Boris Godunov

A Russian-language edition of Pushkin’s only full-length play,  inspired by the political intrigues, social turmoil, and multifaceted personalities of Russia’s Time of Troubles (1598-1613). Completed just months before the suppressed revolt of the Decembrists, the play features a feeble-minded tsar, his able and ambitious brother-in-law, a rightful heir who died under mysterious circumstances, and the pretender who emerged years later to claim the dead youth's identity. Ambiguous and controversial, Boris Godunov provides rich material for the consideration of Pushkin and his artistic legacy.

Maria Virolainen is director of the Pushkin Studies Department at the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Alexander Dolinin is professor of Russian literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of three books (in Russian) and more than 150 articles (in Russian and English) on Russian and comparative literature.