Mikhail Lermontov

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Lore & Background

Lermontov grew up in Tarkhany and received excellent home education from his grandmother, nurturing his talents in languages, music, and painting. However, his health was fragile, and he suffered from scrofula and rickets. His grandmother's strict control caused him emotional turmoil, leading to his development as a lonely and introspective individual. In 1827, Lermontov moved to Moscow with his grandmother and joined the Moscow University's boarding school. He excelled academically and started to write poetry. By 1829, Lermontov had written notable poems. His literary career began to take shape, with his early works reflecting the influences of Alexander Pushkin and Lord Byron. Lermontov's early education included extensive travel to the Caucasus for his health, which greatly impressed him and influenced his work. In 1832, Lermontov moved to Saint Petersburg and enrolled in the School of Cavalry Junkers and Ensign of the Guard, eventually joining the Life-Guard Hussar regiment. His literary career flourished, but his sharp wit and satirical works earned him many enemies. The poem "Death of the Poet," written after the death of Alexander Pushkin, gained Lermontov significant fame, but led to his first exile to the Caucasus due to its controversial content. During his exile, Lermontov continued to write, producing some of his most famous works, including A Hero of Our Time. His experiences in the Caucasus provided rich material for his poetry and prose. Despite returning to St. Petersburg briefly, his rebellious nature and another duel led to his second exile. In 1841, Lermontov was killed in a duel with fellow officer Nikolai Martynov. His death marked the loss of one of Russia's most promising literary talents.

Reader's Guide

Lermontov's significance lies in his role as the foremost Russian Romantic poet after Pushkin and as the founder of the Russian psychological novel through his prose, particularly A Hero of Our Time. His poetry and prose have had a lasting influence on Russian literature into modern times. His experiences in the Caucasus provided rich material for his work, earning him the epithet 'the poet of the Caucasus.' His death in a duel at age 26 marked the loss of one of Russia's most promising literary talents, and his legacy endures through his contributions to both poetry and the development of psychological realism in fiction.

Did You Know?

• Lermontov's paternal family descended from the Scottish family of Learmonth, and can be traced to Yuri (George) Learmonth, a Scottish officer in the Polish–Lithuanian service who settled in Russia in the middle of the 17th century.
• Family legend asserted that George Learmonth descended from the famed 13th-century Scottish poet Thomas the Rhymer (also known as Thomas Learmonth).
• Lermontov's mother, Maria Mikhaylovna Arsenyeva, died of tuberculosis on 27 February 1817, when Lermontov was only two years old.
• Lermontov's grandmother, Elizaveta Arsenyeva, launched a formidable battle for her grandson after his mother's death, promising to disinherit him if his father took the boy away.
• Lermontov's first romantic passion was for a nine-year-old girl he met during a trip to the Caucasus in summer 1825.