Pavel Petrovich Bazhov (1879–1950) — a Russian writer, author of the famous book of Ural tales «Malachite Box», which is based on the legends and tales of his native land. Bazhov was born into the family of a mining master in a small Ural town. His childhood was spent among miners and prospectors searching for gold in the Ural mountains, extracting malachite and mica. After graduating from the theological seminary, Bazhov taught Russian, worked in journalism, traveled extensively throughout the Urals, and collected folklore. The first edition of «Malachite Box» was published in 1939. By that time, Bazhov was 60 years old. The work on the book did not end there. Until the end of his days, the writer continued to fill his magical box with new tales, combining folk poetry and wisdom with the delicate mastery of a great artist. The publication included the most famous Ural tales of Pavel Bazhov, among them «The Stone Flower», «Malachite Box», «Mistress of the Copper Mountain», «Silver Hoof», and others.
