A Hero of Our Time

Synopsis

The first example of the psychological novel in russia, a hero of our time influenced tolstoy, dostoyevsky, and chekhov, and other great nineteenth-century masters that followed. Its hero, pechorin, is byronic in his wasted gifts, his cynicism, and his desire for any kind of action-good or ill-that will stave off boredom. Outraging many critics when it was first published in 1840, a hero of our time follows pechorin as he embarks on an exciting adventure involving brigands, smugglers, soldiers, rivals, and lovers.