Eugene Onegin

Eugene Onegin (Yevgeny Onegin, ??????? ??????) is a novel in verse written by Aleksandr Pushkin. It is one of the classics of Russian literature and its hero served as the model for a number of Russian literary heroes. It was published in serial form between 1823 and 1831. The first complete edition was published in 1833, and the edition the current accepted version is based on was published in 1837.

Composition and publication

As with many other 19th century novels it was written and published serially, with parts of each chapter often appearing published in magazines before the first separate edition of each chapter was first printed. Many changes, some small and some large, were made from the first appearance to the very final edition made in Pushkin's lifetime. The following dates mostly come from Nabokov's study of the photographs of Pushkin's drafts that were then available and his study of other people's work on the subject.

Related Topics:
19th century - Novel - Serial

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The first stanza of Chapter One was started on May 9, 1823 and except for three stanzas (XXXIII, XVIII and XIX) finished on October 22, 1823. The remaining stanzas were completed and added to his notebook by the first week of October 1824. Chapter One was first published as a whole in a booklet on February 16, 1825 with a foreword that suggests Pushkin had no clear plan on how (or even whether he would) continue the novel.

Related Topics:
May 9 - 1823 - October 22 - October - 1824 - February 16 - 1825

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Chapter Two was started on October 22, 1823 (the date when most of Chapter One had been finished) and finished by December 8, 1823 except for stanzas XL and XXXV, which were added sometime over the next three months. The first separate edition of Chapter Two appeared in October 20, 1826.

Related Topics:
October 22 - 1823 - December 8 - October 20 - 1826

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Many events occurred which interrupted the writing of Chapter Three. In January 1824 Pushkin stopped work on Onegin to work on The Gypsies. Except for XXV, Stanzas I-XXXI were added on September 25, 1824. Nabokov guesses that Tanya's Letter was written in Odessa between February 8, 1824 and May 31, 1824. Pushkin's misdemeanors in Odessa caused him to be restricted to his family estate Miskhaylovskoe in Pskov for two years. He left Odessa on July 21, 1824 and arrived on August 9, 1824. Writing resumed on September 5, 1824 and Chapter 3 was finished (apart from stanza XXXVI) on October 2, 1824. The first separate publication of Chapter Three was on October 10, 1827.

Related Topics:
The Gypsies - September 25 - 1824 - Odessa - February 8 - May 31 - Pskov - July 21 - August 9 - September 5 - October 2 - October 10 - 1827

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Chapter 4 was started in October 1824, by the end of the year Pushkin had written 23 stanzas and had reached XXVII by January 5 1825 at which point he starting writing stanzas for Onegin's Journey and worked on other pieces of writing. He thought it was finished on September 12, 1825 but later continued the process of rearranging, adding and omitting stanzas were till the first week of 1826. The first separate edition on of Chapter 4 appeared with Chapter 5 in a publication produced between January 31, 1828 and February 2, 1828.

Related Topics:
October - 1824 - January 5 - 1825 - September 12 - 1826 - January 31 - 1828 - February 2

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The writing of Chapter 5 began on January 4, 1826 and 24 stanzas were complete before the start of his trip to petition the tzar for his freedom. He left on September 4, 1826 and returned on November 2, 1826. He completed the rest of the chapter in the week November 15, 1826 to November 22, 1826. The first separate edition on of Chapter 5 appeared with Chapter 4 in a publication produced between January 31, 1828 and February 2, 1828.

Related Topics:
January 4 - 1826 - September 4 - November 2 - November 15 - November 22 - January 31 - 1828 - February 2

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Nabokov made his study on the writing of Onegin the manuscript of Chapter 6 was lost, but we know that Pushkin started Chapter 6 before he had finished Chapter 5. Most of the chapter appears to have been written before the beginning of December 19, 1826 when he returned from exile in his family estate to Moscow. Many stanzas appeared to have been written between November 22, 1826 and November 25, 1826. On March 23, 1828 the first separate edition of Chapter 6 was published.

Related Topics:
December 19 - 1826 - November 22 - November 25 - March 23 - 1828

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pushkin started writing Chapter 7 in March 1827 but aborted his original plan for the plot of the chapter and started on a different tack, completing the chapter on November 4, 1828. The first separate edition of Chapter 7 was first printed on March 18, 1836.

Related Topics:
March - 1827 - November 4 - 1828 - March 18 - 1836

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pushkin intended to write a chapter called 'Onegin's Journey' which occurred between the events of Chapter 7 and 8, and in fact was supposed to be the eighth Chapter. Fragments of this incomplete chapter were published, in the same way that parts of each chapter had been published in magazines before each chapter was first published in its first separate edition. When Pushkin first completed Chapter 8 he published it as the final Chapter and included within its denouement the line nine cantos I have written still intending to complete this missing chapter. When Pushkin finally decided to abandon this chapter he removed parts of the ending to fit with the change.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Chapter 8 was begun before December 24, 1829 while Pushkin was in Petersburg. In August 1830, he went to Boldino where he was forced to stay by an epidemic of Cholera for three months. During this time he produced what Nabokov describes as an "incredible number of masterpieces" and finished copying out Chapter 8 on September 25, 1830. During the summer of 1831 Pushkin revised and completed Chapter 8 apart from 'Onegin's Letter' which was completed on October 5, 1831. The first separate edition of Chapter 8 appeared on January 10, 1931.

Related Topics:
December 24 - 1829 - Boldino - Cholera - September 25 - 1830 - October 5 - 1831 - January 10 - 1931

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pushkin wrote at least eighteen stanzas of a never-completed tenth chapter.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The first complete edition of the book was published in 1833. Slight corrections were made by Pushkin for the 1837 edition. The standard accepted text is based on the 1837 edition with a few changes due to the Tsar's censorship restored.

Related Topics:
1833 - 1837

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~