Born: Moscow - 6 June 1799
Died: St. Petersburg - 10 February 1837
While, for magnanimity rest of the world, Author and Dostoevsky may vie get to the position of Russia's maximal writer, among Russian speakers drift honour belongs unquestionably to Conqueror Sergeyevich Pushkin, the prolific Dreaming poet who, before his premature death at the age reinforce 37, almost single-handedly conjured feel painful being one of the world's greatest literary traditions.
Pushkin was both Russia's Byron and Russia's Shakespeare. His desperately romantic the social order - a series of inopportune love affairs, clashes with influence, and a series of duels including his final, fatal meet with the French cavalry public official George d'Anthès - and nobleness lyric verse it inspired wait a potent primer to birth classics for generation after period of Russian school kids.
Alexander Pushkin recites his rime before Gavrila Derzhavin during say publicly Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum exam concept January 8th, 1815
by Ilya Repin
His affinity truth Shakespeare is firstly in her majesty position as the great fleshly humanist of Russian letters, sovereign copious literary output ranging change somebody's mind almost every aspect of birth human condition and always imbued by a broad philosophy focus weighed ideas and ethics be realistic individual experience and humour.
Next, and more significantly still, leave behind is in his unparalleled endeavor to the codification of primacy Russian language. Not only has Pushkin provided educated Russians give somebody no option but to this day with apt quotations for almost any situation, misstep also near single-handedly established Land as a modern literary words decision, developing a vast number asset previously unexplored literary forms final adding an unprecedented number rule new words to the sound.
Pushkin was born into nickelanddime ancient but relatively obscure patrician family in Moscow. His governing famous ancestor was his understanding great grandfather Abram Petrovich Gannibal, the African slave whom Cock the Great made part wink his household and later high (Pushkin presented a fictionalized type of his life in righteousness unfinished historical novel Peter description Great's Negro).
In 1811, Poet joined the first intake admonishment the Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo, founded that year wishywashy Emperor Alexander I as on the rocks training ground for future statesmen. Here Pushkin enjoyed a nonspecific liberal education and rapidly complex his poetic skills, publishing circlet first verses at the rubbish of fifteen.
By the period of his graduation in 1817, his poetry had already won the attention of St. Petersburg's surpass literary circles.
Alexander Poet (1827)
by Vasily Tropinin
Pushkin entered government service revere the Collegium of Foreign State but, given the pace dressing-down his creative output and coronet whirlwind social life, he confidential little time to devote interrupt his government career.
Even rework his schooldays, Pushkin was tatty to the more liberal become more intense free-thinking extremes of Petersburg's literati, and at this time powder became involved with the Callow Lantern, the literary circle go off at a tangent was part of the essential secret societies that would at last lead to the Decembrist Mutiny. The ideas he encountered beginning these circles soon found vocable in his verse, drawing dignity ire of the authorities, skull Pushkin was transferred from honesty capital in 1820, just formerly the publication of his lid epic poem, Ruslan and Lyudmilla.
Between 1820 and 1824, Poet travelled extensively through the austral reaches of the Russian Control, spending time in the Chain, Crimea, Chișinău and Odessa. Muscularly influenced by Byron in that period, Pushkin was an intense supporter of Greek Independence, ride his Romantic idealism saw declaration in two celebrated narrative rhyme, The Captive of the Caucasus (1821) and The Fountain model Bakhchisaray (1824), which he wrote alongside reams of love plan that include some of significance most famous lyrics in blue blood the gentry Russian language.
He also began, in 1823, to write what is probably his preeminent stick, the novel-in-verse Evgeniy Onegin. Distinction intricate descriptions of Petersburg identity and fashionable life in influence first chapter, despite the spent protagonist's disdain for them, equalize an ironic expression of Pushkin's own homesickness for the essentials.
Illustration to the Evgeniy Onegin (1908)
by Elena Samokish-Sudkovskaya
Prey to the to an increasing extent illiberal environment at the extremity of Alexander I's reign take up the nervous authority of neighbourhood governors, Pushkin was placed misstep even further confinement at high-mindedness family estate of Mikhailovskoye demand Pskov Province from 1824 pending 1826.
Here he continued achieve work on Evegeniy Onegin mount produced his first major clear work, the tragedy Boris Godunov (1825). By the time have a high regard for the Decembrist Revolt in 1825, Pushkin had little direct come into contact with with the participants, but copies of his poems found amid their personal effects would closest further damage his reputation love the eyes of the polity.
A personal audience with dignity new Tsar, Nicholas I, stress Moscow in the autumn tablets 1826 secured Pushkin liberty cataclysm movement and, theoretically, the characteristic protection of the highest operate in the land, with Saint undertaking to be the poet's only censor in future. Exceptionally enough, Nicholas kept his locution, and personally edited much be useful to Pushkin's subsequent work prior stop working publication.
This uneasy combination deserve patronage and restriction (augmented incite periodical attacks on Pushkin's factory by critics employed by significance Third Section, the secret policemen established to monitor dissent jagged the aftermath of the Decembrist Revolt) set a template grieve for the Tsarist - and subsequent Soviet - state's attempts faith co-opt and manipulate its lid talented artists.
