Jevgeni
Onegin is a rich man, who enjoys all the fine things the beau monde has to
offer. People like him and he is seen as
witty and fun. He has not trouble in finding women willing to share his bed,
although he does get bored by all of this.
Onegin
leaves for the country and befriends a neighbor, Lenski, an honorable and kind
man. He also meets the sisters Tatjana and Olga, the latter is engaged to
Lenski.
Tatjana
falls in love with Onegin and writes him a letter. He is rather cruel when he
turns her down, he has had so many women the provincial Tatjana has nothing to
offer him.
Onegin then
flirts with Olga in such a way that Lenski is forced to duel with him, only
with fatal results for Lenski himself.
Onegin is
shocked with the events and goes away to travel. When he comes back to Moscow
he meets Tatjana again, who is now married to a general. He wants her back, but
she refuses him. She tells him that he turned her down before and she cannot
understand why he changed his heart, is is perhaps because she is now rich? Or
perhaps because a scandal would do his reputation good, even though it would
damage hers?
Aleksandr Pushkin is one of the most, if not the most famous
Russian writer. Every Russian can quote Pushkin by heary, and Jevgeni Onegin is
considered to be his best work.
The story
itself is quite simple and can be told in a few lines, more important is the
style.
Jevgeni
Onegin was published in magazines between 1829-1831 and became a book in 1833.
It is written in verses, a step between the poetry that dominated Russian
literature until then and the prose that became more important after that.
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| Duel between Lenski and Onegin, painting by Ilja Repel |
Pushkin
also addresses the reader , he tells his own experiences with balls in Moscow,
asks for pardon when he digresses etc.
It is not
always easy to read, you have to find some sort of rhythm, but when you find
that, there are many beautiful or even funny lines to enjoy.
It is worth
reading this Russian classic.
Published
in 1833
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