A Hero in Our Time

[SuZanne]

This novella by Lermontov is different than any book I have previously read. It took a while for me, probably because I was reading it late at night when I was tired, to wrap my Western mind around it. The main character, Pechorin, is a cynic, whose first-person narration is at times infuriating with his sexist callousness. Yet underneath his veneer Pechorin is a vulnerable and even in some moments a hopeless, impetuous romantic. Lermontov's satirical humor had me laughing at times and even reflecting on the meaning of life. If you are serious about reading, my ASFG students, you should read at least one Russian novel as they truly are much different than Western ones. And this particular book is much much shorter than most Russian novels.