author

Kalamatiano De Blumenthal

A reteller of Russian folk tales, she brought old Slavic stories to English-speaking children in a warm, inviting form. Her best-known book, first published in 1903, gathers magic, mischief, and memorable figures like Baba Yaga and Father Frost.

1 Audiobook

Folk Tales from the Russian

Folk Tales from the Russian

by Kalamatiano De Blumenthal, Verra Xenophontovna

About the author

Verra Xenophontovna Kalamatiano de Blumenthal is known for Folk Tales from the Russian, a collection of traditional stories published in 1903. In the book’s foreword, she explains that she wanted to preserve tales that were fading from everyday life and share them with American children.

The collection includes enduring folk characters and motifs from Russian storytelling, including Baba Yaga, Father Frost, and brave, luck-tested heroes. Her role was not simply to gather tales, but to retell them in accessible English for young readers while keeping their sense of wonder.

Reliable biographical detail about her life appears to be limited in the sources available here, so it is safest to remember her chiefly through this book and its lasting place in children’s folklore collections and audiobook catalogs.