Young aristocrat Eugene Onegin begins his life with every advantage, indulged and feted by the cream of St Petersburg society. He's the sole heir of his uncle's lands and fortune, so it matters little that his father is somewhat profligate. And luckily, his uncle isn't looking too well.

Pushkin's masterpiece evokes mid-19th century Russian life with the vivid detail and scope of Dickens but considerably more economy, a 'novel in verse' as he called it.

It's the story of how three lives intersect: Onegin the cynical rake, Lensky the idealist poet and Tatyana, the passionate young reader of novels. Their outlook and preoccupations feel fresh and contemporary, set against a society rich in memorable characters and landscapes that make you want to pull your furs about you. Hilarious, painful and breath-taking.

Pushkin is often called the ‘father of Russian literature’, the writer who best represents the workings of the Russian soul. His African heritage (his great-grandfather was from Cameroon) may have given him an outsider's perspective on the Russian society he affectionately eviscerates here, to form a vivid and witty backdrop for this mesmerising, tragic story.

Read by Rhashan Stone
Translated by James E Falen
Abridged and Produced by Mary Ward-Lowery
Studio Production by Ilse Lademann
With Editing and Sound Design by Mair Bosworth Show less