The tale of the old man and the goldfish. The spiritual meaning of the tale of the fisherman and the fish

The fairy tales of A. S. Pushkin are an example of how a common plot can become a masterpiece of high literary language. The poet was able to convey in poetic form not only the characters of the characters, but also a prerequisite for any such narrative - teaching, that is, what the fairy tale teaches. “About a Fisherman and a Fish” is a story about human greed. The fairy tale “About Tsar Saltan” is about how evil and deceit are punishable, but good always wins. So in the plots of all fairy tales written by the poet.

When teachers explain to schoolchildren what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” (2nd grade) teaches, they rely on the plot of the work. This is correct, since children must understand what basic categories drive people's actions: good and evil, generosity and greed, betrayal and forgiveness, and many others. Fairy tales help children understand them and make the right choice in favor of good.

In the fairy tale about the Golden Fish, the plot begins with the fact that on the shore of the blue sea there lived an old man and an old woman. He fished and she spun yarn, but their shack was old and even the trough was broken.

The old man was lucky to catch a Goldfish, who begged him to return it to the sea and even offered a ransom for himself.

The kind fisherman let her go, but the old woman did not like his noble deed, so she demanded that he return to the sea and ask the fish for at least a trough. The old man did just that. The fish gave what the old woman wanted, but she wanted more - a new hut, then to be a pillar noblewoman, then a free queen, until she decided to become the Lady, who has the fish herself on her errands.

The wise fish fulfilled the old woman's requests until she demanded the impossible. So the old woman was left again with nothing.

Children, reading about the old man’s story, understand what Pushkin’s “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” teaches. Power and wealth changed the old woman every time, making her angrier. Schoolchildren make the correct conclusion that greed is punishable, and they can again be left with nothing.

Fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm

If we take as a basis the philosophical categories of what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” teaches, the analysis should begin with It was with their story about a greedy old woman who, starting with little desires, went so far as to want to become the Pope of Rome, that the poet was familiar with .

It seems that the plot of the instructive story is about ordinary human greed, but if you pay attention to the symbolism embedded in it, what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” teaches takes on a completely different meaning. As it turned out, the Brothers Grimm, and after them Pushkin, were far from the first to use this theme.

Vedic wisdom

In the treatise Matsya Purana it is presented in the form of an allegory. For example, the old man in it is the real “I” of a person, his soul, which is in a state of peace (nirvana). In Pushkin’s fairy tale, the fisherman appears exactly like this to the readers. He has lived with an old woman in a shack for 33 years, fishes and is happy with everything. Isn't this a sign of enlightenment?

This is what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” teaches: the true purpose of man is to be in harmony with his soul and the surrounding reality. The old man coped well with the huge and full of temptations of the material world, which symbolizes the blue sea.

He throws a net with his desires into it and gets what he needs for his daily day. Another thing is the old woman.

Old woman

She personifies human egoism, which is never completely satisfied, and therefore does not know what happiness is. Egoism wants to consume as much material wealth as possible. That is why, starting with the trough, the old woman soon wanted to dominate the fish itself.

If in the ancient treatise her image is a symbol of a person’s renunciation of his spiritual nature in favor of false consciousness and the material world, then in Pushkin it is an evil egoistic principle that forces the old man (a pure soul) to indulge her whims.

The Russian poet very well describes the submission of the soul to egoism. Every time the old man goes to bow to the Goldfish with a new demand from the old woman. It is symbolic that the sea, which is the prototype of the vast material world, becomes more and more formidable every time. By this, Pushkin showed how great the separation of a pure soul from its purpose is, when each time it sinks deeper and deeper into the abyss of material wealth.

Fish

In Vedic culture, the fish represents God. It is no less powerful in Pushkin’s work. If you think about what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” teaches, the answers will be obvious: a false egoistic shell cannot give a person happiness. For this, he does not need material wealth, but the unity of the soul with God, which manifests itself in a harmonious state of peace and receiving joy from being.

