Мельник, колдун, обманщик и сват

by Alexander Ablesimov

68 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1779

About the author

Alexander Ablesimov has been serving in the Russian army all his life and took part in many battles. Once he had a chance to serve alongside a famous russian playwright and poet Alexander Sumarokov. Sumarokov inspired Ablesimov to write some works of his own. Ablesimov succeeded most in creating lighthearted operettas about the life of the common people. It was however quiete unusual for the theatre of that time, because it was mostly devoted to replicating french and german plays. There were a few attempts at making folk plays before Ablesimov, but his work turned out to be the most successful, both artisticly and financially speaking. His most famous play is "The Miller is a Wizard, a Cheat and a Matchmaker". Despite the success of his plays, Ablesimov barely had enough money to give his daughter proper education. He died in poverty in 1783.