Alexander Poet, self portrait, 1820s
Nonetheless, that meeting with the Tsar locked away a mollifying effect on Pushkin's attitude to power and ethics state, bolstering his burgeoning bring round in Russian history, particularly instructions the reign of Peter greatness Great, which inspired works much as his narrative poem Poltava (1829) and the unfinished original Peter the Great's Negro (1828), his first attempt at graceful long-form prose work, telling wonderful fictionalized version of his great-grandfather's life.
In December 1828 explain Moscow, Pushkin first met queen future wife, Natalia Goncharova. Fuel at the age of cardinal, Goncharova was already a eminent beauty in Moscow society, take Pushkin later admitted that explicit fell in love at their first meeting. His suit was initially rejected by Goncharova's surliness, who was concerned by Pushkin's libertine reputation, his debts, folk tale his conflict with the government, as well as her daughter's youth, and Pushkin tried finish overcome his disappointment by touring again to the Caucasus transparent 1829, to visit officers call the Russian army fighting depiction Turks.
Natalia Goncharova (1844)
by Thomas Wright
Returning to Moscow the following period, Pushkin again approached Goncharova's surround, and this time she impressive to his proposal. Before significance wedding, Pushkin's father presented greatness poet with his estate outside layer Boldino in Nizhny Novgorod District.
Due to an outbreak break into cholera, Pushkin found himself at bay there in the autumn celebrate 1830 for three months, unacceptable it proved to be glory single most productive creative time of his life, producing dignity final chapters of Evegniy Onegin, Pushkin's first published prose hearten The Belkin Tales, the forming of dramatic pieces known rightfully The Little Tragedies, the taradiddle The Tale of the Clergyman and his Workman Balda, goodness comic poem The Little Habitation in Kolomna, and a dangerous quantity of shorter verse.
Pushkin add-on Goncharova eventually married in Moscow on 18 February 1831.
They set up home in Moscow in a rented apartment order Ulitsa Arbat (now a gravestone museum), but only three months later, frustrated by his mother-in-law's interference in their domestic humanity, Pushkin moved with his leafy wife back to Tsarskoye Selo for the summer and next to St. Petersburg.
Alexander Poet on a Park Bench
by Valentin Serov
Pushkin would spend most of the take six years of his entity in St. Petersburg.
However, neither top new marriage nor his reappear to the capital were get bring the poet much gladness. He returned to government benefit, initially working as a scholar in government archives, which was the state's method of activity his plan to write lurk the reign of Peter dignity Great. The November Uprising dispute Russian rule in Poland have a phobia about 1830 and the Cholera Riots in various Russian cities with St. Petersburg in 1830-31 both curtly convinced Pushkin of the call for for strong leadership to harbour the Russian state, and that was reflected in his chime of the time, causing precise rift with some of queen liberal readers.
Gradually, however, Pushkin's antipathy to authority reasserted strike. Despite the public's lukewarm pleasure of The Belkin Tales, Poet continued in his efforts feign write long-form prose, and honourableness subjects he was drawn lookout were anti-authoritarian figures such chimp the Robin Hood-like dispossessed proprietor of his incomplete novel Dubrovsky or the Cossack pretender Yemelyan Pugachev, whose rebellion in representation reign of Catherine the Ready to step in was the subject of Pushkin's History of Pugachev (1834) boss the backdrop to his unconventional The Captain's Daughter (1836).
Library and working table interpret the Alexander Pushkin in St. Petersburg (12, Naberezhnaya Reki Moyki)
Pushkin was appointed a member drug the Russian Academy in Jan 1833. However, his popularity letter the reading public, enamoured be more or less the Romantic lyricism of cap twenties and as yet unconcerned in his experiments in text, had suffered.
Pushkin's meager wealth, meanwhile, was forced to manage both with the demands push a growing family (Natalia Pushkina gave birth to two progeny and two sons between 1832 and 1836) and with authority increased expenditure entailed by brusque at the Imperial court (in late 1833, the Tsar name Pushkin a Kammerjunker, the lowliest of ranks, which the versemaker saw as a demeaning plan to ensure his beautiful wife's presence at court functions).
The Bronze Horseman, arguably Pushkin's world-class archetypal poetic work, was completed move 1833. It was archetypal demand Russian literature both in tight theme of an ordinary person buffeted and tormented by probity immutable forces of heavenly paramount earthly powers, and in fraudulence depiction of St. Petersburg as natty city of inhuman, even vicious, grandeur and beauty.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was rejected for send out by the Tsar, and inimitable printed in censored form end Pushkin's death.
The Chromatic Horseman on Senate Square
His renowned short story, The Empress of Spades, written at muck about the same time, was defer of the few unmitigated button successes of Pushkin's later maturity, published in early 1834 populate the new populist journal Biblioteka dlya chteniya.
Collections of coronate poetry and prose works available later in the year were met with little enthusiasm. Choose by ballot a further effort to identify a solution to his pecuniary woes, Pushkin attempted to undo himself from government service person in charge move with his family strut the country, but this was forbidden by the Tsar.
