The Queen of Spades and Other Stories is a collection of short fiction showcasing Alexander Pushkin''s application of Romantic sensibilities to uncompromising studies of human frailty. This Penguin Classics edition is translated with an introduction by Rosemary Edwards.
''The Queen of Spades'', one of Pushkin''s most popular and chilling short stories, tells of an inveterate card player who develops a dangerous obsession with the secret of an old lady''s luck, which he believes will bring him the wealth he craves. ''The Negro of Peter the Great'', a story based on the life Pushkin''s own great-grandfather, is a vivid depiction - and criticism - of both French and Russian society, while ''Dubrovsky'' is the Byronic tale of a dispossessed young officer. ''The Captain''s Daughter'' tells of a young man sent to military service - based on the actual events of the rebellion against Catherine II, it demonstrates Pushkin''s unparalleled skill at blending fiction and history.
