'The Queen of Spades' is a short story that explores the sins of gambling and the bottomless greed of man. When an officer learns that there is a woman who holds the key to always winning at cards, he almost sells his soul to the Devil. The following actions reveal the secret to him, but at a horrifying price. The story is Pushkin’s probing into human wickedness and how often our greatest desires spell our greatest downfall. A well-paced, supernatural story that keeps you hooked till the last page – and then winks at you for man’s greed knows no end.Deservedly labelled 'the best Russian poet', 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 'Ruslan and Ludmila' and 'Eugene Onegin', the drama 'Boris Godunov', several novels, short stories, and fairy tales.