Hero of Our Time

"e;Of lasting appeal to readers of all countries and centuries."e;-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, "e;the poet of the Caucasus,"e; 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.