Literature of Ancient Rus. The Tale of Bygone Years. Lives of the Saints

Old Russian literature is a unique body of texts that formed the spiritual, historical, and aesthetic landmarks of Old Rus’. Two works included in the book—“The Tale of Bygone Years” and “Lives of the Saints”—will help provide a comprehensive view of the depth of the poetic language of Russian Middle Ages, its annalistic tradition, and the living hagiographic prose. These works became the foundation of the literary tradition, as well as invaluable evidence of the emergence of statehood, religious worldview, and distinct identity of Old Rus’. In the first Russian chronicle, “The Tale of Bygone Years,” provided in the translation by D. S. Likhachëv, the story tells about the origins of Rus’ and the key events of its early history, while the lives of saints that shaped the moral guidelines of many generations reveal examples of steadfastness and the spiritual feat.