The Tales of Belkin

The cycle of stories by A. S. Pushkin "The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin" is a literary mystification. The author hides behind the name of the fictional landowner Belkin, who supposedly publishes stories from his life. This device allows Pushkin to create an illusion of reality. The reader believes in both the mystical tale of the gravedigger and the love drama in "The Blizzard"; empathizes with the stationmaster and the characters of the story "The Shot"; and follows with interest the romantic collisions in "The Noblewoman Peasant."