Pierre Bezukhov
Pierre Bezukhov | |
---|---|
War and Peace character | |
Created by | Leo Tolstoy |
Portrayed by | Henry Fonda Sergei Bondarchuk Anthony Hopkins Alexander Beyer Paul Dano Dave Malloy Luke Holloway David Abeles Scott Stangland Josh Groban Okieriete Onaodowan |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Pyotr Kirillovich Bezukhov |
Nickname | Pierre |
Gender | Male |
Title | Count |
Family | Kirill Bezukhov (father) |
Spouse | Hélène Kuragina (first wife) Natasha Rostova (second wife) |
Children | Masha, Lisa, Petya, and another girl |
Nationality | Russian |
Count
Life and description
Pierre is described as the large-bodied, ungainly and
At the opening of the novel, Pierre is a young man who has recently returned to Russia to seek a career after completing his education abroad. Although a well-meaning, kind hearted young man, he is awkward and out of place in the Russian high society in whose circles he starts to move. Pierre, though intelligent, is not dominated by reason, as his friend Prince
Pierre's life changes after he becomes the sole heir to his father's vast estate, and his position in society is changed from that of an illegitimate son to the new Count Bezukhov. His inability to control his emotions and sexual passions lead him into a marriage with the vapid but sensually beautiful
Daniel Rancour-Laferriere calls Pierre "one of the best known characters in world literature."[4] Merriam-Webster lists him among "the most attractive and sympathetic characters in literature".[5] And M. Keith Booker describes Pierre as one of Tolstoy's "most memorable characters".[6]
In publicity for the BBC's 2016 adaptation he is described as follows:
Pierre is an outcast. The awkward, illegitimate son of a dazzlingly wealthy Count, he was educated in France but returns to Russia now that his father’s health is in decline. Polite society shuns him for his hero-worship of Napoleon and enthusiasm for the politics of revolution. But his blundering sincerity charms Andrei, his truest friend; and Natasha, who delights in his presence. He is quickly married off by stealth through the manipulation of others around him and is likely to face further heartache given that his wife prefers bedding her brother. It looks like this unlikely hero is smitten with his friend Natasha Rostova but is set for heartache given his kind and gentle nature.[7]
See also
- List of characters in War and Peace
References
- ^ (Graf)
- ^ Pierre Bezuhov according to Rosemary Edmonds' translation
- ^ "Пьер Безухов - один из любимых героев Толстого". infopedia.su. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ Daniel Rancour-Laferriere, Tolstoy's Pierre Bezukhov: A Psychoanalytic Study (Bristol Classical Press, 1993), vii.
- ^ Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (Merriam-Webster, 1995), 1080.
- ^ M. Keith Booker, Encyclopedia of Literature and Politics: Censorship, Revolution, and Writing (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005), 718.
- ^ "War and Peace - Pierre Bezukhov - BBC One".
External links
- (in Russian) Pierre Bezukhov in the Encyclopedia of literary characters
- "Pierre Bezukhov (Character) from Voyna i mir (1967)," The Internet Movie Database