In my Masterpieces of Russian Literature class, I like to start with Pushkin and Eugene Onegin . The beginning of the course can be difficult -- how can I convince my students that Pushkin really is the be all and end all of Russian literature, that poets and prose writers of the 19th, 20th, and even 21st century are often engaging with this Ur-poet? It is especially difficult because his poetic masterpieces don't always read well in English. This autumn I used "God Grant that I not Lose My Mind..." ... in an atrocious translation. I was reminded pretty quickly that in order to convince students of something, you need to show them, not tell them. Which is why with Eugene Onegin I often use a pedagogical exercise a colleague, Romy Taylor, wrote about in The Pushkin Review a number of years ago. The translation I use, James Falen's, is excellent. I really like it. But as I say to the students, if Pushkin sparkles , then Falen only shines . Better than the th...
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