A Hero of Our Time
A Hero of Our Time is a psychological novel written by Mikhail Lermontov and originally published in 1839.
Set between 1827 and 1833 in the vicinity of the Black Sea and in the Caucasus, the novel presents us with five very well interconnected stories that offer us a masterful portrait of the young officer Pechorin, who represents the Russian concept of the "superfluous man".
The book contains great descriptions of the lands of the Caucasus, with details of rivers, mountains and local people, which will allow us to know the context in which Pechorin's adventures take place.
The five connected stories are further divided into two parts, with the following outline:
- Part One: I, Bela
- Part One: II, Maksim Maksimych
- Part two: I, Taman
- Part two: II, Princess Mary
- Part two: III, The Fatalist
This edition of the book A Hero of Our Time is based on the English translation by J. H. Wisdom & Marr Murray.
Your download has started
PDF · A Hero of Our Time — didn't start? Download again
Also available: PDF · EPUB · MOBI · Read online
Read it on a Kindle
Download the EPUB and send it with Amazon's Send to Kindle (web, app, or your kindle.com email). Modern Kindles accept EPUB directly — no conversion needed.
On iPhone or iPad
Tap the downloaded file, then "Open in Books". It opens in Apple Books, with your reading progress synced across your devices.
On Android
Open the file with Google Play Books or any EPUB reader (ReadEra, Moon+ Reader). PDFs open in any viewer.
On your computer
PDFs open anywhere. For EPUB, try Calibre or Thorium Reader — both free and excellent.
Public domain (US)·No sign-up·DRM-free·Real text, not scans
Copyright note. A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov is believed to be in the public domain in the United States only. It may still be copyrighted in other countries. If you are not in the United States, please check your local laws to ensure this eBook is in the public domain in your country before downloading A Hero of Our Time in PDF or EPUB.
- Pages
- 190
- Reading time
- 4 hours 58 minutes
- Pace
- Intermediate
- First published
- 1840
- Language
- Russian
- Downloads
- 3,325
186 years later, still timely
Why Read A Hero of Our Time in 2026?
An unsparing portrait of the charismatic anti-hero. Pechorin seduces, observes, and sabotages—then writes it down. Cool surface, hot consequences.
Today's connection
The novel anticipates modern fascination with self-aware protagonists. It’s a sharp lens on boredom, power, and the damage of treating people as experiments.
Self as subject
Brilliance without mercy is costly.
Fragments that reveal
Shifting viewpoints expose motive.
Charm on trial
Charisma meets accountability.
These collections include A Hero of Our Time
Share this book
About the author
Mikhail Lermontov
Romantic intensity with clear psychology; duel era honor freedom and fate in lean vivid prose.
