Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) was a dramatist and poet, penning such influential works as Eugene Onegin and Boris Godunov. He is now considered the father of modern Russian literature.

In order to rescue his beloved Lyudmila, who has been abducted by the evil wizard Chernomor, the warrior Ruslan faces an epic and perilous quest, encoutering a multitude of fantastic and terrifying characters along the way.

The basis for Glinka's famous opera of the same name, Ruslan and Lyudmila - Pushkin's second longest poetical work - is a dramatic and ingenious retelling of Russian folklore, full of humour and irony.

He managed what is almost unmanageable: to offer parody and enchantment at the same time