Set during the Pugachov rebellion against Catherine the Great, The
Captain's Daughter was Pushkin's only completed novel and remains one of
his most popular works. The inexperienced and impetuous young nobleman
Pyotr Grinyev is sent on military service to a remote fortress, where he
falls in love with Masha, Captain Mironov's daughter - but then the
ruthless Cossack Pugachov lays siege to the stronghold, setting in
motion a tragic train of events.
This volume also contains another work by Pushkin on the same theme, A
History of Pugachov, which presents an impartial, meticulously
researched history of the revolt, but was regarded in aristocratic
circles as subversive on its publication. Together, these two works
provide a fascinating insight into the character of the peasant who
tried to overthrow an empress, written with the clarity and insight of
Russia's greatest poet.