The Golden Cockerel – Aleksandr Pushkin, Illustrated by Boris Zvorykin (1990)
This lavish edition of Aleksandr Pushkin’s 1834 fairy tale poem The Golden Cockerel (Золотой петушок) is brought to life through the sumptuous artistry of Boris Zvorykin, a master of Russian book illustration during the early 1900s. Zvorykin’s work, steeped in the traditions of Russian folk art, medieval illuminated manuscripts, and Art Nouveau, transforms Pushkin’s satirical and magical tale into a visual feast of intricate patterns, bold colors, and gilded embellishments.
Pushkin’s story—a cautionary fable about the foolish Tsar Dodon, who receives a prophetic golden cockerel from a mystical Astrologer—is rendered in Zvorykin’s signature style: elongated figures, ornate architectural details, and scenes that shimmer with the opulence of Byzantine icons. The Tsar’s court, the enigmatic Queen of Shemakha, and the cockerel itself are depicted with a blend of whimsy and grandeur, capturing Pushkin’s blend of irony and folklore.
“A tsar’s folly in verse, crowned with Zvorykin’s art—where every feather of the cockerel gleams with warning.”
Zvorykin’s illustrations remain definitive, influencing later adaptations of Russian fairy tales in visual media.
