Pushkin, Alexander
The Undertaker. Designed by Varvara Bubnova.
The Undertaker. Designed by Varvara Bubnova.
[Pushkin, Alexander] プウシキン [Sōgi-ya / The Undertaker].葬儀屋.
In Japanese. Translation by 中山省三郎 [Shōzaburō Nakayama].
Cover design and lithographic illustrations by Varvara Bubnova. [Back cover with Pushkin's drawings].
Tokyo, Hangaso, 昭和 9 年 [1934].
4to,[24] pp. including wrappers, ill.
In original pictorial wrappers.
In good condition, small losses to spine, light sun-tanned, small tears and cracks to cover.
The book was skillfully designed by Varvara Bubnova (1886-1983), a Russian-born painter and graphic artist. Interestingly, her mother was distantly related to the renowned poet Alexander Pushkin. Varvara pursued her studies at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. During the early 1910s, she became a member of the Youth Union and actively participated in art exhibitions alongside esteemed artists such as Mikhail Larionov, Natalia Goncharova, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, and David Burlyuk. Bubnova also collaborated with the Institute of Artistic Culture, working alongside notable figures like Wassily Kandinsky, Robert Falk, Lyubov Popova, Varvara Stepanova, and Alexander Rodchenko. In 1923, she relocated to Japan and resided there until 1958, primarily dedicating herself to teaching and developing the art of lithography. Bubnova even taught Russian language and literature at Waseda University in Tokyo. However, her time in Japan took a difficult turn when she was declared an undesirable alien in 1936 and subsequently deported from Tokyo. Tragically, Bubnova's library and drawings were lost in the fires during the attacks on Tokyo during World War II. Following the end of the war, she returned to the USSR in 1959. In recognition of her contributions, the Japanese Emperor awarded Bubnova the Japanese Order of the Precious Crown in 1982.
The story within the book was translated by Shozaburo Nakayama (1907-1947), a poet and novelist who was one of Bubnova's students at Waseda University.
Pushkin v illiustratsii. #904. Pouchkine illustre. P. 117.
We couldn't trace any copy of this edition in the USA via OCLC. One copy of this edition locates in The Netherlands, The Van Abbemuseum (Lemmens en Stommels collection).