A Russian-language edition of Pushkin’s only full-length play, inspired by the political intrigues, social turmoil, and multifaceted personalities of Russia’s Time of Troubles (1598-1613). Completed just months before the suppressed revolt of the Decembrists, the play features a feeble-minded tsar, his able and ambitious brother-in-law, a rightful heir who died under mysterious circumstances, and the pretender who emerged years later to claim the dead youths identity. Ambiguous and controversial, Boris Godunov provides rich material for the consideration of Pushkin and his artistic legacy