A Hero of Our Time (Everyman's Library)
by Mikhail Lermontov, Vladimir Nabokov (translator)
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This is definitely one of my all time top 5 favo books. Even though it was written in a faraway place (Russia), a long long time ago (mid-19th), the main character, Pechorin, faces metaphysical dilemmas that are pretty familiar to a 21st century American - perhaps to anybody anywhere, for that matter. He's an infantryman from Petersburg, stationed in the Caucasus Mountains (a beautiful landscape described with elegant reverence by Lermontov) with the task of keeping the region's indigenous peo...more
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How can I make someone who hasn't read this understand what she has missed? Mikhail Lermontov's seductive, restless, cynical anti-hero Pechorin is one of the most enduringly vivid archetypes of 19th-century literature. Thrill to his death-defying Caucasian exploits! Gasp in dismay as he seduces and casts aside beautiful women! Wince as he courts destruction out of sheer boredom! He'll be, like, whatever… A pioneering existentialist; an essential novella.
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Don't read if you don't like spoilers:
Begins as one man's "travel notes," ends with another man's diary.
It centers on one sociopath, Pechorin. The first encounter with him is through the story of a former acquaintance who seems to admire him. But I think Pechorin's actions would arouse most readers' suspicions no matter how heroic his friend makes him out to be.
Then the first real encounter with him. What a jerk!
The writer of the "travel notes" then suppla...more
Begins as one man's "travel notes," ends with another man's diary.
It centers on one sociopath, Pechorin. The first encounter with him is through the story of a former acquaintance who seems to admire him. But I think Pechorin's actions would arouse most readers' suspicions no matter how heroic his friend makes him out to be.
Then the first real encounter with him. What a jerk!
The writer of the "travel notes" then suppla...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in October, 2001
recommends it for:
Elliot
Pechorin is a bitter, somber hero, and the word hero should be said with emphasis, because that is what he is. IF I were to drink a cup of coffee in the morning, widdle away the morning, then he would be out fighting cossaks, and I'd already have poured myself another cup of coffee to prevent cancer of the liver as the studies now show. The hardest thing for people to deal with this book is the word fatalist, and that is we have no choice in our actions. Pechorin is arrogant and let me say Le...more
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Read in September, 2007
I love Pechorin's bored, I'm-better-than-everybody tone throughout the diary stories. And then just when you're wondering if Pechorin has even one spark of humanity, he reaches through the maze of sarcasm and delivers a few genuinely touching moments. For fans of Russian literature in general, you'll find the staples here: bored aristocrats being scandalous, foreigners being barbaric, duels, and of course, that strange Russian fusion of reckless passion and bullheaded philosophy. With drinking a...more
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One of my favorite books. Russians say Lermontov was second to Pushkin in poetry, but surpassed in him prose (and that's saying a lot since this was his only novel he wrote). One of the first modern Russian novels, and subsequent Russian greats all paid homage to its influence. Explores the "superfluous man" idea--gifted people who are anachronistic to their time, and so are doomed to unhappiness and petty amusements (as in the case of the protagonist/anti-hero, Pechorin). Females will...more
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Read in March, 2008
Unlike that idealistic wimp Raskolinikov that Dostoyevsky gave us, Lermontov's Pechorin is a true relativistic Vampire.... willing to suck the life blood out of others and go home to bed without complaints. He has doubts, but he doesn't let that stop his sickly decline into the gutter.
I read this in December of 1996, but find it even more interesting now as I study how post-structuralists are trying to find political relevancy in a world without absolutes... Pechorin might have been better s...more
I read this in December of 1996, but find it even more interesting now as I study how post-structuralists are trying to find political relevancy in a world without absolutes... Pechorin might have been better s...more
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این اثر لرمانتوف یک بار توسط کریم کشاورز با نام "قهرمان دوران" به فارسی ترجمه و چاپ و منتشر شده است، به گمانم در دهه ی سی شمسی، و یک بار هم توسط خانم مهری آهی به نام "قهرمان عصر ما" ترجمه شده که بنگان ترجمه و نشر کتاب در 1336 ان را چاپ و منتشر کرده است.
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Read in October, 2004
I absolutely loved this book when I was younger (a whole three years ago) but according to Nabokov, it is trash. Now I'm a little fearful of ever revisiting the text and ruining my starry-eyed first impression. Still, it's hard to believe that Pechorin's swashbuckling existentialism won't overpower any elderly cynicism that I may bring to his story.
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Read in April, 2007
One of my favorite books of all time, but not for the reader who has trouble focusing on one task for a long time. Written in the typical Russian author manner the details and names can hide the plot. There are many lines that I actually highlighted so I could refer to them later. But the moral of the book is well worth the time and discovery.
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Lermontov is a lesser well known Russian author but his influence on Russian lit has been profound. Characters in the novel displays many characteristics of characters you will find in the works of Dostoevsky and other Russian greats. The protagonist is an existentialist and engages in frequent encounters with women. It's quite funny.
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Read in January, 1966
A hidden gem in the Golden Age of Russian Lit (the 19th Century). Read it as a collection of short stories with a common character in Pechorin, OR as a novella. I believe the term for this protagonist was... ah, yes... the Superfluous Man. Sounds fun, this being superfluous stuff. Heavy atmosphere book. Mood fans take note.
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Lermontov had Scottish forebears (Learmonth).
This book is a model for Pnin.
The innovative structure of the novel is very modern, and has inspired several imitations, notably by Vladimir Nabokov in his novel Pnin (1955).
Mikhail Lermontov
This book is a model for Pnin.
The innovative structure of the novel is very modern, and has inspired several imitations, notably by Vladimir Nabokov in his novel Pnin (1955).
Mikhail Lermontov
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Read in January, 2007
Lermontov was always Russia's second-favorite poet, after Pushkin, who died young as the loser of a duel. Then, one day, Mr. L cranked out this awesome novel. Many people suspected the main character to be largely based on the author himself, an idea he refuted until he also met his premature demise via duel.
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I love this book and its one my all time favorites. It is a look at disillusioned generation of the new Russian generation. The main character loves only himself and lives simply for the thrill of life. Ruining someone's life means nothing to him. Lermontov is a great writer! Check this out.
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بار اول با نام "قهرمان دوران" توسط کریم کشاورز به فارسی برگردانده شده(1331) و بار دوم به وسیله ی مهری آهی با نام "قهرمان عصر ما"(1336)به فارسی ترجمه شده است
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A Russian classic. . .essentially a character study of a really nasty guy yet charismatic guy named Pechorin, told through five stories. It's not a gripping read, but the emotions are powerful and well-wrought. The tragedy of Pechorin's character is convincing.
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Read in November, 1999
"Geroi nashego vremeni" is one of my favorite books. This is partly b/c it's one of the books I read in Russian that I could understand - so the language was nice and clear and simple. But it's also an excellent example of the "tortured Russian soul" trope.
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It has several "disjointed" sections and deals with the manners ofthe upper class in early 19th century Russia, plus this guy who might not have a conscience. It's my favorite Russian novel, and not just because it's short.
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Read in April, 2007
I enjoyed this book because the main character, Pechorin, inspired in me the desire to understand his theories on life. His attitude and lack of emotion or empathy for anyone but himself was really interesting to read.
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