent the marriage of h...

The only novel Pushkin ever wrote, "The Captain's Daughter" is a story written in the same vein as Walter Scott's historical romances. Though his attempts at prose were not that warmly welcomed by the Russian audience as his poetic endeavours, the novel is a masterful and successful experiment with literary conventions and genres. A novel as real as life and portraying the consciousness of Russians at the time, "The Captain's Daughter" is a romance of oppositions, revolutions, social criti...

"Doubrovsky" is an unfinished novel by Pushkin, published after his death, and follows the adventures of a Russian Robin-Hood-like figure, whose land is confiscated by a shady aristocrat. Combining elements from romance and thriller, the novel is a detailed examination of the human condition and the social injustice that destroys the lives of innocent people. The fast-paced action, well-written style and characters, as well as the nicely-executed plot makes "Doubrovsky" a novel worth readi...