Alexander Afanasyev
Alexander Afanasyev Александр Афанасьев | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 July 1826 Boguchar, Voronezh Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 5 October 1871 (aged 45) Moscow, Russian Empire |
| Occupation | Slavist, folklorist, literary critic, historian, journalist |
| Alma mater | Imperial Moscow University (1848) |
| Notable works | Russian Fairy Tales, Poetic Views of the Slavs on Nature |
Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev (Russian: Александр Николаевич Афанасьев; 23 July [O.S. 11 July] 1826 – 5 October [O.S. 23 September] 1871) was a Russian Slavist and ethnographer best known for publishing nearly 600 East Slavic and Russian fairy and folk tales, one of the largest collections of folklore in the world. This collection was not restricted to Great Russia, but included folk tales from what are now Ukraine and Belarus as well. The first edition of his collection was published in eight volumes from 1855 to 1867, earning him the reputation of being the Russian counterpart to the Brothers Grimm.