Dubrovsky

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799–1837) is a brilliant Russian poet, playwright, and prose writer. He laid the foundations of the Russian realist movement and is considered the founder of the modern Russian literary language. He is also known as a literary critic and theorist, a historian, a publicist, an editor, and a publisher.

We present in audio format a landmark work by A. S. Pushkin— the novel “Dubrovsky.” It is included in the school literature curriculum.

Its length is modest, and the work was left unfinished by the author despite the closeness of the ending; literary scholars still debate whether it is a novel or a novella. The author himself considered it a novel, and the structure of the work supports this version. It happened that Pushkin became absorbed in another idea, switched to working on “The Captain’s Daughter,” and “Dubrovsky” remained unfinished.

The plot is based on a well-known account of the ruin of one landowner by another, as well as on a real court case of that time. Young Dubrovsky decides to take revenge for his father: he burns his estate and, along with the peasants, goes into the forest, becoming the leader of robbers. While planning his revenge, he infiltrates his tormentor Troekurov’s house disguised as a tutor, but meeting the owner’s daughter changes his plans. This work combines an adventurous plot with a romantic storyline and raises complex problems of choosing between revenge and love, between feeling and duty. The novel, as a vivid example of narrative prose from the first half of the 19th century, remains interesting and relevant to this day. Listen to it in a wonderful actors’ performance.