Classically Yours: Reading 'Eugene Onegin' by Alexander Pushkin

We're picking up the 1833 classic, Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin, for Classically Yours: PWG's Classic Books club.

Join us on Monday, October 26th, 2026, at 8 pm, as we introduce the book and author and start our reading of the classic.

The first session is introductory, and we will read the book over the coming weeks, discussing it every week.

Link for the Session:
https://meet.google.com/tnt-fnkp-uhp

***

ABOUT THE SESSION:

A classic is a book that is best explained as 'a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.' In 'Why Read the Classics?', Italo Calvino says, 'your classic author is the one you cannot feel indifferent to, who helps you define yourself in relation to him, even in dispute with him.'

So, if you read: why NOT the classics should be the question, not why. This initiative is for those patient folks who are willing to be engaged in dialogues with these sometimes daunting books. It is a load best shared, which is why this group has been created.

All are welcome, the only caveat being that you commit wholeheartedly. The group is designed for a small number people, small being the operative word here. Something will and does get diluted in large numbers, which we are looking to avoid. If you find one of our planned books not to be up your alley, you can just recuse yourself, and hopefully, we can meet up again later over another book that might catch your fancy.

THE BOOK:

Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin. Onegin is considered a classic of Russian literature, and its protagonist has served as the model for a number of Russian literary heroes (so-called superfluous men). It was published in a serial form between 1825 and 1832. The first complete edition was published in 1833, and the currently accepted version is based on the 1837 publication.

THE AUTHOR:

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (6 June, 1799 – 10 February, 1837) was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era. He is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet, as well as the founder of modern Russian literature.

ABOUT THE HOST:

Shankar has been a lifelong reader and an aspiring writer, and is located currently in Pune.