Scarlet Sails (Russian: Алые паруса, Alye parusa) is a 1923 romantic novel with elements of fantasy by Russian writer Alexander Grin. The author described the genre of the novel as féerie. It is a story about a dream coming true no matter how futile it seems. It was written during 1916–1922.[1][2]
Plot summary
Plot line 1: As a little girl, Assol lived with her widowed father, sailor Longren, who made his living by making toys. One day Assol was sent to a city with a batch of toys, including a yacht with scarlet sails. Assol let it sail along a stream, and as she followed it she met a stranger, old Egl, who prophesied that many years in the future a prince will carry her away on a ship with scarlet sails. Since then Assol has dreamt of this prophecy and the locals consider her crazy.[3]
Plot line 2: The second protagonist, Arthur Gray, a rich heir. Inspired by a seascape painting, he ran away from home and joined the crew of the schooner Anselm. When it sailed to the place where Assol lived, Gray saw a sleeping girl, fancied her, and put his ring on her finger. In the local tavern he learned that the girl was a local crazy dreaming of a prince with scarlet sails. Later when Gray becomes a captain of his own ship, he makes sails of purple silk and sails to Assol's village.[3]
Finale: Assol sees a white ship with purple sails, its captain takes Assol in a boat to the ship, and the prophecy is fulfilled.[3]
Commentary
The prophecy is the only fantastic element of the novel. The first version had a bit more of it: the "Scarlet Sails" was supposed to be a story within a story, with the frame story involving the narrator and a flying man Mas-Tuel.[2]
Scarlet Sails had a tremendous impact on Russian culture.[3]
Adaptations
Film
- Scarlet Sails (1961), directed by Alexandr Ptushko
- Scarlet (2022), directed by Pietro Marcello
- Assol, a 1982 feature-length film by Boris Stepantsev with elements of animation
Scene
- 2013: Scarlet Sails (musical)
Music
- Assol, a 1965 children's operetta by Eugen Kapp
See also
References
