Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Пу́шкин (1799 - 1837)

Ancestors Descendants

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Family 1.2 Writer 1.3 Legacy 2 Sources

Biography

Alexander Pushkin was one of Russia's most famous poets and playwrights, as well as credited with creating the modern Russian language.^[1][2][3]

Family

Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Пу́шкин was born about 1799 (26 May old style; 6 June by western calendar), and was the son of Sergei Lvovich Pushkin & Nadezha (Nadya) Ossipovna Gannibal, who were both of noble families.^[2] His lineage is outlined to some degree on wikipedia. ^[1]

Alexander married Natalia Goncharova and together they had four children: Maria, Alexander, Grigory, and Natalia, who married into the royal house of Nassau and became the Countess of Merenberg.^[2] The husband of her granddaughter Nadejeda, was the uncle of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and husband of Queen Elizabeth II. ^[1] Alexander adored Natalia, but so did one George D’Anthès-Heeckeren, a French royalist.^[2] Eventually Alexander challenged him to a duel to finish the conflict, but lost.^[2]

Writer

Alexander started writing poetry while still a youth attending the aristocratic school, Lyceum at Tsarskoe Selo.^[2] He didn't have a particular specialty at the time and his interests were varied, including Russian Neoclassicism and French works.^[2]

Following his graduation, Alexander moved to St. Petersburg and spent his time enjoying the social life.^[2] His works from this time reflect his disdain for government officials.^[2] His first major work was created during this time; a fairy tale based on Russian history, Ruslan i Liudmila.^[2]

Not long after publishing the poem, Alexander went into exile in Southern Russia due to his political views, sympathizing with Decemberists, who were pushing for a constitution and social freedom.^[2][3] He continued to publish poems, but his next major work, Evgeny Onegin (Eugene Onegin).^[2] which was considered his masterpiece, took him seven years to write. Alexander invented a new poetic stanza for the work, the iambic tetrameter with alternating feminine and masculine lines.^[2] Though not intentionally autobiographical, the poem ended up being so, as the poem's protagonist, Eugene, also dies in a duel.^[2] It also is considered an "encyclopedia of Russian life", putting into words what life was like during Alexander's lifetime.^[3]

Pushkin's theme set the theme for many Russian artists to come - the suffering of the simple man over the oppressive upper class; the pressure to choose what is right over what feels good, which inspired Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and Chekhov.^[3]

Legacy

Alexander died January 29, 1837 from injuries received in a duel fought two days earlier, where he had challenged his wife's sister's fiancé, George D’Anthès-Heeckeren, who was infatuated with Alexander's wife, Natalia.^[1][2] Alexander's funeral was held in a small church, and attendees were required to present a ticket for admittance.^[2] He was buried next to his mother at Svyatye Gory Monastery.^[2]

A statue of Alexander Pushkin was unveiled in Moscow in 1880.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Wikipedia: Alexander Pushkin.
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17} "Alexander Puskin", on PoetryFoundation.org, accessed 5 June 2018
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Aleeva, Ekaterina, "10 Reasons Why Pushkin Is So Great", on Russia Beyond, 6 June 2016, www.rbth.com, accessed 5 June 2018

See Also:

• Alexander Pushkin on Find A Grave: Memorial #1204 retrieved 29 sep 2016
• 2009 Google Doodle commemorated his birthday Google Doodle: Alexander Pushkin's Birthday published 6 June 2009, accessed 6 June 2016.
• This WikiTree profile is referenced from Wikidata: Item Q7200, en:Wikipedia
• "Alexander Pushkin", Saint-Petersburg.com
• "Puskin Genealogy", The Blurred Racial Line of Famous Families on Frontline, PBS.org, accessed 5 June 2018.