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PRELUDE TO PARNASSUS by James Cleugh

PRELUDE TO PARNASSUS

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Pub Date: Nov. 1st, 1937
Publisher: Paisley Press

Subtitled ""Scenes From The Life Of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin"" this is fictionized biography, with scenes linked together in a highly colored interpretation of Pushkin's life. The precocious boyhood, early affairs, duels and misconduct which led to his exile in Southern Russia: the succession of mistresses until his marriage to Nathalie, whose infidelity involved him in a duel which cost him his life. Nothing of Pushkin's work, but a fairly lively portrait of the man -- melodramatic, violent, impulsive, Byronic -- an ""enfant terrible"" given to unparalleled extravagance. Since the narrative is primarily dialogue and the emphasis on Pushkin's ""vie intime"" -- one does not get the feeling of authenticity, but it makes entertaining reading.