A Hero Of Our Time (Rev Edn)This book is never one that I would have picked off the shelf in Waterstones. The cover art was dreary, the story unappealing to my tastes, and the author unheard of (to me).
However, I gave it a go and was ever so glad I did. I am not saying I would rush to read another Lermontov, but the story was fast paced, interesting, different and compelling.
The story starts through the eyes of the ‘author’, who along his travels learns about an individual named Pechorin, whose diaries he soon comes across. These diaries make up the second half of the book. Pechorin appears to be deceitful, bored and in need of all women to love him. As soon as they do, he is bored once again. Do not expect Pechorin’s morals to grow throughout the book, and the lack of this happening is part of the reason that the book caused so much outraged when it was first published in 1840.
Overall, a short insightful read that holds your attention and makes a refreshing change from the traditional beginning, middle, end structure.
I really enjoyed this book. I love the structure and its style, plus I think that there is a bit of Pechorin in all of us. Lermontov was a great influence on Russian literature, especially Dostoevsky.
Posted at 20:36 - 06.05.08 by martin
I remember reading this book years ago--and it's interesting to note that Lermontov, like many Europeans of his age, was reacting against the prevailing conservative setup after the Napoleonic wars. Pechorin is his version of the Byronic hero--and like the original, he is adventurous and loves excitement, but cannot do without feminine attention. Not the kind to set up house and home in Moscow or St. Petersburg! Lermontov himself was greatly influenced by Pushkin, whose stories seem simpler and deeper, maybe because Pushkin's heroes seem more capable of settling down. Lermontov, like Pechorin, died in mysterious circumstances in Central Asia. He, like many Russian authors before and since, had fallen afoul of the powers-that-be.
Posted at 17:06 - 10.07.08 by DevakiKhanna
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I read this book a few years ago and enjoyed the different narrative structure. I think Lermantov was trying to make the point that the Exciting , adventurous man was also (when you looked deeper)shallow and immature - chasing women and trouble rather than falling in love staying in love and making a go of life with someone else with all the trials and tribulations that encounters.Society was holding up the wrong heros to be admired
Posted at 22:05 - 03.12.07 by dougal