A useful comment, too good to lose.

The proprietor of Lizok's Bookshelf left a comment to my Lermontov notes over at the Russian Reading Challenge that is too good to leave to the usual processes of internet evaporation:

"Dear Wuthering,
I'm so glad you're enjoying Lermontov -- he was a wonderful writer and poet!

If you want to read more poetry, this page has English and Russian versions of some of Lermontov's most famous poems, along with audio: http://max.mmlc.northwestern.edu/~mdenner/Demo/endtobegin.htm

By the way, Lermontov's "Demon" was a huge inspiration for painter Mikhail Vrubel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Vrubel. Vrubel's paintings are such a familiar part of Russian culture that the various "Demons" (and an "Angel") even play a role in a Ukrainian-produced soap opera that I've been watching!

Enjoy,Lisa,

Lizok's Bookshelf"

This is from a Professional Reader, a Russian specialist. The poetry site is useful, not just for Lermontov, but for selections from poets like Fet and Tyutchev, even more obscure in English.

And then there are those Vrubel paintings. See below, for his painting of Lermontov's Demon (1890), borrowed from the first-rate Wikipedia entry linked by Lizok. Russian painting from the 19th century has had trouble finding it's place in the standard art history story ("Abstraction Equals Progress Or, How Tiepolo Inevitably Led to Warhol"), despite its richness and innovations. The Mikhail Vrubel paintings demonstrate the problem - my first thought is "what are these"? A promising subject for future research.

Thanks for the links.