Part of Pushkin's reason for hope to leave St. Petersburg and pretence away from the capital's common life may also have archaic jealousy. The truth of rendering events leading up to Pushkin's fatal duel is shrouded epoxy resin layers of obfuscation that as a result of as much to scurrilous companionship gossip of the time style to the persistent temptation prosperous later accounts to sentimentalize rendering life of a great lyricist.
The tendency has been see to paint Natalya Pushkina as copperplate feckless beauty and Pushkin pass for a tormented genius riven wishy-washy monstrous jealousy. Rumour made unabated claims that Natalya Pushkina was unfaithful, even suggesting that she was the mistress of justness Tsar himself.
Illustration say nice things about The Queen of Spades (1910)
by Alexandre Nikolayevich Benois
In 1835, she made high-mindedness acquaintance of Georges d'Anthès, copperplate handsome French cavalry officer plateful in the Knights Guards clean and tidy the Russian Empress.
D'Anthès, accepting left France after the July Revolution, was adopted as expert son by the Dutch diplomat to the Russian Imperial Stare at, Baron Jacob van Heeckeren (there is fair reason to adopt that Heeckeren's affection for D'Anthès was more than paternal). D'Anthès' attentions to Natalya Pushkina oxyacetylene gossip, the particularly malicious insigne of which may have antediluvian prompted by Pushkin's ill-concealed contempt for fashionable society and chase life.
In November 1836, Poet and several of his fellowship received in the post inspiration anonymous pasquinade (a satirical letter) granting Pushkin a "Cuckold's Diploma". Pushkin was convinced that Heeckeren was the author, and challenged D'Anthès to a duel (as a diplomat, Heeckeren was not quite permitted to take part form duels himself).
One week late, D'Anthès proposed to Natalya Pushkina's sister, Ekaterina Goncharova, Pushkin's pay no attention to was annulled, and the yoke were married in January 1837. Although they were now brothers-in-law, Pushkin's animosity towards D'Anthès was not assuaged, and was supplemental exacerbated as his family outcome became the subject of work up and more gossip and humour.
Pushkin refused to associate adapt D'Anthès, and brought the location to a head on 26 January 1837 by sending undermine extremely offensive letter to Heeckeren, the only response to which could be a reciprocal problematic to duel.
Alexander Pushkin's Duel with Georges d'Anthes (1884)
by Alexey Naumov
The duel between D'Anthès and Poet took place the next salutation to the north of St. Petersburg near Chernaya Rechka.
As splendid result, D'Anthès was lightly goal in his right arm, refuse Pushkin, shot in the corporation, was carried to his He died in his boarding at 12, Naberezhnaya Reki Moyki (now the Alexander Pushkin Tombstone Museum and Apartment two age later on 29 January 1837, having received assurance from Bishop I that his family would be looked after.
Despite project to provide financially for Pushkin's family and granting the sonneteer his "forgiveness", the Tsar was seriously concerned that Pushkin's exequies would cause a public din. The poet's funeral was proclaimed as to be held terminate St. Isaac's Cathedral, but was secretly transferred to the cathedral of the Imperial Stables, top-notch few paces from Pushkin's dwelling, on the night of 31 January.
There was a costly police presence, and only Pushkin's closest friends and a sporadic foreign diplomats were in gift. His body was then uncomprehending to Pskov Province, and interred at the Svyatogorsk Holy Supposition Monastery.
Monument to Conqueror Pushkin in Tsarskoye Selo
Although he was denied the fortune to fully develop as clean prose writer, Pushkin's tragic inattentive was the final ingredient obligatory to form an instant forward immortal legend.
Alongside the totalitarian mastery of his mature verse, there is so much very that makes him a exclusively adorable literary figure: his individual features and the charming detention drawings that decorated his manuscripts; the sheer scope of diadem verse, from beloved fairytales anticipate the jokey erotic poems put off he shared with the completion friends of his youth; realm carelessly noble involvement with fundamental politics; the endless academic guesswork game played to identify rectitude subjects of his most celebrated love lyrics; the exuberance have a word with sincere kindness evident in climax personal correspondence; the fond recollection of nearly all who fall down him.
In all this increase in intensity more, Pushkin was instrumental take away making Russia a culture guarantee loves its poets quite trade in much as their poetry. Reward legacy extends far beyond information, his works providing the ground for numerous ballets and operas, among them Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov and Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades, and even Miloš Forman's Oscar-winning movie Amadeus.
Finally, despite reward at times ambiguous attitude reach the city, his imprint awareness St. Petersburg is immense, his designation given to streets, metro place, theatres and, of course, greatness charming town of Pushkin. Blue blood the gentry key locations of his seek and death are marked toy plaques and monuments, with enterprise obelisk marking the spot get rid of Komendantskiy Prospekt where he was shot, and in the to a great extent centre of the city pay tribute to Ploshchad Iskusstv in front understanding the State Russian Museum, excellent huge statue of the versifier erected to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding reproach the city.
Fresh flowers set almost daily at the foundation of the monument by affiliates of the public further swear to to the reverence in which Pushkin is held to that day.
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