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A Hero of Our Time (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

by Mikhail Lermontov (Author), Paul Foote (Introduction, Translator) "I was travelling post from Tiflis ..." (more)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; 2Rev Ed edition (28 Aug 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140447954
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140447958
  • Product Dimensions: 19 x 12.7 x 1.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 7,942 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > L > Lermontov, Mikhail
    #77 in  Books > Fiction > By Period > 19th Century
    #94 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > History & Criticism

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Product Description

Review

'galloping new translation' - The Independent --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.


The Evening Standard

'A hero for our times, too, perhaps.' --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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I was travelling post from Tiflis. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Life, death and male introspection in 19thC Dagestan, 10 Mar 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: A Hero of Our Time (Classics) (Paperback)
On one level this is a fantastic piece of travel writing detailing a young officer's journey from the elegant drawing rooms of Russia's heartland to the wild and lawless Southern Caucasus. However the book also follows the moral journey of the Hero, and allows Lermontov to put the boot into the stale and self serving ruling classes who's banality is nearly as gigantic as his ennui. Whilst the geographical journey takes in crazy characters, wild situations and beautiful places, the moral adventure examines the Hero's alienation not just from his peers but from the rest of humanity. Lermontov's Hero is not simply disgruntled however, he has an alternative, if somewhat manufactured amorality which is in many ways very appealing. All in all an excellent read conbining costume drama, travel writing and philosophical introspection: Like Sartre only well written and interesting.
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars What heroism is really all about?, 14 Jul 2004
By Depressaholic (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: A Hero of Our Time (World's Classics) (Hardcover)
Lermontov's book is a brilliant precursor to the great Russian novels of the 19th century. It is principally the story of Pechorin, the hero of the title, a Russian officer posted to the Caucasus. He is, however, not a hero in the classical sense, but rather an ambiguous character. Where traditional heroes are motivated by the desire to do good, Pechorin is motivated by the desire to avoid boredom. When he chases women it is not for love, but to give himself a project, regardless of the effects he has on his targets. Although, he arouses the admiration of his fellow officers, they are also repelled by his callousness and lack of morals. He is a great antihero, beginning a tradition that was later followed by Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky and other Russian authors, with their morally ambiguous protagonists. Lermontov's hero is more classically romantic than those of the other author, but Lermontov stops short of making Pechorin into some sort of Boy's Own hero. The distaste with which the other characters view Pechorin constantly remind the reader that at the heart of his rogueish exterior is a really selfish man, one who we both admire and pity. Although later books have achieved characters like Pechorin with more subtlety, he remains the archetype . I enjoyed reading this book immensely, and, if any of the above intrigues you, suggest that you will as well.
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20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Lermontov - my childhood hero, 15 Oct 2004
By Olesya Marsh (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Hero of Our Times (Everyman's Library Classics & Contemporary Classics) (Hardcover)
As a Russian reader and eternal admirer of Lermontov's genius, I would like to clarify for English readers the title of the book. "Hero" of our time is a "character" of our time, in Russian language we use word "hero" to say "character in the book" (in this case it would certainly mean "main character") or "subject of the conversation". I would not want some readers (a review here above) to get confused on technicality and dismiss some of the brilliance of this novel. Besides, Pechorin might as well be the hero ... of his own time and our heart... somehow we end up drawn to his tragedy and go back to the novel over and over again. Or may be the tragedy of his time?! Was it not about Pechorin after all?!
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