An NYRB Classics Original Alexander Pushkin's short novel is set during the reig
n of Catherine the Great, when the Cossacks rose up in rebellion against the Rus
sian empress. Presented as the memoir of Pyotr Grinyov, a nobleman, The Captain'
s Daughter tells how, as a feckless youth and fledgling officer, Grinyov was sen
t from St. Petersburg to serve in faraway southern Russia.
Traveling to take
up this new post, Grinyov loses his shirt gambling and then loses his way in a t
errible snowstorm, only to be guided to safety by a mysterious peasant. With imp
ulsive gratitude Grinyov hands over his fur coat to his savior, never mind the c
old. Soon after he arrives at Fort Belogorsk, Grinyov falls in love with Masha,
the beautiful young daughter of his captain.
