The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience - reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This edition of 62 of Krylov's tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina. Krylov's fables represent a combination of satire, rational moralizing, and details of Russian rural and provincial life, with an admixture of lyricism and references to historical events and figures. As a source of phrases and aphorisms that have entered the Russian language, Krylov's influence upon his native tongue is roughly analogous to that of Shakespeare upon English. This BILINGUAL, colorfully illustrated edition is an ideal gift for language learners, adoptees and Russophiles of all ages.