The fish appears to the old man three times to fulfill his selfish desires, but, as it turns out, even the sea sorceress cannot fill the false shell.

The struggle between spiritual and egoistic principles

Many philosophical, religious, artistic and psychological books have been written about this struggle. Both principles - the pure soul (in Pushkin's fairy tale the old man) and egoism (the old woman) are fighting among themselves. The poet showed very well what humility and indulgence in selfish desires lead to.

His main character did not even try to resist the old woman, but each time he obediently went to bow to the fish with a new demand from her. Alexander Sergeevich just showed what such connivance with one’s own egoism leads to, and how his false, insatiable needs end.

Today, the phrase “being left with nothing” is used at the everyday level when talking about human greed.

In philosophy its meaning is much broader. It is not material goods that make people happy. The old woman's behavior speaks to this. As soon as she became a pillar noblewoman, she wished to be a queen, and then - more. She did not radiate happiness and contentment with the advent of new types of power and wealth.

This is what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” teaches: to remember the soul, that it is primary, and the material world is secondary and insidious. Today a person can be in power, but tomorrow he will become poor and unknown, like the old woman at that ill-fated trough.

Thus, the Russian poet’s children’s fairy tale conveys the depth of the eternal confrontation between the ego and the soul, which people knew about in ancient times.

An old man lived with his old woman
By the bluest sea;
They lived in a dilapidated dugout
Exactly thirty years and three years.
The old man was catching fish with a net,
The old woman was spinning her yarn.
Once he threw a net into the sea -
A net arrived with nothing but mud.
Another time he cast a net -
A net came with sea grass.
For the third time he cast the net -
A net came with one fish,
With not just a simple fish - a gold one.
How the goldfish prays!
He says in a human voice:
"Let me go to sea, old man!
Dear, I will give a ransom for myself:
I'll buy you anything you want."
The old man was surprised and frightened:
He fished for thirty years and three years
And I never heard the fish speak.
He released the goldfish
And he said a kind word to her:
"God be with you, goldfish!
I don’t need your ransom;
Go to the blue sea,
Walk there in the open space."

The old man returned to the old woman,
He told her a great miracle:
"Today I caught a fish,
Goldfish, not an ordinary one;
In our opinion, the fish spoke,
I asked to go home to the blue sea,
Bought at a high price:
I bought whatever I wanted
I didn’t dare take a ransom from her;
So he let her into the blue sea."
The old woman scolded the old man:
"You fool, you simpleton!
You didn’t know how to take ransom from a fish!
If only you could take the trough from her,
Ours is completely split."

So he went to the blue sea;
He sees that the sea is a little rough.
A fish swam to him and asked:
"What do you want, old man?"
"Have mercy, lady fish,
My old woman scolded me,
The old man gives me no peace:
She needs a new trough;
Ours is completely split."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God.
There will be a new trough for you."

The old man returned to the old woman,
The old woman has a new trough.
The old woman scolds even more:
"You fool, you simpleton!
You begged for a trough, you fool!
Is there a lot of self-interest in the trough?
Turn back, fool, you are going to the fish;
Bow to her and beg for a hut."

So he went to the blue sea
(The blue sea has become cloudy).
He began to click on the goldfish.
"What do you want, old man?"
"Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman scolds even more,
The old man gives me no peace:
A grumpy woman is asking for a hut."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God,
So be it: you will have a hut."

He went to his dugout,
And there is no trace of the dugout;
In front of him is a hut with a light,
With a brick, whitewashed pipe,
With oak, plank gates.
The old woman is sitting under the window,
What the world stands on scolds her husband:
"You're a fool, you're a simpleton!
The simpleton begged for a hut!
Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a black peasant girl,
I want to be a pillar noblewoman."

The old man went to the blue sea
(Restless blue sea).
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
"What do you want, old man?"
The old man answers her with a bow:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman became more foolish than ever,
The old man gives me no peace:
She doesn't want to be a peasant
She wants to be a high-ranking noblewoman."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God."

