Undertaker

"e;The Undertaker"e; is a supernatural gothic tale by Pushkin, which features Adrian Prokhorov, an undertaker, who comes to a new place.

He is a very straight-forward man, and does not tolerate deviation from the norm.

He is then invited to a wedding by his neighbours, where a lot of drinking is spent.

The supernatural is just round the corner when a mishandled toast is proposed.

The picturesque depiction of the danse macabre/walking-dead midnight party is exceptional, and Pushkin succeeds in portraying the horrifying aspect completely.

A chilling story with a surprise ending that is not to be read after dark. Deservedly labelled "e;the best Russian poet"e;, Pushkin's short life (1799-1837) did not prevent him from ushering Russian literature into its modern era.

A master of the vernacular language and multifarious and vivid writing style, Pushkin's oeuvre was of great influence to a whole legion of Russian writers and literary styles.

Among his best-known works are the narrative poems "e;Ruslan and Ludmila"e; and "e;Eugene Onegin"e;, the drama "e;Boris Godunov"e;, several novels, short stories, and fairy tales.