Zaštitna povelja / Detinjstvo Liversove / Vazdušni koloseci / Pisma iz Tule

This edition includes key autobiographical and prose works from the early phase of the creative work of Russian Nobel Prize winner Boris Pasternak: the memoir Protective Charter and the short stories Childhood of Luvers, Airways (Air Tracks) and Letters from Tula. All works are connected by the author's recognizable, exceptionally lyrical and metaphorical style that makes the boundary between poetry and prose almost invisible.

Protective Charter (1931) is one of the most important autobiographical and essayistic works of the 20th century. In it, Pasternak does not present a classic biography, but describes his own spiritual and artistic maturation — from abandoning music under the influence of Scriabin and studying philosophy in Marburg, to finally dedicating himself to poetry. A particularly poignant place in the work is occupied by a reflection on his friendship with Vladimir Mayakovsky and a reflection on his suicide.

The short story Childhood of Luvers (1918) is a masterpiece of psychological realism that, through the perspective of a girl Ženja Luvers, depicts the sensitive transition from childhood to youth and her first encounters with the adult world.

The short story Airways brings a dark and dramatic atmosphere in which the October Revolution and the Civil War intersect with personal family tragedies and the disappearance of a child, exploring the powerlessness of the individual in the face of the violent sweep of history. On the other hand, Letters from Tula addresses the theme of theater and acting and, through interior monologues, problematizes the notion of artistic truth, conscience, and moral responsibility of the creator in a new, revolutionary era.

Taken together, the collection provides an irreplaceable insight into the emergence of poetics that would reach its peak in the novel Doctor Zhivago.