Alexander Pushkin’s greatest short story. Hermann, a young German officer serving in the Engineers regiment, is obsessed by gambling, although he never indulges in it himself. One night he hears a tale about how a wealthy eighty-seven-year-old Countess in St. Petersburg once learned the secret of how to win on three cards from the Duc d’Orleans. He becomes obsessed with learning the secret himself.
In pursuit of this aim, he becomes enamored of the Countess’ companion, the beautiful Lizaveta. A nocturnal visit to his paramour, however, turns to tragedy as he finds himself in the chamber of the Countess and tries first by persuasion and then by force to get her to reveal the secret of the cards. The denouement of the story is uncanny and captivating.
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"A great short introduction into the interesting life of Pushkin. With poems, letters, historical photos, drawings of the poet Pushkin. German-Russian edition. " — Juliane (4 out of 5 stars)
"A great short introduction into the interesting life of Pushkin. With poems, letters, historical photos, drawings of the poet Pushkin. German-Russian edition. "
" I love Pushkin! If you love poetry you gotta love him, that all I can say. His work is fantastic, his poetry amazing! "
" The perfect way to read Pushkin, comparing the Russian original to a good English translation "
Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837), known as the father of Russian literature, was descended from Russian nobility and from an African great-grandfather raised at the court of Peter the Great. His commitment to social reform resulted in government censorship of his work and a period of exile. He died after fighting a duel at the age of thirty-seven.
Cathy Dobson is the author of Planet Germany and a narrator of audiobooks.
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