MikhailYuryevich Lermontov

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Михаил Юрьевич Лермонтов
“A
HERO
FOR ALL TIMES”
Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov
P O E T, P R O P H E T, PAT R I O T
No, I’m not Byron
No, I’m not Byron, it’s my role
To be an undiscovered wonder,
Like him, a persecuted wand’rer,
But furnished with a Russian soul.
I started sooner, sooner ending,
My mind will never reach so high;
Within my soul, beyond the mending,
My shattered aspirations lie;
Dark ocean answer me, can any
Plumb all your depth with skillful trawl?
Who will explain me to the many?
I…perhaps God? No one at all?
1832
Translated by Alan Myers
L
ike a fiery comet, Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov shot across the horizon of
world literature, leaving a dazzling trail before he died in a duel at age 26. For
nearly 200 years his poems have been devoured in every Russian classroom,
with millions of copies distributed throughout his native land. They have been
translated into numerous languages.
Born 15 years after Alexander Pushkin, he too exerted major influence on Russian
language and culture. Pushkin nurtured progressive ideas in the 1820’s and
Lermontov followed suit in the 1830’s, challenging conventional Russian attitudes
towards life, literature, and art. Lermontov touched on a great variety of themes,
from his poem about the Patriotic War of 1812, known by heart by almost every
Russian, to his uncanny prophesies about events yet to happen in Russia.
Lermontov’s magnificent poetry and prose have had a great impact on generations
of Russians. This bicentennial of his birth will be celebrated with much fanfare
throughout Russia.
D I S T I N G U I S H E D PA RT I C I PA N T S
DR. JAMES H. BILLINGTON
LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS
H.E. SERGEY I. KISLYAK
AMBASSADOR OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
YEVGENY YEVTUSHENKO
POET
MIKHAIL YURYEVICH LERMONTOV
ASSISTANT TO THE MINISTER OF CULTURE, RUSSIAN FEDERATION
AND PATRIARCH OF THE LERMONTOV FAMILY
TERRY BARBER
COUNTERTENOR
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I N V I T E S YO U T O T H E
B I C E N T E N N I A L C E L E B R AT I O N O F
“A
HERO
FOR ALL TIMES”
Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov
P O E T, P R O P H E T, PAT R I O T
T H U R S D AY, A P R I L 2 4 , 2 0 1 4
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ARCCF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, public organization founded 22 years
ago by a small group of prominent Americans dedicated to increased
understanding and respect between the peoples of Russia and America
through the mutual appreciation of arts and culture. Recognized as a trusted
organizer of major exhibitions in leading museums of both countries, it
has arranged performances by prominent Russian and American virtuosos
and produced major events at the Kennedy Center and on Capitol Hill
celebrating the most important pages of our joint history.
Prior recipients of the Foundation Award include: Maestro Mstislav
Rostropovich, Maestro Van Cliburn, Igor Moiseyev, Tatiana Kudriavtseva,
Dr. James Billington, Maestro Valery Gergiev, Dave Brubeck, Yevgeny
Yevtushenko, Michael Kaiser, Dr. G. Wayne Clough, Donald M. Kendall, Igor
Butman and Wynton Marsalis.
ARCCF created a cultural bridge between the capitals of the two countries
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Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) in Washington, DC
and
Walt Whitman (1819-1892) in Moscow.
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