Tales

The main tales by Konstantin Paustovsky were written at the end of the war and in the early post-war years – hence their poignancy. In these tales, everything is simple, everyday, and there are almost no miracles. Nature is endowed with magical power here: sparrows, frogs, horses, frosts, rains… The magical power intrudes into people's lives and depending on the action, it helps or punishes a person. Lights and shadows flash swiftly and easily, one picture replaces another… “Writing a fairy tale is as difficult as conveying in words the faint smell of grass,” K. Paustovsky confessed. “You write a fairy tale almost without breathing – so as not to blow away the finest pollen covering it…” The feeling of “not breathing” was illustrated by Gennady Yepishin in the same way. How else to explain this absolute fusion of word and drawing? You cannot tear your eye away. And the heart aches…