Historedia
EuropeEvent

Pushkin begins work on Eugene Onegin

When
1823
Where
Chișinău; Possibly Chisinau, inferred from Pushkin's residence there until 1823; not directly evidenced for this occurrence
Episodes
2

Alexander Pushkin began writing Eugene Onegin in May 1823 while residing in Chisinau. The first stanza was started on May 9, 1823, and most of Chapter 1 was completed by October 22. This initial phase occurred before his move to Odessa and subsequent exile, establishing the foundational structure of the verse novel.

Episodes

  1. May 9 - October 22, 1823 · ChișinăuStart of Chapter 1

    Pushkin began writing the first stanza of Eugene Onegin on May 9, 1823, in Chisinau.

  2. October 22 - December 8, 1823 · Possibly Chisinau, inferred from Pushkin's residence there until 1823; not directly evidenced for this occurrenceStart of Chapter 2

    Chapter 2 was started on October 22, 1823, coinciding with the completion of most of Chapter 1.

Background and detail

Background. Pushkin, a Russian poet of the Romantic era, was exiled by Emperor Alexander I following his controversial poem "Ode to Liberty." He resided in Chișinău until 1823, where he wrote acclaimed Romantic poems. The legacy row's location of Moscow is incorrect for this specific start date; the passages place him in Chișinău during the initial composition phase.

Initial Composition. The first stanza of Chapter 1 was started on May 9, 1823. Except for three specific stanzas, Chapter 1 was finished on October 22, 1823. Chapter 2 was started on the same date, October 22, 1823, and finished by December 8, with some stanzas added later. This work occurred before Pushkin moved to Odessa in 1823.

Publication Context. Eugene Onegin was serialized between 1825 and 1832. Chapter 1 was first published as a whole in a booklet on February 16, 1825. The foreword suggested Pushkin had no clear plan on how or whether he would continue the novel, indicating the uncertainty of the project's scope at the time of its initial release.

People involved

Sources

  1. Eugene Onegin Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-15
  2. Alexander Pushkin Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.