13 h 51 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A secret at the card table, a rebellion at the fortress gates: how much can one choice cost?
In The Queen of Spades, Hermann watches others gamble but never plays—until an old Countess's secret takes hold of him. Her lonely ward, Lizaveta Ivanovna, hopes his letters promise a different life. In The Captain's Daughter, Pyotr Grinyov faces rebellion at a remote fortress, where love for Masha Mironova meets hard questions of honor.
Alexander Pushkin's collection moves from Saint Petersburg gambling rooms to country roads and lonely outposts. Dubrovsky follows a young officer whose family loses its estate through a rigged lawsuit; the story remains unfinished. The Tales of Belkin brings comic and sad stories under an invented author's name, including The Postmaster, where Samson Vyrin fears losing his beloved daughter.
What you’ll discover
- Chance becomes an obsession Follow Hermann as the promise of winning at cards takes hold of his thoughts.
- Courage without a boast Meet Masha Mironova, whose modest manner holds a quiet courage amid rebellion.
- Power turns neighbors apart Watch a quarrel between former friends bring ruin and drive Vladimir Dubrovsky toward outlaw life.
- A father's tender fear Visit the stationmaster Samson Vyrin, whose love for Dunya carries the fear of loss.
- Plain words that linger Discover how a few exact details make room for comedy, sadness, fate and honor.
Who will love it
For readers who love clear Russian fiction and tales of fate, honor and chance, from ghostly gambling stories to romance and rebellion. It also rewards readers of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky who want to see where they began.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A gambler stakes everything on a secret
- A ward in the house becomes his way in
- A boy, a snowstorm and a fortress
- Rebellion, honor and a hard choice
- A noble outlaw and a quarrel between neighbors
- Small tales told by a country gentleman
Who’s who
- HermannA thrifty young engineer officer in The Queen of Spades who becomes obsessed with an old woman's secret of winning at cards.
- Lizaveta IvanovnaThe Countess's poor and lonely ward, who hopes that a letter from a young officer will bring her a new life.
- Pyotr GrinyovA young nobleman in The Captain's Daughter who tells of his youth in a remote fortress and of the rebellion that reached it.
- Masha MironovaThe modest daughter of the fortress commander, who wins Grinyov's love and shows quiet courage.
- PugachevThe Cossack leader of the great rebellion, who is shrewd, dangerous and capable of surprising kindness.
- Vladimir DubrovskyA young officer who loses his family estate through a rigged lawsuit and takes to the forest as an outlaw.
- Kirila TroekurovA rich, bullying landowner whose power over local courts brings ruin to his old friend's family.
- Samson VyrinThe humble stationmaster in The Postmaster, who loves his daughter Dunya and fears losing her.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 13 h 51 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Die Prosadichtungen Alexander Puschkins in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Die Prosadichtungen Alexander Puschkins
by Alexander Sergejewitsch Puschkin
In Saint Petersburg, Hermann pursues the secret of three winning cards and risks his life on a gambling obsession.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Aleksandr Pushkin is best known as Russia's great poet, but in his last years he turned to prose, and this collection gathers the stories he left. Most were written between 1830 and 1836, and he died in 1837 after a duel.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A gambler stakes everything on a secret
The Queen of Spades opens at a card party in Saint Petersburg. A young officer named Hermann, an engineer of German descent, watches the others play all night but never touches a card. He is careful with money and lives on his pay. He tells his friends that he cannot risk the necessary in the hope of winning the extra.
Then a fellow officer, Tomsky, tells a story about his grandmother, an old Countess. Years before, in Paris, she lost a fortune at cards. A mysterious count then told her a secret of three cards that would win. She played them, and she won back everything.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Die Prosadichtungen Alexander Puschkins
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Captain's Daughter about?
It is a short historical novel set during the Pugachev rebellion of 1773 to 1775. A young officer, Pyotr Grinyov, serves in a remote fortress, falls in love with the commander's daughter, and must choose between duty, honor and survival.
What is The Queen of Spades about?
It is a short tale of an officer, Hermann, who hears that an old Countess knows a secret of three winning cards. His wish to learn it draws him into deception and a fatal obsession with gambling.
What are the Tales of Belkin?
They are five short stories Pushkin wrote in 1830 and presented as the work of an invented country gentleman, Ivan Belkin. They are The Shot, The Snowstorm, The Undertaker, The Postmaster and Mistress into Maid.
The author
Alexander Pushkin
1799–1837 · Russian poet and novelist
Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist. He was born in Moscow in 1799 and died in Saint Petersburg in 1837. He wrote Eugene Onegin between 1823 and 1831. His other works include the play Boris Godunov and the stories The Queen of Spades and The Captain’s Daughter.
More by Alexander Sergejewitsch Puschkin
All 4 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
