Peasant Tales of Russia

"Peasant Tales of Russia" by Vasilii Ivanovich Nemirovich-Danchenko is a compilation of narratives from early 1900s Russia that tells about the lives of the peasant class. It tells their problems, what they believe, and how they get along through fascinating stories and interesting people. We are first introduced to Ivan, an old miner whose life is connected to his hard work and his spiritual experiences in the darkness of the mine. As the book begins, the story describes the entrance to the Voskressensky mine where miners, including the senior Ivan, are located. The descriptions set a gloomy scene, and we feel stress as Ivan begins going into the mine, he starts to reminisce about his childhood adventures in the mine. The story explores his thoughts on life, death, and religion, remembering when he faced death and imagining seeing Jesus in the dark mine. This start gets us ready to deeply look into topics like death, spirituality, and how people connect with land, which hints at the adventures that will happen later on.