Mindlin, Em. [This Cannot Be]. Ne Mozhet Byt’: Fairy Tale.

Second enlarged edition.
Cover and illustrations by K. Kuznetcov.

[Moscow], Gosudarstvennoe izdatelstvo detskoi literatury, 1935. 
8vo, 54, [2] pp., ill.

In publisher’s pictorial boards.  
In good condition, light wear to edges, small loss to front cover.

Author’s copy. The only edition with these illustrations.

This story, authored by the renowned writer Emily Mindlin (1900-1981), explores the narrative of an elderly man who embarks on a journey to witness the construction of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station, the largest hydroelectric power station on the Dnieper River. The initial Russian edition of this story was published in 1933, and in 1935, a second edition was released in Russian. Furthermore, in 1935, two translations of this book were published: one in German and the other in Yiddish.
The construction of the station occurred in two phases. DniproHES-1 was initially built between 1927 and 1932, but unfortunately, it was destroyed during World War II to hinder the progress of the advancing German forces crossing the river. It was subsequently reconstructed between 1944 and 1950.
The illustrations for this book were created by Konstantin Kuznetsov (1886-1943), a talented graphic and book artist who is recognized as one of the pioneering illustrators of fairy tales in the USSR. Despite not having formal artistic education, Kuznetsov made his debut as an illustrator in 'Novyi Satirikon' humor and satirical magazine as early as 1913. His artistic pursuits extended beyond the borders of Russia; he participated in exhibitions of the Société des Artistes Indépendants in Paris between 1910 and 1913. Kuznetsov joined a polar expedition to the Arctic Ocean and Novaya Zemlya in 1923. Furthermore, in the late 1930s, he explored the realm of animation art.

OCLC locates three copies of this edition: the Getty Library, the McGill University Library (Canada), and the Library of Lyon Diderot.