Two Heroes. Complete Edition with Notes

Eduard Andreevich Granstrem (1843-1918) was a publisher, writer, and translator, the author of many books for young people, who left a significant mark on Russian literature. His adventure story Elena Robinson enjoyed wide popularity and went through several reprints, as did the famous "e;why-why"e; book for girls Lyubochkina Otchego i Ottogo. Granstrem became widely known for his popular science and historical works, such as A Century of Discoveries in the Biographies of Remarkable Navigators and Conquerors of the 15th 16th Centuries (1893) and Along the Polar Outskirts of Russia (1885). In addition to his own literary work, he made a significant contribution to translation: it was he who introduced the Finnish epic Kalevala and Tales of Professor Topelius to the Russian reader, becoming one of the first translators of these works. This edition presents the novel "e;Two Heroes"e;, which tells about the colonization of the New World and the bright, but cruel figures of that era. Granstrom tells not only about the great discovery of America by Columbus, but also about his cruel "e;heirs"e;, the Spanish conquistadors, who wrote their names in the history of the Great Geographical Discoveries with fire and sword. One of these people was Fernando Cortes, who conquered Mexico and destroyed the Aztec civilization for the sake of profit and power. This novel is a gripping story about the clash of worlds, about courage and betrayal, about how discoveries that promised prosperity led to the death of ancient cultures. Granstrom not only conveys the chronology of events, but also shows a complex moral and historical perspective in which feats and crimes go hand in hand.