Borodino: Tale and Poems

Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov (1814–1841) was a Russian poet, prose writer, playwright, and a bright representative of the Golden Age of Russian literature. He was born in Moscow into the family of an officer. His mother, Maria Mikhaylovna, died when the... boy was not yet 3 years old. The future poet was raised by his maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Alexeyevna Arsenyeva, and the boy spent his childhood in her estate Tarkhany (Penza province). Initially, the future poet received home education. In 1828–1830, he studied at a boarding school affiliated with Moscow University, during which time he wrote his first poems. In 1830–1832, M. Yu. Lermontov studied at Moscow University; however, without completing the course, he submitted a request for expulsion. In 1832, he entered the School of Guards Non-Commissioned Officers and Cavalry Cadets, after which he was assigned to a hussar regiment. In those years, M. Yu. Lermontov's poetic talent was not known to the general public — he presented his works only in officer and literary circles. His first publication occurred without M. Yu. Lermontov’s knowledge — in 1835, the manuscript of the poem "Hadji Abrek" was secretly submitted to the journal "Library for Reading" by his distant relative N. D. Yuriev. Despite a successful debut, M. Yu. Lermontov did not want to publish his poems. True fame for M. Yu. Lermontov came from the poem "Death of the Poet" (1837) — a response to the last duel of A. S. Pushkin. And although this poem was not published and circulated "in copies," it nonetheless caused extreme displeasure from the emperor, for which the poet was exiled to the Caucasus in the active army. Here, M. Yu. Lermontov wrote numerous poetic works; additionally, he began to engage in painting. In 1840, M. Yu. Lermontov was exiled to the Caucasus again, and once more, this was a time of extraordinary creative growth. "The Caucasian mountains are sacred to me," M. Yu. Lermontov wrote of his relationship with the Caucasus. In May 1841, Lermontov shot with his former classmate N. S. Martynov, and the opponent's bullet proved fatal for the poet. M. Yu. Lermontov's pen created numerous literary works that became masterpieces of Russian literature ("Borodino", "Mtsyri", "Demon", "A Hero of Our Time", "Masquerade", etc.)