The Queen of Spades (Pikovaya Dama)

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin earned the title not only of 'the great Russian poet,' but also of an outstanding storyteller, playwright, and novelist.
His short fiction is distinguished by dynamic plots, brilliantly simple exposition, and charismatic characters. This book includes his stories 'Rostavlev' (written in response to Mikhail Zagoskin's novel of the same name as an attempt to rethink the motivations of the main character), 'Dubrovsky' (the story of a noble young avenger), 'The Queen of Spades' (about the gambling engineer Hermann, whom passion and greed drove to madness), 'Kirdzhali' (about a dashing robber), and the enigmatic unfinished 'Egyptian Nights' (inspired by stories about the customs of Cleopatra's time).