Senya Malina (read 'Simon Raspberry'), a humble peasant living a stone’s throw from the White Sea in Russia’s Far North, loves nothing more than to regale folks with accounts of his adventures, all of which really did take place - including the time he got frozen solid and broke into several discrete pieces, the rummaging he did in the Sky’s Basement, and the occasion he saved the day by sending Nappy Bonaparte packing back to Paree (don’t listen to Missus Malina or believe the history books). These subversive tall tales and their colourful hero are the creation of Stepan Pisakhov (1879-1960), who lived his life in Arkhangelsk - a stone’s throw from the White Sea. Dmitry Trubin, from the same city, has illustrated the work; as an artist Trubin is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards. Blackwell Boyce, from Canada but a once-upon-a-time resident of Arkhangelsk, has rendered the tales for the first time into English - and confesses to tinkering with two or three of them along the way. For readers who believe that all Russian literature is dark and depressing - Senya Malina Tells It Like It Was is going to surprise.