Ivan Krylov’s Fables

Books in the ‘Rereading the Classics’ series give a modern analysis of the works that form part of school literature curricula. This is the first attempt to provide a detailed insight into the spiritual, moral and religious aspects of the art of 19th and 20th century Russian writers. The series is offered as the basis of modern knowledge about Russian literature, which is necessary for high school students to pass school-leaving examinations and to gain admission to any institution of higher learning.

This book is devoted to the fable writing art of Ivan Andreevich Krylov, a great son of the Russian land. The author set himself the task of narrating a general story about fable, the history of the fable genre in Russia comparing Krylov's fables with those of his predecessors in an attempt to explain the uniqueness of Krylov's fables. The author also made an attempt to clarify and revise the current views of Krylov's fables being ‘simplistic’. The Russian fabulist was indeed concerned with ‘important issues’, and his fables fully bear out Nikolai Gogol’s opinion.

For teachers of schools, lyceums and gymnasiums, students, university entrants, philologists and generally for all admirers of Ivan Krylov.