Chapter Biography of A Hero of our Time - Study Guide by Mikhail Lermontov

Martynov was an old school companion of Lermontov whose sister Nadezhda had fallen in love with the writer during his recent time in Moscow and, it seems, had been rather poorly treated by him. For whatever reason Lermontov took it upon himself to ridicule Major Martynov as much as possible; an easy task because the Major was something of a romantic poseur.

Major Martynov in return tried to discourage Lermontov from such needlessly provocative behaviour, but when Lermontov insulted him once in the presence of ladies at the house of the Cossack General Verzilin, Martynov was obliged to challenge him to a duel, which took place on the outskirts of Pyatigorsk in the early morning of the 27th July 1841. Fittingly for a poet and author whose life so closely mirrored that of one of his flawed romantic heroes, the duel took place during a fierce storm and Lermontov was killed outright accompanied by the sound of thunderclaps. He was twenty-six years old.