"The Hero of Our Time": the history of the creation of the novel

This article is devoted to the novel "The Hero of Our Time". The history of its creation is very interesting and mysterious. We still do not know the details of the direct work of Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov over the text of this work. This is due to the fact that the materials that have come down to us are not numerous: there are few white and draft manuscripts, as well as evidence of the poet's contemporaries and the author himself.

In spite of this, gathering the necessary information and materials, we can recreate with some degree of hypotheticality the main stages and some details of Mikhail Yurievich's writing "The Hero of Our Time". The history of the creation of this novel, which is considered the pinnacle of the poet's work, will be examined by us on the basis of this information.

Memories of Shang-Giray

AP Shan-Giray with his memories provides us with some information about the poet's work on this work. This relative and friend of the poet asserted that the "Hero of Our Time", whose history of creation we are interested in, was begun after Lermontov returned from the first exile, in St. Petersburg, in 1838. Most of the Lermontovologists stick to this point of view. But there are data that allow us to believe that as early as 1837 the "Tamani" draft was written. Today, an authorized copy of this novel with a note of Viskovaty is known, which says that this manuscript was written by Shang-Giray, a cousin of Lermontov, whom the latter sometimes dictated his works. Apparently, "Taman" was dictated from the draft version, and not impromptu (this is evidenced by the purity of the copy).

This assumption is confirmed by a number of evidences of the poet's relatives and contemporaries. For example, Grigorovich, who saw a rough autograph of this work, wrote in memoirs that the story "Taman" sounds from beginning to end with a single harmonic chord. But if you take the first manuscript, then it can be noted that it is full of inserts, it is redrawn, there are a lot of marks on the pieces of paper pasted with wafers.

Memoirs of Zhigmont

Grigorovich, unfortunately, did not say anything about the whereabouts of this autograph, and also about who owns it. But today one more memory has become known, which echoes the story of this contemporary. In 1947, they published correspondence with PS Zhigmont, a relative of the poet, his first biographer, PA Viskovaty. Zhigmont reported that it seems that in 1839 in Stavropol the poet sketched "Taman", and then gave a sketch of Petrov, from whom he could have survived.

This date was made, therefore, half a century after the event, and the author of the memoirs himself wrote that he was not sure on that date. A. Popov noted that S.O. Zhigmont and Lermontov met in 1837 in Stavropol, and in 1839 none of them in this city was not. Consequently, by 1837 a draft "Tamani" should be included.

The location of Lermontov in the period of work on the work

As a matter of fact, this novel is based on the incident experienced in September 1837 by Mikhail Yurievich. In November, he was already in Tiflis. To this period also includes his very curious sketch called "I'm in Tiflis." Very convincingly, therefore , Andronikov argues that it contains the embryos of the "Fatalist" and "Tamani." One might think that because the "syncretic idea" was plotted over and complicated, the writer decided to divide it into two works, first sketching "Taman", during the wanderings in November-December 1837, and then "Fatalist". From this begins the work "Hero of Our Time" the story of creation. The plot and composition of the novel underwent significant changes in the future, only later he was replenished with these two, originally individual works. In December, returning to St. Petersburg, the poet stopped for a short while in Sevastopol, where he met with S. O. Zhigmont and Petrov, his relatives. At this time, rewriting "Taman", Mikhail Yurievich, apparently left her draft to Petrov. It was then that he saw Grigorovich.

When was written "Taman" ("Hero of Our Time")?

The history of creation (we will briefly dwell on all parts of the story) continues. The collected information, thus, allows to say that the work on the draft "Taman" refers to the period from September to December 1837, since in September the poet was in Taman, and in late December, Mikhail Yurievich left Sevastopol. In this regard, it would seem, one can establish that it was in this, and not in 1838, as many researchers believe, that the concept of the work "The Hero of Our Time" began to be realized. The history of its creation, thus, opens from September to December 1837.

Is "Taman" involved in the original design of the novel?

Meanwhile, this conclusion is hasty, since there is evidence that "Taman" was originally not involved in the plan of the novel, which arose later, as it was not involved in the image of Pechorin, the hero of this novel.

Firstly, the name of the protagonist of the work in "Taman" is never mentioned. Secondly, it is known from the "Princess Mary" that this character was exiled to the Caucasus for some "history". But the hero of "Taman" does not resemble the exile who just arrived from St. Petersburg.

Thirdly, in all novellas and stories, Maksim Maksimych is invariably mentioned or shown, a "pass-through character" that is the antithesis of Pechorin. Only in the "Taman" he is absent.

There are also grounds to believe that the "Fatalist" was written separately, after "Taman", out of touch with this novel, apparently, at the beginning of 1838, after Mikhail Yurievich returned to St. Petersburg.

Feature of the creative process of Lermontov

A feature of the creative process of this author is the parallel work on several works at once. Together with the development of the initial versions of the novel "The Hero of Our Time", the history of creation of which is described in this article, the poet also worked on the final editions of the Demon. In September 1838, the sixth was completed, in December - the seventh, and the eighth - in January 1839.

First editions

In "Notes of the Fatherland" was published "Bela" in March 1839.

In August of the same year, the poem "Mtsyri" was completed, and approximately at this time the intensive preparation of the "Hero of Our Time" for the press began. Then the composition of the novel was significantly changed - it included the novel "Fatalist". Thus, the history of creation continues. "The hero of our time" is experiencing in this period is the second edition. The information about the first is rather small, but it can be concluded that it consisted only of the works "Maxim Maksimych", "Bela" and "Princess Mary".

The inclusion of the "Fatalist" turned out to be organic primarily because there was an inner affinity between Pechorin and the author. In addition, this novel touched upon the most important social problems of the generation, the modern Lermontov.

The inclusion of this work emphasized the philosophical nature of the novel, and also gave great depth to the image of Pechorin.

We continue to consider the work "Hero of Our Time". The history of the novel, briefly stated, is represented by the following further events.

The second edition of the work refers to 1839, the period from August to September. He was then composed of two short stories and two stories "The Hero of Our Time". The history of creation, the composition of the novel in the final version will be described below. In this edition of the work was divided into the following two parts: notes of the officer, who is the narrator, and notes of the hero. The first included the story "Bela" and the story "Maxim Maksimych", and the second - the story "Fatalist" and the story "Princess Mary".

Final edition of the work

We continue to tell you about the history of the creation of this work. "Hero of Our Time" at the end of 1839 underwent significant changes in the preparation of the novel for a separate publication. At this stage, already final, "Taman" was introduced into it, in which the functions of the narrator, as in the "Fatalist", were transferred to the hero from the author-narrator. In this edition there were already six "chapters". This included also the "Foreword" to the notes of the hero - "Pechorin's Magazine" - which Belinsky called the "head", given its significance. In this edition of the poet divided into two parts of the novel, which in the first two was only implied. Also, to this final stage of creation is the definition of the final title of the work.

The publication of the final version of the novel "The Hero of Our Time"

The history of the novel is completed as follows. In February, permission was obtained for censorship of this work. The book in April 1840 went on sale, and a year later it was published in the second edition, which included the preface to the work as a whole, created by Lermontov, apparently in February 1841.

So, finally, the "canonical" composition of the novel "The Hero of Our Time" was defined. The history of the creation of this work, which is one of the best in the 19th century, ends here.