Join Dr. Jonathan Gross, Columbia alumni and Professor in the Department of English at DePaul for a celebration of his book release! “Mazeppa” is an opera by Tchaikovsky, a poem by Byron (1818), an inspiration for Adam Mickiewicz’s Konrad Wallenrod (1828), and a legendary figure in Pushkin’s Poltava (1829).  In this talk, I explore how Byron identified with a young libertine count, fittingly punished for an adulterous affair by being strapped naked to a wild horse that returned him to his native Ukraine.  Two Vernet paintings (1826) depict Mazeppa disciplined by nature, and transformed into a future political leader, hetman of the Cossacks of Ukraine.  Pushkin saw a very different figure in his poem Poltava. Pushkin depicted a man betrayed Peter the Great, seduced his close friend’s daughter, and acted from purely selfish motives; specifically, he switched allegiance to Sweden, siding with Charles XII during the war against Peter the Great in the Battle of Poltava. Which version of Mazeppa is accurate? Does painting, poetry, or history provide the best insight into the past?  My talk is based on a chapter taken from The European Byron (Anthem Press), due out in September of 2025. 

Date: Thursday, October 23, 2025

Times: 6:30PM Central, 7:30PM Eastern, 4:30PM Pacific. For those in Europe the time is 12:30AM in London on October 23

Location: Zoom Video Conference

Cost: Free

Book: The European Byron

Book Discount Code: Please use this special code TEB20 to purchase copies of Jonathan's book at a 20% discount. Valid from 16 Sep to 31 Dec, 2025.

Photo Credit: Anthem Press, Promotional Material, Public Domain