Russian Classics Series

A classic Russian historical military novel set during the Pugachev Rebellion which contrasts the human internal world with the inevitable movements of history “Time has done nothing to dull the excitement of the story, which, for all its romantic coincidences, is something more than a mere tale of adventure” —The New York Times Alexander Pushkin’s short novel is set during the reign of Catherine the Great, when the Cossacks rose up in rebellion against the Russian empress. Presented as the memoir of Pyotr Grinyov, a nobleman, The Captain’s Daughter tells how, as a feckless youth and fledgling officer, Grinyov was sent from St. Petersburg to serve in faraway southern Russia. Traveling to take up this new post, Grinyov loses his shirt gambling and then loses his way in a terrible snowstorm, only to be guided to safety by a mysterious peasant. With impulsive gratitude Grinyov hands over his fur coat to his savior, never mind the cold. Soon after he arrives at Fort Belogorsk, Grinyov falls in love with Masha, the beautiful young daughter of his captain. Then Pugachev, leader of the Cossack rebellion, surrounds the fort. Resistance, he has made it clear, will be met with death. At once a fairy tale and a thrilling historical novel, this singularly Russian work of the imagination is also a timeless, universal, and very winning story of how love and duty can summon pluck and luck to confront calamity.

Der junge Pjotr Andrejewitsch ist entsetzt, als sein Vater ihn zum Militärdienst in ein Provinznest und nicht nach St. Petersburg schickt. Doch dann verliebt er sich in die Tochter des dortigen Hauptmanns. Als ein Bauernaufstand die Festung bedroht, begibt sich Pjotr für Marja in große Gefahr. Er muss sich seinem Rivalen stellen und wird sogar des Verrats bezichtigt. Schließlich ist es die Hauptmannstochter selbst, die dafür sorgt, dass die Liebenden zueinander finden.