The Malachite Casket (fairy tale)
| "The Malachite Casket" | |
|---|---|
| Author | Pavel Bazhov |
| Original title | "Малахитовая шкатулка" |
| Translator | Alan Moray Williams (first), Eve Manning, et al. |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Russian |
| Series | The Malachite Casket collection (list of stories) |
| Genre(s) | skaz |
| Published in | Na Smenu! |
| Publication type | Periodical |
| Media type | Print (newspaper, hardback and paperback) |
| Publication date | 1938 |
| Published in English | 1944 |
"The Malachite Casket" (Russian: Малахитовая шкатулка, tr. Malahitovaja shkatulka), also known as "The Malachite Box", is a folk tale (the so-called skaz) of the Ural region collected and reworked by Pavel Bazhov. It was first published in the several issues of the Sverdlovsk newspaper Na Smenu! in September—November 1938, and in Uralsky Sovremennik (volume 1, 1938). It was later released as a part of the The Malachite Casket collection. "The Malachite Casket" is considered to be one of the best stories in the collection. The story was translated from Russian into English by Alan Moray Williams in 1944, and by Eve Manning in the 1950s.
This skaz was first published in the several issues of the Sverdlovsk newspaper Na Smenu! in September—November 1938, and in the Uralsky Sovremennik almanac (volume 1, 1938). It was released as a part of the The Malachite Casket collection on 28 January 1939. The story was initially titled "Father's Gift" (Russian: Тятино подаренье, tr. Tjatino podarenje), but the title was changed prior to publication. Bazhov liked the title so much that he named the whole collection after the story.
In 1944 the story was translated from Russian into English by Alan Moray Williams and published by Hutchinson as a part of the The Malachite Casket: Tales from the Urals collection. In the 1950s another translation of The Malachite Casket was made by Eve Manning
The talented miner Stepan dies, leaving his widow Nastasya (Nastyona) and their two sons and a daughter. Nastasya becomes the owner of the Malachite Casket filled with jewellery, which Stepan got from the legendary Mistress of the Copper Mountain. Only Tanyushka likes to play with the Casket, and every piece of jewellery looks good on her. With black hair and green eyes, Tanyushka does not look like her mother at all, as if she was born to different parents. Her appearance resembles that of the Mistress of the Copper Mountain.
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