Mikhail Lermontov and America
On this production from Radio Moscow, the host recounts the short life of Russian Romantic poet Mikhail Lermontov, "a direct successor of Pushkin, a free thinker and a man who hated high society."
Though his work is described as highly influenced by the democratic spirit of Western thinkers, such as James Fenimore Cooper, Lermontov's first love was Russian literature particularly that of Alexander Pushkin.
Lermontov's romantic style is exemplified by the poem the "Demon" which features characters that seek "refuge in untouched nature" after experiencing unrequited love fused "with contempt for the empty soulless high society." A clip from Nikolai Rubinstein's Opera is played, which is based on this poem. A passage from the poem "My Native Land" is read to highlight Lermontov's love for Russia.
Lermontov perished at age 27 in a duel, "instigated by reactionary circles of Russia."
[Broadcast on August 30, 1965]
Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
WNYC archives id: 150299
Municipal archives id: T4069
