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The Prisoner of the Caucasus (poem)

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The Prisoner of the Caucasus
AuthorAlexander Pushkin
Original titleКавказскій плѣнникъ
TranslatorRoger Clarke
LanguageRussian
GenreNarrative poem
Publication date
1822
Publication placeRussian Empire
Media typePrint

The Prisoner of the Caucasus (Russian: Кавка́зский пле́нник Kavkázskiy plénnik),[a] also translated as Captive of the Caucasus, is a narrative poem written by Alexander Pushkin in 1820–21 and published in 1822. Dedicated to his friend General Nikolay Raevsky, it was inspired by the poet's time spent in Pyatigorsk during his southern exile.[1]

The poem is about a Byronic Russian officer who is disillusioned with elite life and decides to escape by seeking adventure in the Caucasus. He is captured by Circassian tribesmen but then saved by a beautiful Circassian woman. Despite its Romantic and Orientalist themes, Pushkin's use of academic footnotes and reliable ethnographic material gave it credibility in its day.[2] It was highly influential on popular perceptions of the Caucasus in its time.[3] The poem remains one of Pushkin's most famous works and is often referenced in Russian popular culture, for example, in the title of the Soviet comedy Kidnapping, Caucasian Style, which is titled Kavkazskaya plennitsa (The female prisoner of the Caucasus) in Russian.[4]

English translations

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  • Roger Clarke, as "A Prisoner in the Caucasus" in Eugene Onegin & Other Stories, London: Wordsworth Editions, 2005, ISBN 978-1840221367.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Written Кавказскій плѣнникъ in pre-reform Russian orthography

References

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  1. ^ Layton, Susan (1995). Russian Literature and Empire: Conquest of the Caucasus from Pushkin to Tolstoy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0521444439.
  2. ^ Layton, p. 28
  3. ^ King, Charles (2008). The Ghost of Freedom: A History of the Caucasus. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 110-112. ISBN 978-0195177756.
  4. ^ "Russian Film: 'Кавказская Пленница' – 'Kidnapping, Caucasian Style'". Ruslanguage School. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
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