Eugene Onegin

Eugene Onegin is a novel in verse by Russian author Alexander Pushkin, first published between 1825 and 1832 in serial form. The title character is a worldly but cynical man who leaves the city of Saint Petersburg after inheriting a large estate in the country. Eugene Onegin has been hailed as a landmark achievement in Russian literature and a demonstration of Pushkin’s mastery of the Russian language. The novel has been adapted for the ballet, the theater, television, film, and most famously as an opera of the same name. This guide uses the 2009 Oxford World’s Classics edition of Eugene Onegin, translated by James E. Falen.

Plot Summary

Eugene Onegin lives in Saint Petersburg, Russia in the 1820s. Though he is wealthy, the constant churn of social events leaves him feeling empty. He has a wealthy but sick uncle whom he must care for, but Onegin wishes his uncle would die soon. When his uncle does die, Onegin inherits his uncle’s substantial wealth and a country estate. The inheritance gives Onegin an excuse to leave Saint Petersburg. Upon moving to the country, he quickly becomes friends with his neighbor, Vladimir Lensky. He learns that Lensky is a poet and, unlike the cynical Onegin, has a romantic view of the world.