Poet, cavalry officer, celebrity - Mikhail Lermontov moved in an atmosphere of political intrigue and personal recklessness, producing poetry considered second only to Pushkin's in Russian literature and a career which has often been compared to Byron's. Between the salons and palaces of St Petersburg and the savage splendour of the Caucasus - his "country of marvels" - Lermontov lived his brief life without compromise. Born in 1814, he is best known as the author of "A Hero of our Time" and "The Demon". He managed to be both and neither. At odds wih authority, yet at ease on his own terms, he wrote as he fought, in protest and fierce independence and died in a duel at the age of 26. This biography is a popular study of the poet.

About the Author

Laurence Kelly is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and author of several books including the recently published and extensively reviewed Diplomacy and Murder in Tehran

Reviews

'Laurence Kelly deserves praise and gratitude for producing this book... a very good biography, both sensible and elegant.' -C.P. Snow, Financial Times 'A sparkling biography' -Elizabeth Longford, Sunday Times 'Mr. Kelly is admirable in supplying all sorts of details about him, which will all be quite new even to many of those who already admire the writings.' -Anthony Powell, Daily Telegraph 'The best popular study of the poet yet available in English.' -John Bayley, New Statesman 'Wonderful biograph... Laurence Kelly offers both perceptive literary analysis and brilliant detective work on Lermontov's life and death. Unusually, he even manages to convey in this gripping English narrative, the mingled sense of beauty and menace that marks every over-regulated Russian writer's life.' -Times Literary Supplement