Alexander Pushkin

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (6 June O.S. 26 May 1799 – 10 February O.S. 29 January 1837) was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era. He is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet, as well as the founder of modern Russian literature.

Pushkin was born into the Russian nobility in Moscow. His father, Sergey Lvovich Pushkin, belonged to an old noble family. One of his maternal great-grandfathers was Abram Petrovich Gannibal, a nobleman and military general of African origin who was kidnapped from his homeland by the Ottomans, then freed by the Russian Emperor and raised in the Emperor's court household as his godson.

Pushkin published his first poem at the age of 15 and was widely recognized by the literary establishment by the time of his graduation from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. His works, including his famous play Boris Godunov and his novel in verse Eugene Onegin, remain important pieces of Russian literature.

Ancestry

Alexander Pushkin came from a noble family. His father, Sergei Lvovich Pushkin, belonged to a well-known noble family that could trace its roots back to the 12th century. His mother, Nadezhda (Nadya) Ossipovna Gannibal, also had noble ancestors from Germany and Scandinavia.

Pushkin's great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich Gannibal, was born in Central Africa, near Lake Chad in what is now Cameroon. He was kidnapped and sent to Constantinople as a gift for the Ottoman Sultan, and later given to Peter the Great of Russia. After studying in France, he served in the Russian army and helped build important sea forts and canals.

Early life

Alexander Pushkin was born in Moscow and was raised by nursemaids and French tutors. He mostly spoke French until he was ten years old. He learned Russian from the household serfs and his beloved nanny, Arina Rodionovna.

Pushkin wrote his first poem when he was just 15 years old. He later graduated from the prestigious Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo, where his talent was already well known in Russian literature. After school, he moved to St. Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire, and in 1820 published his first long poem, Ruslan and Ludmila.

Social activism

While studying, Alexander Pushkin was inspired by ideas about freedom and thinking for oneself. He learned a lot from thinkers like Voltaire, who helped him see history in new ways.

Pushkin cared deeply about fair treatment for people and spoke up for new ideas in writing. Because of this, the government sent him away from the city in 1820. He traveled to places like the Caucasus, Crimea, Kamianka, and Chișinău. He even joined a group that wanted to help Greece become independent from the Ottoman Empire, inspired by their fight for freedom.

Rise

Alexander Pushkin stayed in Chișinău until 1823 and wrote two famous poems: The Prisoner of the Caucasus and The Fountain of Bakhchisaray. Later, he moved to Odessa, where he had problems with the government and was sent to live on his mother's estate called Mikhailovskoye near Pskov.

While in Mikhailovskoye, Pushkin wrote many love poems and began work on his famous novel in verse, Eugene Onegin. During this time, he also wrote a play called Boris Godunov, but he couldn’t publish it until many years later. Pushkin’s poems were found with the rebels during the Decembrist Uprising in 1825, which caused him trouble. After meeting with Emperor Nicholas I, Pushkin was allowed to leave exile and work for the government, though his writings were closely watched.

Pushkin met and married Natalia Goncharova in 1831 after a year’s delay because of cholera. He also helped launch the career of writer Nikolai Gogol by publishing some of Gogol’s stories in his magazine, The Contemporary, which he started in 1836.

Death

Pushkin faced difficult times in late 1836 and early 1837 due to debts and rumors about his wife. This led to a challenge for a duel with Georges d'Anthès. Despite attempts to stop it, the duel happened on January 27, 1837.

During the duel, d'Anthès fired first and wounded Pushkin seriously. Pushkin was injured but managed to fire back, only lightly wounding d'Anthès. Pushkin passed away two days later from his injuries. His funeral was well-attended, and he was buried near Pskov, in the grounds of Svyatogorsky monastery. Today, his last home is a museum.

Descendants

Alexander Pushkin and his wife Natalia had four children: Maria, Alexander, Grigory, and Natalia. Natalia later married Prince Nikolaus Wilhelm of Nassau and became the Countess of Merenberg. Her daughter Sophie married Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia, who was a grandson of Emperor Nicholas I.

Today, Pushkin's descendants live in many countries, including the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the United States. One of his descendants married into the British royal family.

Legacy

Pushkin's works are considered masterpieces in literature. His poem The Bronze Horseman and drama The Stone Guest tell exciting stories, such as the fall of Don Juan. His short drama Mozart and Salieri inspired famous plays and operas.

Pushkin is also famous for his short stories, especially the cycle The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin. His verse novel Eugene Onegin started a tradition of great Russian novels. Though short, it is very complex. Pushkin also wrote The Queen of Spades, a story often read in schools.

Pushkin's works have inspired many musicians. Glinka's opera Ruslan and Lyudmila was the first important opera based on Pushkin's writing. Tchaikovsky created famous operas like Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades. Other composers such as Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Tchaikovsky also made operas from Pushkin's stories.

Pushkin is seen as a key figure in Russian literature. He helped create the modern Russian language and introduced many new words. His writing set new standards and influenced many later authors. He wrote in almost every type of literary style, from poetry to novels to plays.

Honours

After Alexander Pushkin's death, many people honoured him for his contributions to literature. The Montenegrin poet Petar II Petrović-Njegoš wrote a poem in his memory, and in 1937, the town of Tsarskoye Selo was renamed Pushkin in his honour. Museums dedicated to Pushkin can be found in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Mikhailovskoye.

Pushkin’s legacy lives on in many ways. A statue of him was erected in Washington, D.C., as part of a cultural exchange, and a minor planet, 2208 Pushkin, was named after him. Several places, including a station in the Tashkent metro and areas in Canada, bear his name. The United Nations celebrates Russian Language Day on his birthday, June 6, to honour his impact on the Russian language and literature.

Works

Alexander Pushkin wrote many famous poems, plays, and stories that are still loved today. Some of his most well-known narrative poems include Ruslan and Ludmila, The Prisoner of the Caucasus, and The Bronze Horseman. He also wrote powerful plays such as Boris Godunov and Little Tragedies, which include famous scenes like The Stone Guest and Mozart and Salieri.

Pushkin created beautiful fairy tales in verse, like The Tale of Tsar Saltan, The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish, and The Tale of the Dead Princess. His short stories, such as The Queen of Spades and The Stationmaster, are also widely read. Among his novels, The Captain's Daughter is one of his most celebrated works.