Pushkin

by Elaine Feinstein

Release Date: 01 December, 1998

Edition: Hardcover

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Great book, passionate and thorough

Loved the book. Apart from minor inconsistencies, the facts are all straight.
Given my native language is Russian, I found the book much more passionate, logical, journalistically straightforward, and impartial than most of the fatherland's writers.
This is a good book about the strange life of one of the greatest poets of all times.
And it brought me closer to understanding his personality, his affections, his art.

Good, not great

A good introduction to Pushkin's life, loves, and even his writing. Ms. Feinstein presents the man, his works, and the spirit of the time well, and with finesse.

Three minor complaints:

First, Ms. Feinstein makes multiple references to other biographies of Pushkin. Sometimes this is done properly in the context of new material that has been discovered since those other biographies have been discovered. However this has the effect of making her seem egotistical, as in "they're wrong, and look how much more I know than they do". More importantly, it's annoying to someone unfamiliar with those other biographies. I understand the impossibility of presenting the full and honest truth given the ambiguity and differences in interpretations from the original materials and lack thereof left over from Pushkin's life. But the way she compares and contrasts the information comes across badly.

Second, the pace of the book is uneven. In Ms. Feinstein's defense this may simply be a conflict between what she finds interesting (and therefore worth going into detail) and what I find interesting. The section on Pushkin's childhood reads quickly, while the section on his marriage drags painfully.

Finally, Ms. Feinstein seems luridly fascinated by Pushkin's love life. The information on his loves and lovers should have presented with a little more historical objectivity and a little less romance novel swooning.