# A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov 3 Hacker News commenters recommended A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months. **Verdict:** People recommend it for poetic prose packed with street wisdom, and say it is short yet still reads as modern. No critics or caveats were recorded. ## Why people recommend it - Poetic prose and street wisdom (1 comments): "if you want to see poetry in prose, and also learn a lot of street wisdom" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49796441)) - Small book packed with wisdom (1 comments): "the book is small but it's jampacked with a lot of wisdom" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49786143)) - Still reads as modern (1 comments): "One of my all-time favorites. Still reads like a 'modern' book." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48679656)) - Moving, leaves reader sorry for author (1 comments): "Upon reading it, I felt really sorry the author died an early death." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48673626)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend - [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend - [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend - [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend - [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend ## Where to get it - [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1681952610?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link) - [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781681952611) (affiliate link) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov", https://hackerapproved.com/p/a-hero-of-our-time/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).