February 27, 2020

#TBT Russian Literature is Born


#TBT Russian Literature is Born
Eugene Onegin as imagined by Alexander Pushkin, 1830.

195 years ago today Russian literature was born. More specifically, Alexander Pushkin's Yevgeny Onegin began to be published. The epic novel in verse was published over the next seven years, and was not published in a single, full publication until 1833.

Comprised of 5,446 lines of iambic tetrameter, in an unusual form that has come to be known as the "Onegin stanza" or the "Pushkin sonnet," the poem has a very natural tone and diction the demonstrated Pushkin's humor and virtuosity, cemented his place as the greatest Russian poet who ever was or ever will be.

As a cornerstone of Russian literature, the poem has been translated into multiple languages and inspired countless derivative works, films, music and ballet.

You Might Also Like

My Pushkin, Our Pushkin
  • June 01, 1999

My Pushkin, Our Pushkin

There are many Pushkins. But only Russia can truly claim him as its own. For Pushkin made Russian literature what it is. Included in this piece are amazing photos from films based on Pushkin's works, plus excerpts, in Russian and English, from his most famous works.
Pushkin's Death
  • January 01, 2007

Pushkin's Death

Looking at the place of Pushkin in the Russian psyche, on the anniversary of the poet's tragic death.
The Poet's Fate
  • June 01, 1999

The Poet's Fate

Alexander Pushkin's work was inextricably bound up with his personal life and with his tragic death, foretold in his masterpiece, Yevgeny Onegin.
Pushkin's Estates
  • June 01, 1999

Pushkin's Estates

Pskov region's three estates associated with Pushkin were more than a quiet place for the poet to create; they also offered material for his muse.
The Translator
  • November 01, 2017

The Translator

Galina Sergeyevna Usova is a poet and translator of English prose and poetry. For the last few years, she has been standing outside St. Petersburg’s Polytechnic Institute metro station selling her books.
Pushkin is a Meme
  • May 01, 2019

Pushkin is a Meme

In which an artist tries to get out of a job illustrating a brochure and ends up getting sucked into a Pushkin meme vortex.
Pushkin Was Here (Perhaps)
  • May 01, 2019

Pushkin Was Here (Perhaps)

“Pushkin is our everything,” Russians like to say. And sometimes it seems like he was everywhere.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955