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[COVER DESIGNED BY ALEKSEY REMIZOV] Lalazar. Kavkazskii skaz [i.e. Lalazar. Caucasian Tales].

Remizov, A.

Berlin: Skify, 1922. Item #111

37, [3] pp. 20х14 см. In original illustrated wrappers. Some restoration of the covers, some soiling, Berlin bookshop’s stamp on the title page. Otherwise a very good clean copy.

First and only separate edition. Very rare.

Title pages in Russian and German. Cover design by the author — Russian writer Aleksey Remizov (1877-1957). Marina Tsvetaeva called him «living treasury of the Russian soul and language» as his works were very imaginative. He became famous thanks to his fairy tales which he based on folk tales. It’s not widely known that he was also a very talented artist — he used to accompany every letter and note with a drawing. His works were even praised by Pablo Picasso. From his letters we find out about the covers: «The covers came from Easter eggs: we painted them, put paints on the paper — it blurred and flowers came out». Here he also explained the title — spring color ‘lalazar’. Remizov was working on series of Caucasian tales in 1914-16 — at that time it was called «Caucasian Prianik» (i.e. Russian cookie). The series was first published as ‘Caucasian Folk Tales’ in collection with other authors’ works titled ‘Sredi muria’ (Moscow, 1917). This version differed from the final one not only stylistically but also in order of the tales. Later he tried to publish the tales as separate edition in 1919 by the title «Caucasian Churek» (here cookie naturally transformed into Caucasian bread) but it never happened. The similar series he developed during that period was «Siberian Prianik». (Prianik idea started in 1916 when Remizov was participating in charitable collective edition to help children which was called «Prianik for Orphans».) From one of his letters: «How much I dreamed about publishing it in Russia in 1919. Everything was ready and suddenly everything was gone». Only in 1922 after his emigration he published the book in Berlin in its final form.

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