The Queen of Spades by Pushkin, a short story that I chanced upon while surfing aimlessly. Misguided concentration is one of the perils of continuous easy access to net. One tends to forget what he set out to do and ends up discovering what is recommended by Google 😰

But today Google did a good job of crash landing me in the World of Pushkin, the celebrated father of Modern Russian language. The first story that caught my attention was The Queen of Spades. Though I know nothing about card games yet a story about the oldest indoor pastime, did stir my curiosity and I began reading.

And what a gem did this chance discovery turned out to be! A perfect amalgamation of double-faced elite mannerisms with supernatural elements bound together by Romance and Revenge!! It’s not easy to imbibe all these elements in a short story over the span of less than 10 pages yet Pushkin managed to impress with his storytelling skills. Not once my interest faltered and I kept reading the story fascinated and amused by rapid turn of events.

Though my little knowledge of cards spoilt the climax as I could not understand the nitty gritty of the game and why indeed Hermann chose the wrong card. Still, the story was entertaining from start to finish. Would love to read more by Pushkin. Anupama Sarkar