The Stone Flower: Ural Tales

Pavel Petrovich Bazhov 1879-1950 - a famous Soviet writer, folklorist, and creator of Ural tales. He was born into a family of a mine worker in a small Ural town of Sysert. He was one of the best students in... the factory school. After finishing the Perm Theological Seminary, he worked as a teacher of the Russian language. Every year during school holidays, P.P. Bazhov would travel around his native land, studying the work of stonecutters, lapidaries, gunsmiths, and other Ural craftsmen, recording tales and legends. This working folklore became the basis for his famous Ural tales. The first tale by P.P. Bazhov, The Maiden Azovka, was published in 1936. In 1939, the collection of folklore stories about life and customs in the Urals, The Malachite Box, was released, bringing the writer worldwide fame. Until the end of his life, the writer continued to replenish this treasure chest of tales. The main heroes of P.P. Bazhov's tales are ordinary people, honest, hardworking miners who find happiness in their craftsmanship. Often, mythological characters come to their aid - the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, the Firebird, and others. The Mistress of the Copper Mountain is an underground princess, the guardian of treasures, the secrets of craftsmanship, and the patroness of brave, creative people. She often intervenes in people's lives: she helps some, while punishing others for greed, cowardice, and laziness. The mischievous Firebird indicates where the gold deposit is located, but she does not appear to everyone; she shows herself only to those who believe in their luck, do not despair, and are not greedy. The little goat Silver Hoof also does not appear by chance to the orphan Darya and old man Kokovano - kindness, generosity, compassion, and faith in miracles are always rewarded. In this book, the child will get to know the tales The Stone Flower and The Firebird.