The Tale of Malchish-Kibalchish. Stories

Brave Malysh-Kibalchish, a firm word and a fight against enemies—in this book, the most piercing works of Arkady Gaidar are collected, works that instill courage and fidelity to one’s word.

Arkady Petrovich Gaidar (his real surname is Golikov) (1904–1941) was a Russian writer, a military journalist, a classic of Soviet children’s literature. Gaidar began his writing career after being dismissed from the army. According to his contemporaries, Arkady wrote his works “on the go”: he thought up the stories right on the road, and wrote them down in simple notebooks. “Tale of a Military Secret, about Malysh-Kibalchish and His Firm Word” (1933) is the story of a brave boy whose father and older brother went to war against the bourgeoisie. The courageous Malysh did not fear to stand up to the enemies and rouse other boys to fight evil. A hero strong in spirit, the tale became an example for millions of Soviet children.

The book also includes stories “The Blue Cup,” “Smoke in the Forest,” “The Hot Stone,” “At the Crossing,” “The Fourth Bunker,” “Conscience,” “The Campaign,” and others.