num_pages: 208
description: "Of lasting appeal to readers of all countries and centuries." — Vladimir NabokovRussian literature's first major prose novel, this gripping work was a primary influence on Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and other great nineteenth-century writers. Mikhail Lermontov, "the poet of the Caucasus," drew upon his personal Byronic exploits to create these tales of treachery, abductions, and sexual intrigue. Published in 1840, one year before the author's death at age twenty-six in a duel, the novel retains its overwhelming power and fascination.Centered on the escapades of Pechorin, a dashing young officer and the hero of the title, the book consists of a series of interconnected short stories. The picaresque adventures revolve around Pechorin's escapades and reflect his cynical but passionate worldview. Set amid the rugged Caucasian wilderness — an exotic land populated by bandits and smugglers, transplanted society women, and lawless freebooters — it offers a thrilling blend of brutality, elegance, and enduring romance.
language: English
title: A Hero of Our Time
titlecomplete: A Hero of Our Time (Dover Books on Literature & Drama)
characters: Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin, Kazbich, Princess Mary, Maxim Maximytch, Vulich, Bela, Dr. Werner, Vera (A Hero of Our Time), Grushnitsky
genres: Russia, Literature, Fiction, Russian Literature, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, 19th Century, School, Novels, Classics
ratings_count: 57090
places: Caucasus
publisher: Dover