Politicizing Magic : An Anthology of Russian and Soviet Fairy Tales

A compendium of folkloric, literary, and critical texts that show how the Russian fairy tale acquired political and historical meanings during the Soviet era We were born to make fairy tales come true. As one of Stalinism's more memorable slogans, this one suggests that the fairy tale figured in Soviet culture as far more than a category of children's literature. How much more-and how cannily Russian fairy tales reflect and interpret Soviet culture, especially in its utopian ambitions-becomes clear for the first time in Politicizing Magic, a compendium of folkloric, literary, and critical texts that demonstrate the degree to which ancient fairy-tale fantasies acquired political and historical meanings during the catastrophic twentieth century. Introducing Western readers to the most representative texts of Russian folkloric and literary tales, this book documents a rich exploration of this colorful genre through all periods of Soviet literary production (1920-1985) by authors with varied political and aesthetic allegiances. Here are traditional Russian folkloric tales and transformations of these tales that, adopting the didacticism of Soviet ideology, proved significant for the official discourse of Socialist Realism. Here, too, are narratives produced during the same era that use the fairy-tale paradigm as a deconstructive device aimed at the very underpinnings of the Soviet system. The editors' introductory essays acquaint readers with the fairy-tale paradigm and the permutations it underwent within the utopian dream of Soviet culture, deftly placing each-from traditional folklore to fairy tales of Socialist Realism, to real-life events recast as fairy tales for ironic effect-in its literary, historical, and political context. CONTENTS......Page 8 FOREWORD......Page 10 PART I. Folkloric Fairy Tales......Page 18 INTRODUCTION......Page 20 THE FROG PRINCESS......Page 38 THE THREE KINGDOMS......Page 43 BABA YAGA......Page 47 VASILISA THE BEAUTIFUL......Page 49 MARIA MOREVNA......Page 57 TALE OF PRINCE IVAN, THE FIREBIRD, AND THE GRAY WOLF......Page 66 THE FEATHER OF FINIST THE BRIGHT FALCON......Page 77 THE MAGIC MIRROR......Page 84 DANILO THE LUCKLESS......Page 94 ILYA MUROMETS AND THE DRAGON......Page 100 THE MAIDEN TSAR......Page 106 THE MAGIC RING......Page 111 PART II. Fairy Tales of Socialist Realism......Page 118 INTRODUCTION......Page 120 TALE OF THE MILITARY SECRET, MALCHISH-KIBALCHISH AND HIS SOLEMN WORD......Page 138 THE GOLDEN KEY, OR THE ADVENTURES OF BURATINO......Page 146 THE OLD GENIE KHOTTABYCH: A STORY OF MAKE-BELIEVE......Page 180 THE MALACHITE CASKET......Page 212 THE FLOWER OF SEVEN COLORS......Page 237 PART III. Fairy Tales in Critique of Soviet Culture......Page 246 INTRODUCTION......Page 248 FAIRY TALES FOR GROWN-UP CHILDREN......Page 266 THE DRAGON: A SATIRIC FABLE IN THREE ACTS......Page 282 TALE OF THE TROIKA......Page 331 BEFORE THE COCK CROWS THRICE......Page 360 THAT VERY MUNCHAUSEN......Page 396 TRANSLATORS AND SOURCES......Page 432 The Frog Princess -- The Three Kingdoms -- Baba Yaga -- Vasilisa The Beautiful -- Maria Morevna -- Tale Of Prince Ivan, The Firebird, And The Gray Wolf -- The Feather Of Finist, The Bright Falcon -- The Magic Mirror -- Danilo The Luckless -- Ilya Muromets And The Dragon -- The Maiden Tsar -- The Magic Ring -- Tale Of The Military Secret, Malchish-kibalchish And His Solemn Word / Arkady Gaidar -- The Golden Key, Or The Adventures Of Buratino / Alexey Tolstoy -- The Old Genie Khottabych : A Story Of Make-believe / Lazar Lagin -- The Malachite Casket / Pavel Bazhov -- The Flower Of Seven Colors / Valentin Kataev -- Fairy Tales For Grown-up Children / Yevgeny Zamyatin -- The Dragon : A Satiric Fable In Three Acts / Yevgeny Shvarts -- Tale Of The Troika / Arkady And Boris Strugatsky -- Before The Cock Crows Thrice / Vasily Shukshin -- That Very Munchausen / Grigory Gorin. Edited By Marina Balina, Helena Goscilo, And Mark Lipovetsky. Includes Bibliographical References. One of Stalinism's more memorable slogans suggests that the fairy tale figured in Soviet culture as far more than a category of children's literature. How much more-and how cannily the genre has been used to reflect and interpret Soviet culture-become clear for the first time in Politicizing Magic, a compendium of folkloric, literary, and critical texts that demonstrates the degree to which ancient fantasies acquired political and historical meanings during the catastrophic twentieth century.This book includes traditional Russian fairy tales, works of socialist realism, and contemporary fiction cast as fairy tale for ironic effect by authors with varied political and aesthetic allegiances. The editors' introductory essays acquaint readers with the role of the fairy tale within the utopian dream of Soviet culture, deftly placing each story or play in its literary, historical, and political context.