Eugene Onegin Author:Pushkin Although the story of "Eugene Onegin" is best known outside Russia through the success of Tchaikovsky's opera, in its original form it marks the beginning of maturity in Russian literature. This long narrative poem has often caused Pushkin (1799-1837) to be labeled "the Byron of Russia," but there is none of the fire and venom of the English wri... more »ter in the story of Tatyana's artless love for the foppish Eugene. With its well-defined characters and its accurate social settings Pushkin's affecting masterpiece has come to be seen as the parent of the great Russian novels. In English.« less