At 26, Mikhail Lermontov had already experienced exile, military campaigns, two duels and literary fame, which usually comes much later. Born on October 15, 1814 in Moscow, the writer left behind poems, dramas, drawings and the novel “A Hero of Our Time“ – a work that is often defined as one of the first great psychological novels in Russian literature.
Childhood between loss and the Caucasus
Lermontov lost his mother Maria when he was only three years old. After the separation of his parents, his grandmother Elizaveta Arsenieva took care of the child – a wealthy and influential woman who raised him in the Tarkhany estate. There, the future writer received home education and began writing in his early teens.
The Caucasus appeared in his life long before it became a place of exile. In 1824, Lermontov visited it for the first time together with his grandmother due to health problems. The mountains, local customs and military reality later became a constant background for his poetry and prose.
He was not just a poet
Lermontov studied at the Noble Boarding House at Moscow University, and in 1830 he entered the university itself. He left it in 1832 and continued his studies at the School for Guards Ensigns and Cavalry Cadets in St. Petersburg. Thus, literature turned out to be only one side of his life – he became an officer and served in the Russian army.
A little-known side of his talent was painting. Lermontov created landscapes, portraits and graphic sketches, especially often depicting the Caucasus. He was also interested in music, and his early work was strongly influenced by George Byron.
The poem that changed his fate
After the death of Alexander Pushkin in 1837, Lermontov wrote “The Death of a Poet“. In the poem, he not only mourns Pushkin, but also makes sharp accusations against secular society and the court. The text quickly spread, and the author was arrested and sent to the Caucasus.
This exile transformed the Caucasus from a childhood memory into a personal and literary destiny. After his return, Lermontov established himself as one of the most significant Russian writers of his generation, but his conflicted character continued to make him enemies.
Pechorin is not Lermontov himself
“A Hero of Our Time“ was published in 1840. The main character, Grigory Pechorin, is intelligent, educated, and capable, but lives in a state of boredom, distrust, and spiritual dissatisfaction. Because of the similarities between the character and the author, the novel is often read as autobiographical. However, Lermontov clearly warns:
„A Hero of Our Time is indeed a portrait, but not of one person: it is a portrait composed of the vices of our entire generation in their full development.“Thus, Pechorin is presented not as a copy of the writer, but as an image of an entire generation that has abilities, but does not find a worthy field for their use.
The Last Duel
In 1840, Lermontov participated in a duel with Ernest de Barant and was again sent to the Caucasus. On July 15, 1841, in the old style near Pyatigorsk, he faced Nikolai Martynov, his former classmate from the military school. Martynov fired the shot that killed the writer.
Lermontov died on July 27, 1841, in a new style. Among his unfinished projects were new works, plans for his own magazine, and more editions of “Demon“. This is what makes his short life so unusual: his work seems like the work of a man who lived for decades, but was created in less than three decades.
Sources: rbc.ru, bgonair.bg