The Demon. Borodino

Romantic, mystic, and fatalist; the chief rebel of the Golden Age of Russian poetry—genius with an unbearable character. Our acquaintance with Mikhail Lermontov, and often with Russian poetry itself, begins with “Borodino.” Before Lermontov, there had been no such battle poetry—detailed, as though everyday. If you haven’t heard it, you’re deprived.

And here’s another miracle of Russian poetry: “The Demon.” Lermontov’s Demon is unlike his biblical counterpart; in his image there is a sense of power and inner strength. The mysterious “spirit of exile” is as enigmatic as the poet himself. Lermontov worked on the poem from the age of 16—for ten years(!). There are eight known revisions, differing both in plot and in the degree of poetic mastery.

Listen, absolutely listen!