Konstantin Paustovsky wrote his main fairy tales at the end of the war and in the first post-war years—hence their poignancy. Everything in these tales is simple, mundane; there are almost no miracles. Here, it is nature that is endowed with magical power: a sparrow, a frog, a horse, frosts, rains. Magical power invades people's lives and, depending on their actions, either helps a person or punishes them. Light and shadows flicker swiftly and easily, one scene replacing another. "Writing a fairy tale is just as difficult as describing the faint scent of grass in words," K. Paustovsky confessed. "You write a fairy tale holding your breath—so as not to blow away the delicate pollen with which it is covered..." It feels as though Gennady Epishin illustrated Konstantin Paustovsky while also "holding his breath." How else to explain this absolute fusion of word and drawing? Konstantin Paustovsky's stories and fairy tales are included in the school curriculum for extracurricular reading. The works in this collection of fairy tales are included in full, without abridgment.
Contents: The Disheveled Sparrow, The Steel Ring, The Tree Frog, The Artel Men,
Warm Bread.
Author: Konstantin Paustovsky
Illustrations: Gennady Epishin
Pages: 152 (coated paper). Hardcover
Dimensions: 220x220 mm
