Lefty. Tale of the Tula Cross-Eyed Lefty and the Steel Flea

Nikolai Semenovich Leskov (1831–1895) is a classic of Russian literature of the 19th century. He traveled extensively across the country and interacted with ordinary people. This provided the future writer with invaluable knowledge about real Russian life and its ways, which he reflected in his works. "The Tale of the Tula Cross-Eyed Lefty and the Steel Flea" was first published in the magazine "Rus'" in 1881. This work was destined to become outstanding. Many readers believed that it was a true folk tale with no author. The image of Lefty became a household name, as did the expression "to shoe a flea." Long before creating the work, N. S. Leskov had a special notebook in which he recorded various dialect and distorted words heard among the people. In our book, N. S. Leskov's work is presented with illustrations by the famous Soviet artist and animator Arkady Tyurin (1932–2003). Initially, the artist created illustrations for his diploma project, and in 1964, he worked as a set designer preparing the animated film "Lefty" under the direction of the famous director I. Ivanov-Vano. This animated film was awarded an honorary diploma at the VII International Short Film and Documentary Film Festival in Leipzig. Years later, Arkady Tyurin took up illustrating "Lefty" again, this time using animation techniques. Subsequently, the edition with the updated drawings by the artist was nominated for the State Prize of the USSR. For middle school age.