The old man returned to the old woman,
What does he see? High tower.
His old woman is standing on the porch
In an expensive sable jacket,
Brocade kitty on the crown,
Pearls weighed down the neck,
There are gold rings on my hands,
Red boots on her feet.
Before her are diligent servants;
She beats them and drags them by the chuprun.
The old man says to his old woman:
"Hello, lady-madam noblewoman!
Tea, now your darling is happy."
The old woman shouted at him,
She sent him to serve at the stables.

One week goes by, another goes by
The old woman became even more foolish;
Again he sends the old man to the fish:
"Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a high-ranking noblewoman.
But I want to be a free queen."
The old man got scared and prayed:
“Why, woman, have you eaten too much henbane?
You can neither step nor speak.
You will make the whole kingdom laugh."
The old woman became even more angry,
She hit her husband on the cheek.
"How dare you, man, argue with me,
With me, a pillar noblewoman?
Go to the sea, they tell you with honor;
If you don’t go, they will lead you willy-nilly.”

The old man went to the sea
(The blue sea turned black).
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
"What do you want, old man?"
The old man answers her with a bow:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
Again my old woman rebels:
She doesn't want to be a noblewoman,
She wants to be a free queen."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God!
Good! The old woman will be a queen!"

The old man returned to the old woman,
Well? before him are the royal chambers,
In the chambers he sees his old woman,
She sits at the table like a queen,
Boyars and nobles serve her,
They pour her foreign wines;
She eats printed gingerbread;
A formidable guard stands around her,
They hold axes on their shoulders.
When the old man saw it, he was scared!
He bowed to the old woman's feet,
He said: “Hello, formidable queen!
Well, is your darling happy now?"
The old woman did not look at him,
She just ordered him to be driven out of sight.
The boyars and nobles ran up,
The old man was pushed back.
And the guards ran up at the door,
Almost chopped me up with axes,
And the people laughed at him:
"Serves you right, you old ignoramus!
From now on, science for you, ignoramus:
Don’t sit in the wrong sleigh!”

One week goes by, another goes by
The old woman became even more furious:
The courtiers send for her husband.
They found the old man and brought him to her.
The old woman says to the old man:
"Turn back and bow to the fish.
I don't want to be a free queen,
I want to be the mistress of the sea,
So that I can live in the ocean-sea,
So that the goldfish may serve me
And she would be on my errands."

The old man did not dare to contradict
I didn’t dare say a word.
Here he goes to the blue sea,
He sees a black storm at sea:
So the angry waves swelled,
That's how they walk and howl and howl.
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
"What do you want, old man?"
The old man answers her with a bow:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
What should I do with the damned woman?
She doesn't want to be a queen,
Wants to be the mistress of the sea:
So that she can live in the Okiyan-sea,
So that you yourself serve her
And I would be on her errands."
The fish didn't say anything
Just splashed her tail in the water
And went into the deep sea.
He waited for a long time by the sea for an answer,
He didn’t wait, he returned to the old woman
Lo and behold, there was a dugout in front of him again;
His old woman is sitting on the threshold,
And in front of her is a broken trough.

Listen to the Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish

An old man lived with his old woman
By the bluest sea;
They lived in a dilapidated dugout
Exactly thirty years and three years.
The old man was catching fish with a net,
The old woman was spinning her yarn.
Once he threw a net into the sea, -
A net arrived with nothing but mud.
Another time he cast a net,
A net came with sea grass.
For the third time he cast the net, -
A net came with one fish,
With a difficult fish - gold.
How the goldfish prays!
He says in a human voice:
“You, elder, let me go to sea,
Dear, I will give a ransom for myself:
I’ll pay you back with whatever you want.”
The old man was surprised and frightened:
He fished for thirty years and three years
And I never heard the fish speak.
He released the goldfish
And he said a kind word to her:
“God be with you, goldfish!
I don’t need your ransom;

Go to the blue sea,
Walk there in the open space."
The old man returned to the old woman,
He told her a great miracle.
“Today I caught a fish,
Goldfish, not an ordinary one;
In our opinion, the fish spoke,
I asked to go home to the blue sea,
Bought at a high price:
I bought whatever I wanted.
I did not dare take ransom from her;
So he let her into the blue sea.”
The old woman scolded the old man:
“You fool, you simpleton!
You didn’t know how to take ransom from a fish!
If only you could take the trough from her,
Ours is completely split.”

So he went to the blue sea;
He sees that the sea is playing up a little.

A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”

“Have mercy, lady fish,
My old woman scolded me,
The old man gives me no peace:
She needs a new trough;
Ours is completely split.”
The goldfish answers:

There will be a new trough for you."
The old man returned to the old woman,
The old woman has a new trough.
The old woman scolds even more:
“You fool, you simpleton!
You begged for a trough, you fool!
Is there a lot of self-interest in the trough?
Turn back, fool, you are going to the fish;
Bow to her and beg for a hut.”

So he went to the blue sea,
(The blue sea has become cloudy.)
He began to click on the goldfish,

“What do you want, elder?”

“Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman scolds even more,
The old man gives me no peace:
A grumpy woman is asking for a hut.”
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God,
So be it: you’ll have a hut.”
He went to his dugout,
And there is no trace of the dugout;
In front of him is a hut with a light,
With a brick, whitewashed pipe,
With oak, plank gates.
The old woman is sitting under the window,
For what it's worth, she scolds her husband.
“You are a fool, you are a simpleton!
The simpleton begged for a hut!
Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a black peasant girl
I want to be a pillar noblewoman.”

The old man went to the blue sea;
(The blue sea is not calm.)

A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
The old man answers her with a bow:
“Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman became more foolish than ever,
The old man gives me no peace:
She doesn't want to be a peasant
She wants to be a high-ranking noblewoman.”
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God.”

The old man returned to the old woman.
What does he see? High tower.
His old woman is standing on the porch
In an expensive sable jacket,
Brocade kitty on the crown,
Pearls weighed down the neck,
There are gold rings on my hands,
Red boots on her feet.
Before her are diligent servants;
She beats them and drags them by the chuprun.
The old man says to his old woman:
“Hello, madam, noblewoman!
Tea, now your darling is happy.”
The old woman shouted at him,
She sent him to serve at the stables.

One week goes by, another goes by
The old woman became even more furious:
Again he sends the old man to the fish.
“Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a pillar noblewoman,
But I want to be a free queen.”
The old man got scared and prayed:
“What, woman, have you eaten too much henbane?
You can neither step nor speak,
You will make the whole kingdom laugh."
The old woman became even more angry,
She hit her husband on the cheek.
“How dare you, man, argue with me,
With me, a pillar noblewoman? -
Go to the sea, they tell you with honor,
If you don’t go, they will lead you willy-nilly.”

The old man went to the sea,
(The blue sea has turned black.)
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
The old man answers her with a bow:
“Have mercy, lady fish!
Again my old woman rebels:

She doesn't want to be a noblewoman,
She wants to be a free queen."
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God!
Good! the old woman will be a queen!”
The old man returned to the old woman.
Well? before him are the royal chambers.
In the chambers he sees his old woman,
She sits at the table like a queen,
Boyars and nobles serve her,
They pour her foreign wines;
She eats printed gingerbread;
A formidable guard stands around her,
They hold axes on their shoulders.
When the old man saw it, he was scared!
He bowed to the old woman's feet,
He said: “Hello, formidable queen!
Well, now your darling is happy.”
The old woman did not look at him,
She just ordered him to be driven out of sight.
The boyars and nobles ran up,
They pushed the old man backwards.
And the guards ran up at the door,
Almost chopped her up with axes.
And the people laughed at him:
“Serves you right, you old ignoramus!
From now on, science for you, ignoramus:
Don’t sit in the wrong sleigh!”

One week goes by, another goes by
The old woman became even more furious:
The courtiers send for her husband,
They found the old man and brought him to her.
The old woman says to the old man:
“Turn back, bow to the fish.
I don't want to be a free queen,
I want to be the mistress of the sea,
So that I can live in Okiyan-Sea,
So that the goldfish may serve me
And she would be on my errands.”

The old man did not dare to contradict
I didn’t dare to say a word.
Here he goes to the blue sea,
He sees a black storm at sea:
So the angry waves swelled,
That's how they walk and howl and howl.
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
The old man answers her with a bow:
“Have mercy, lady fish!
What should I do with the damned woman?
She doesn't want to be a queen,
Wants to be the mistress of the sea;
So that she can live in Okiyan-Sea,
So that you yourself serve her
And she would have been on her errands.”
The fish didn't say anything
Just splashed her tail in the water
And went into the deep sea.
He waited for a long time by the sea for an answer,
He didn’t wait, he returned to the old woman -
Lo and behold, there was a dugout in front of him again;
His old woman is sitting on the threshold,
And in front of her is a broken trough.

Orthodox explanation of the Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish. Monk Konstantin Sabelnikov

The old man (mind) and the old woman (heart) lived by the sea for 33 years. This means that a person lived a conscious life (lived with his mind and heart) and became ready to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again at the age of 33.
The old woman was spinning yarn - in this life, every person, with his thoughts, words and deeds, creates for himself a moral state of soul, which will be her clothing in eternity.
The old man was fishing - every person seeks his own good in earthly life.
One day he first pulled out a net with mud and grass, and then with a goldfish - one day a person understands the temporality of temporary life, and this helps him to believe in eternity and in God.
Fish is an ancient symbol of Christ, and gold is a symbol of grace. The fish asked to let her go, although she did not need it, because she had power even over the destinies of people - the Lord calls a person to show mercy to someone, and it brings him closer to God than anything else, opens his heart to faith in Him.
The old woman made the old man first of all ask for a trough - a person, having come to faith, begins his spiritual life by cleansing his conscience from sins. Ap. Peter said to the believing Jews: “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins...” (). Unbelieving people do not have such means and do not know how to ease their conscience.
The old woman scolds the old man and calls him a “fool,” because a person acts at the behest of his heart and, as La Rochefoucauld said, the mind is always a fool of the heart. When the old man went to ask for a trough, the sea broke out - because God is displeased when a person who has believed in Him does not want to serve Him, but to use Him for his own personal purposes, even good ones.
Having received a new trough, the old woman did not thank the fish, but sent the old man with another request - believers rarely sincerely thank God for giving the opportunity to be cleansed of sins in the sacrament of Confession. Having begun church life, they, as a rule, begin to ask God for health and prosperity in the family and at work (a new hut).
Then the old woman demanded to be a noblewoman and a queen - a person begins to ask God for what serves to satisfy vanity and pride (in this case, lust for power). The Lord sometimes allows a person to receive what he asks for, so that, having received, he grows in faith in God, and then, having come to know his passions, he begins to fight them and for the sake of God renounces what feeds them.
When the old woman became a noblewoman, she began to beat the servants, because when a person receives honor and glory and feeds his vanity with it, his heart becomes hardened towards people. She hit the old man who tried to argue with her - because when the passion of vanity intensifies, it more subjugates the person’s mind.
The old woman demanded to become a queen - a person moves from the desire for fame to the desire for power. The old woman demanded power over the goldfish - Abba Dorotheos says that pride before people leads to pride before God.
The old man could not understand that his main problem was the character of his grandmother. He should have asked the goldfish to change the old woman, but he only complained about her. So a person must understand with his mind that his main problem is the passions of the heart, and, having come to faith, he must not just confess his sins (complain about the old woman), but ask God to change his heart.
The fairy tale shows what happens to people who, with the help of God, try to change their lives, but not themselves. At first, their lives really improve, but then they serve not God, but their passions, although they themselves do not notice it. If a person does not fight passions, then they fight him. The Lord said: “Whoever does not gather with Me scatters” (). Abba Dorotheos said that in spiritual life a person cannot stand still, he becomes either worse or better. There is no third option. Because of pride, a person remains with nothing. Over time, he still loses earthly blessings: with retirement or illness, he loses his position and influence over people. Having lost these benefits, he understands that, having received a lot in this life for a while, he did not receive the most important thing - he did not become different.

Mikhail Semyonovich Kazinik, violinist, lecturer-musicologist, teacher, writer-publicist:

Ask any philologist teacher at school what Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin’s fairy tale about the fisherman and the fish is about? Everyone will say: “This tale is about a greedy old woman who was left with nothing.”
My dears, yet another nonsense! It is Pushkin who will waste time condemning yet another greedy old woman! This is a tale of love. About the unconditional love of an old man. It is easy to love a beautiful, generous, intelligent woman. You try to love an old, dirty, greedy old woman. And here is the evidence: I ask any philologist how the tale of the fisherman and the fish begins. Everyone tells me: “Once upon a time...”. Yes, that's right. “Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman by the very blue sea!”, right? “That’s right!” say philologists. “That’s right!” say the academics. “That’s right!” say the professors. “That’s right!” the students say. “Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman by the very blue sea. The old man was fishing with a seine...” Wrong! It wouldn't be Pushkin. “Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman” - this is the most ordinary beginning of a fairy tale. Pushkin: “An old man lived with his old woman.” Do you feel the difference? Because it’s still ours! Pushkin gives the code! Our own, dear: thirty years and three years together. Flesh of the flesh! Greedy - there are such old women! Darling!
Next: where did they live? By the bluest sea. I ask philologists: where? - “Well, by the sea. Right by the sea!” Not true. By the very BLUE sea. This is Pushkin's second code. As the old woman desires, she ceases to be “hers,” and the sea changes color. Remember? “The blue sea has become cloudy and black.” The sea stops being blue.

About the fairy tale

The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish - an eternal story with instructive content

The great Russian poet, playwright and prose writer, one of the most authoritative literary figures of the 19th century, left his native country a rich fairy-tale heritage. Among the popular and beloved works of the people, the fairy tale about the fisherman and the fish comes first. The manuscript with an instructive story was ready in 1833, and was first published in 1835 in the magazine “Library for Reading”.

The author was well acquainted with the work of the German writers the Brothers Grimm and his works often echoed the legends and tales of the German people. The tale of the fisherman and the fish has a common plot line with the Russian folk tale about a greedy old woman and is similar to the Pomeranian fairy tale “About a Fisherman and His Wife.”

A truly folk work is always divided into proverbs and quotes. The saying “staying with nothing” comes from Pushkin’s favorite work and means that you can have everything, but foolishly end up with nothing!

Alexander Sergeevich's heroes are always very remarkable, memorable and characteristic. It is recommended that you get to know them better before you start reading the tale:

Old man - a simple illiterate fisherman who lived on the seashore for thirty years and three years and lived on a meager catch. Out of the kindness of his heart, he released the fish and did not ask for anything as a ransom, but he could not control his grumpy old woman and fulfilled all her whimsical whims.

Old woman - the wife of an old fisherman. She scolded her husband, shut her up for letting go of the goldfish, and forced the poor fellow to beg more and more miracles from the sorceress. The old woman’s appetites grew, and the queen’s soft chair was already too cramped for her. The granny decided to become the mistress of the sea and subjugate the generous fish.

Goldfish - a mythical character and a magical collective image. It can be called a lucky ticket that the old man pulled out as a reward for years of hard work and Christian humility. Neither the old fisherman nor the stupid old woman could properly manage the chance that Mother Nature gave them. They could have received everything they needed for a prosperous old age, but both were left broke.

Every child should know Pushkin’s fairy tales from childhood, and parents, through bedtime reading, can instill the main human values ​​in the child’s developing character. The works of the great writer will help fathers and mothers, grandparents, in poetic form, to convey to children the richness of the Russian language and the versatility of the literary heritage.

Living lacquer miniature in illustrations for a fairy tale story

Folk artists from the villages of Palekh and Fedoskino drew ideas for creativity from the works of national poets. Ordinary papier-mâché bases were covered with varnish paints and, with the help of filigree painting, scenes from Russian national fairy tales were conveyed. A high degree of craftsmanship made it possible to display the authors' fantasies and handmade wonders on a simple piece of pressed paper.

In the summer of 1831, A.S. Pushkin moved to live from Moscow to St. Petersburg - to Tsarskoe Selo, where he spent his teenage years. The poet settled in a modest village house with a balcony and mezzanine. On the mezzanine he set up a study for himself: there was a large round table, a sofa, and books on the shelves. From the windows of the office there was a picturesque view of the Tsarskoye Selo park.
The poet again found himself “in the circle of sweet memories.” In Tsarskoe Selo, after many years of separation, Pushkin met with the poet V.A. Zhukovsky. In the evenings, talking about art, they wandered around the lake for a long time... On one of these days, the poets decided to organize a competition to see who could best write a fairy tale in verse. V.A. Zhukovsky chose the fairy tale about Tsar Berendey, and Pushkin undertook to write a fairy tale about Tsar Saltan.
...That same evening, after a conversation with Zhukovsky, Pushkin began to write fairy tales. The work moved forward quickly. One after another, wonderful poetic lines fell on the paper:
Three girls under the window
We spun late in the evening.
At the end of August, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” was completed. Then the poet read it to his friends. According to unanimous opinion, the winner of this unusual tournament between two famous poets was Pushkin.
A few days later, as if inspired by the success of “Tsar Saltan,” the poet begins work on another fairy tale - “About the priest and his worker Balda.” This Pushkin fairy tale is cunning, there is a lot in it that is unsaid, unsaid, just like in those fairy tales that I heard in Mikhailovsky exile from the Kalika passers-by...
During the days of working on “The Tale of the Priest and His Worker Balda,” Pushkin often mentally transported himself to his beloved Mikhailovskoye, and recalled the noisy rural fairs that spread out under the walls of the Svyatogorsk Monastery. The fair is beautiful: everywhere you look there are carts with goods, booths, painted carousels spinning, swings fly up, laughter rings, songs are heard. And a little to the side, sitting right on the grass, wanderers and walkers tell wonderful stories and tales. The hero of these fairy tales is a clever, savvy peasant, and the one who is fooled is always the rich one - a merchant, landowner or priest.
It’s not a sin to leave a greedy and stupid priest in the cold. The priest does not sow, does not plow, but eats for seven and even laughs at the peasant, almost to his face calling him a fool...
That’s what Pushkin called his hero – Balda. This guy is no slouch, he'll fool the devil himself. Where a priest can compete with a smart peasant, it seems he will have to pay with his forehead for his self-interest. When the priest thinks about this, he breaks out in a cold sweat... It’s a good thing that the priest decided to send Balda to hell for his quitrent. But the priest rejoiced in vain; he still had to pay for his greed and stupidity...
Pushkin’s “The Tale of the Priest and His Worker Balda” was not published for a long time. Only after the death of the poet, with the assistance of V.A. Zhukovsky, did she appear in one of the magazines.
In the autumn of 1833, in Boldino, Pushkin wrote his third wonderful fairy tale - “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish.” On September 30, 1833, an old road carriage drove into the wide courtyard of my grandfather’s house. In the three years that have passed since Pushkin’s first arrival in Boldino, nothing has changed here. The oak palisade surrounding the house still stood out menacingly, and the huge gates towered...
The poet spent six weeks in Boldino. Here he wrote two fairy tales - “The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights” and “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish.”
The hero of Pushkin’s “Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” had little fun: the old man caught fish for thirty-three years, and only once luck smiled at him - he brought a goldfish with a net. And in fact, this fish turned out to be golden: the fisherman got both a new house and a new trough...
The ending of this philosophical fairy tale is, of course, known to everyone...
A.S. Pushkin wrote five poetic fairy tales. Each of them is a treasury of poetry and wisdom.
B. Zabolotskikh