Polish fairy tales

An important role in the formation of the culture of each nation plays its folklore: epics, sagas, fairy tales. This book introduces readers to the tales of old Poland. They reflected the features of the daily life of the Poles of past centuries, their life, the image of thoughts, beliefs. And of course, as in the tales of other peoples of the world, in these fairy tales there are many magical, mysterious, mystical, and sometimes frightening.

The plots of some Polish fairy tales in their design I remind Russian novels or fairy tales, others are not at all similar to them. For example, the plot of the fairy tale “Invisible cloaks” a little reminiscent of the Gogolevsky “Viya”, and the fairy tale “A wonderful ring” in some places is similar to the famous story of Shergin, in which the dog and the cat help its Savior. On the other hand, the plot of the fairy tale "Raspberry House" is completely original. A comparison of Polish fairy tales included in this collection with fabulous plots already known to you is an interesting lesson. It will certainly give you pleasure.

eighteen Polish fairy tales that made up this book were first printed by the famous Moscow publisher Ivan Dmitrievich Sytin in 1914. He made a fantastic career from a henchman in a book shop to a prominent book publisher and the owner of a large chain of bookstores and shops. Ivan Dmitrievich tried to make books inexpensive and attractive for readers. For this, he attracted the best artists of Russia to the design of his products. Such masters of painting as Ilya Efimovich Repin and Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin collaborated with Sytin.

, to illustrate the collection of Polish fairy tales, Sytin attracted the talented artist Valery Nikolayevich Kurdyumov. His drawings decorate this modern edition. It is enough to look at any of his illustrations to immediately understand - this is the work of a genuine master. Kurdyumov perfectly owned the composition and technique of a bar drawing. With the help of thin lines, he perfectly conveyed a bear fur, folds of clothes or a play of light and shadow on stones in a forest more often. In his manner, the influence of the unique Bilibinian style and fashionable artistic trends of the early twentieth century are felt. It is curious to note that Kurdyumov was the founder of the famous Moscow community house in Lefortovo, where many artists of various directions lived and painted. In 1905, Casimir Malevich settled there, who was associated with Kurdyumov warm friendly relations. Unfortunately, in history, little information about the life of V. N. Kurdyumov has been preserved; The best monument of the artist is his unprofitable drawings.