The Little Devil and Other Stories by Alexei Remizov

 The Little Devil

and Other Stories by Alexei Remizov Translated by Antonina W.Bouis and published by Columbia Press is a solid, wonderful, ancestral powerful book of short tales, modern fairy-tales. The short stories in this book, in fact will transport you in other dimensions, in a world populated by magical creatures, powerful forces, several devils, existing independently by men and women and that sometimes make the difference and interact powerfully, with them, the living ones. 

In what way? Let's speak of spells: they can be so powerful that they can change the destiny of entire families. Sometimes people must be careful what they wish for because fate can strongly agree with them, presenting  horrible conditions for everyone as it happened for the protagonists of several stories. 

There is the short story of a blind but happy lady who lost peace because of a man. 

More than people,  houses represents with their silences, their mysteries, their burned candles, their secrets, the centrality of these stories; the power that they have pass through objects, memories, losses and meanings that they have for the community, 

I really enjoyed all these tales so badly; some of them are warm: I think at the story of Petushok and the Cockerel, where you find a warm atmosphere in the house of the old lady, the granny of Petka where everything is planned, also for the after-life; she in fact kept a special dress for her death, a custom common also in my area in the past. 

I liked the story, the dream of having a cockerel, the disturbing appearance in the scenario of the father of Petka, the tragic end and the positive attitude of a lady who had seen with her eyes a lot and could in her existence cope with immense departures.

In the last tale there is an interrupted love-story: these people, Pyotr and Fevronia de Murom existed as characters and they became saints at some point.

The message of this legend is powerful. A broken love-story meant for the family a curse, because as writes the author "the chains of fate fall apart....Even separated love does not die."

 

Remizo was one of the most known representatives of thr Russian Symbolist movement, and for sure, one of the most excellent russian writers I read till now. A truly pleasant discovery!

Highly recommended reading. 

I thank Columbia University Press for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori