PUSHKIN ALEXANDER (1799-1837) The Talisman: From the Russian of Alexander Pushkin. With other pieces. St. Petersburg: Schulz and Beneze, 1835.

14 pp.; 24.5 x 16 cm. Edition of approximately 100 copies. In English. No cover. Pages unbound. In good condition. Soiling, moisture marks, stains along the spine, minor tears along page edges. In addition to the poem The Talisman, this edition also includes a translation of Pushkin’s ballad The Rusalka. The translations were done by George Borrow (1803-1881), who later became a well-known English writer and translator and lived in St. Petersburg for about two years (between 1833 and 1835). These translations were imperfect and contained significant inaccuracies. Despite efforts by Borrow’s acquaintance in St. Petersburg, English teacher John Hasfeldt (Johann-Petersen Hasfeldt, 1800-1894), to draw attention to the collection, it went largely unnoticed both in Russia and in England due to its very limited print run. One of the earliest English translations of works by the great Russian poet. Lit.: Alekseev M.P. Russko-angliyskie literaturnye svyazi (XVIII - 1 polovina XIX vv.) // Literaturnoe nasledstvo, 89. T. 91. M., 1989.