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b"Aleksandr PushkinAleksandr Sergeyevi\\xe7h Pushkin was a Russian poet, playwright and novelist.\\xa0He was born in 1799 in Moscow and died aged on 37 in St Petersburg.\\xa0Hie was fatally wounded on a duel fought with his brother in law, a soldier who had attempted to seduce Pushkin\\u2019s wife.Pushkin\\u2019 great-grandfather was African, kidnapped from Africa, probably Cameroon, by the Turks and taken to Russia where he became the favourite of Peter the Great and rose to be a famous military engineer.Pushkin is rightly considered to be one of the greats of Russian literature and he was massively talented. He was a supporter of greater political freedom and so came under the surveillance of the Russian Tsar\\u2019s secret police, leading to his exile.The Queen of Spades story is very well written and there seems no superfluous detail or incident. The first scene of the gamblers sets up the story and Herman, who Pushkin leaves in the background while the story of the mystical St Germain and his grandmother\\u2019s magic secret of winning at cards is discussed. We realise, that though Herman is strangely quiet during this sequence it is because he is taking it all in.\\xa0Herman begins to stalk the Countess and his sly plot is to get at her by the seduction of her young companion Lisa. Herman is so sly that he persists against Lisa\\u2019s initial refusal and Pushkin comments wryly that Herman knows the female heart. Be persistent, boys, is the message, and you will win her round.\\xa0Many legal cases of stalking and harassment have begun with this mentality, of course.There is nothing admirable about Herman at all, which is important because we as readers know right from wrong and we want the villain to get his just rewards.I have a memory that some versions of the Queen of Spades have her winking, and so her wink, which might otherwise be comic, is sinister here.I also wonder who commands the grandmother to give the secrets of the cards to Herman against her will from beyond the grave?\\xa0Is the ghost just saying this, or is she in league with another mysterious supernatural power who both want to see the scoundrel punished?Finally, it is the Queen of Spades, who must represent the spectral countess, that brings him down, winking as she does so.The Count de St GermainThe Count of St Germain was a real historical figure who lived in the 18th Century. One story claims he was the son of a prince of Transylvania.\\xa0The Count was educated in Italy by the Medicis.\\xa0Later in the 19th Century it was said that the Count was of Jewish origin, born in Alsace by the Rhine.\\xa0He was a bit of a trickster and used many names. He is one of the late alchemists,\\xa0but like them claimed to have discovered the Elixir of Life, or the Philosopher\\u2019s Stone, the goal of alchemy and claimed to have lived for five hundred years.\\xa0Tales of his skill at magic abounded and so Pushkin incorporates him into his story.A later rumour has him arrested as a Jacobite spy in 1749 in London, just after the. Highland Rebellion for all you fans of Outlander.\\xa0Later he appeared at the French court of Louis XV.\\xa0Later still, he appeared in Holland during the Seven Years War.A man of mystery indeed: a man who knows secrets!FaroFaro also known as Pharaoh is a card game of French origin that generally was played for money rather than pure fun.\\xa0It was popular in the 1800s, but gradually Poker became the favoured game for gamblers. Faro was popular among gamblers because it was easy to learn and gave good odds for gamblers. However, it was easily rigged by the gambling houses and caused a great deal of hardship and loss.The banker has an entire deck of cards and the players, known as punters. The Support the showVisit us here: www.ghostpod.orgBuy me a coffee if you're glad I do this: https://ko-fi.com/tonywalkerIf you really want to help me, become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/barcudMusic by The Heartwood Institute: https://bit.ly/somecomeback\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices"