Russian Secret Tales: Bawdy Folktales of Old Russia

18+ // WARNING // EROTIC FOLKLORE // The unprintable folktales of Alexander Afanas’ev. Gershon Legman unravels the mystery surrounding these censored tales in the forward.

Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev (1826-1871) was the leading Russian folklorist of his time. Between 1855 and 1866, he is often referred to as the Russian equivalent of the brothers Grimm, combed the collections of the Russian Geographical Society for 640 folktales, which were published in eight instalments between 1855 and 1866. This is a remarkable compilation of erotic folktales and one of the pioneering classic nineteenth-century.

Besides the stories, Clearfield Company’s reprint edition of Russian Secret Tales boasts of a number of supporting features. For one, it contains valuable notes attributed to Giuseppe Pitre (1841-1916), perhaps the greatest collector of folklore who ever lived. This English translation of Afanasyev’s Russian Secret Tales with comparative notes is also graced by an erudite introduction by G. Legman, whose expertise in the field of erotic folklore is unrivalled. Legman’s Introduction follows the publishing history of Russian Secret Tales up through 1966, the date the English edition first appeared.

Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev (Russian: Александр Николаевич Афанасьев) was a Russian folklorist who recorded and published over 600 Russian folktales and fairytales, by far the largest folktale collection by any one man in the world. His first collection was published in eight volumes from 1855-67, earning him the reputation of a Russian counterpart to the Brothers Grimm.

Hardcover – Vintage – Original Cover