Eugene Onegin

A Novel in Verse

By: Alexander Pushkin, James E. Falen - translator

Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill

Eugene Onegin is the master work of the poet whom Russians regard as the fountainhead of their literature. Set in 1820s Russia, Pushkin's novel in verse follows the fates of three men and three women. It was Pushkin's own favourite work, and this new translation conveys the literal sense and the poetic music of the original.

Eugene Onegin is the master work of the poet whom Russians regard as the fountainhead of their literature. Set in 1820s imperial Russia, Pushkin's novel in verse follows the emotions and destiny of three men - Onegin the bored fop, Lensky the minor elegiast, and a stylized Pushkin himself - and the fates and affections of three women - Tatyana the provincial beauty, her sister Olga, and Pushkin's mercurial Muse. Engaging, full of suspense, and varied in tone, it also portrays a large cast of other characters and offers the listener many literary, philosophical, and autobiographical digressions, often in a highly satirical vein. Eugene Onegin was Pushkin's own favourite work, and it shows him attempting to transform himself from a romantic poet into a realistic novelist. This new translation seeks to retain both the literal sense and the poetic music of the original, and capture the poem's spontaneity and wit.

©1990, 1995 James E. Falen (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Eugene Onegin

Eugene Onegin, not to give any spoilers, contains one of the best heroines in classic literature. Tatyana has deep feeling, remarkable growth, and, what is rare in romantic literature, common sense. I like that this version keeps the rhyming meter of the poem as well. Translation is always a tricky thing and, not reading Russian, I can't speak to its accuracy in reflecting the original material, but this is one of the more readable (or listenable) versions I've found. It's an interesting trick that though Onegin is the titular character of the story, one could argue it is as much, if not more, about Tatyana; she has a greater character arc.

Perfect blend of writer, translator and narrator

Falen's translation of Puskin's Eugene Onegin was required for a Slavic Literature class at my university. Imagine my delight in finding that Audible had Falen's version as well. Listening while reading was like surround sound music: beautiful, funny, sad, and brilliant. Mr Corkhill, a young actor who speaks several languages, contributed an extra dimension of pleasure. I can't recommend it enough. I’d like him to read Boris Godunov in English as well.

Excellent!

I lived this book! I enjoyed the narrator as well. I will be looking for more from this author.

No small feat

One of my favorite quotes, “beneath a shady park’s protection he shared her frolics with affection their fathers who were friends had plans to read one day their marriage-bands”. Serendipitous, Dostoevsky propounds marriage is death in Devils.

A delight

Eugene Onegin is a "novel in verse - the whole of it written in a series of 14-line verses with an unusually complex rhyme scheme. Falen's translation tries to reproduce the scheme in English. This isn't an easy task - English being notoriously short on rhymes - but he succeeds to an extent I wouldn't have thought possible. The syntax isn't distorted, and the rhymes click into place reliably and gracefully.

The rhymes are a big part of the pleasure of listening to this (although Raphael Corkhill's narration sometimes emphasizes line endings more than I would have preferred). Even if you don't try to explicitly follow the scheme, you will begin to intuit it and eagerly anticipate the next rhyme. That this doesn't distract from comprehension of the story testifies to the clarity and lucid simplicity of both story and verse.

It's a straightforward, sad story about friendship, love, loss, and regret. I'd read it years ago for a literature class, but I think the translation was a dud; it didn't make much of an impression. This time around, the novel was a pure delight.

If you give it a try, watch for the almost psychedelic description of a young woman's nightmare.