The Duel

The tragedy of the young officer Romashov began long before that fateful morning when, encouraged by his beloved woman, he came to a duel expecting no shot. The duel — and the confrontation — was his whole life at an army garrison.

He was noble, thought broadly, dreamed of a just society — but his lot was daily, numbing, cruel barracks drill. He loved a beautiful woman tenderly and reverently — but was betrayed by her. He opposed the meaninglessness of officers’ duels — and was killed in a duel...

"With tremendous talent, meaning, and knowledge of the environment — written with blood of the heart," Ivan Repin said about “The Duel.”

This is one of the best novellas by I. A. Kuprin.