Dedicated to his friend Nikolay Raevsky,[b] it was inspired by the poet's time spent in Pyatigorsk during his southern exile.
[2] The poem is about a Byronic Russian officer who is disillusioned with elite life and decides to escape by seeking adventure in the Caucasus.
Despite its Romantic and Orientalist themes, Pushkin's use of academic footnotes and reliable ethnographic material gave it credibility in its day.
[3] It was highly influential on popular perceptions of the Caucasus in its time.
[4] The poem remains one of Pushkin's most famous works and is often referenced in Russian popular culture, for example, in the title of the Soviet comedy Kidnapping, Caucasian Style, which is titled Kavkazskaya plennitsa (The female prisoner of the Caucasus) in Russian.