Alexander Pushkin 1799-1837

Contents About the author Life Works Influence

The Author Alexander Pushkin is known as Russia's greatest poet. Pushkin revolutionized Russian literature with narrative poems, love poems, political poems, short stories, novels, plays, histories, and fairy tales.

Life He was born May 26, 1799 in Moscow, Russia. Was educated at home, mostly by nannies, and later at a school for the privileged children of the nobility. Had his first poem published when he was 14. Pushkin led a reckless and generally nonproductive life, typical of noblemen Turned to poetry as a way of making money Wrote about 130 poems between 1814 and 1817 Became associated with members of a radical movement who participated later in the Decembrist uprising in 1825 Alexander I exiled Pushkin to the south of Russia because of his political ideas. Later Pushkin was fired and exiled to his family home. In 1824 he was banished to his family estate of Mikhailovskoe.

Life Pushkin was exiled from his own estate In 1825 Alexander’s brother, Nicholas I invited Pushkin back to the capital to give him a government post He controlled Pushkin that he would not publish anything that would hurt the government In 1829 Pushkin made a four-month visit to Transcaucasia In 1830 he visited Boldino, another family estate In the fall of 1830 Pushkin left the capital to visit a small estate his father had left him On January 19, 1831 he married the 18 year old Natalya Nikolayevna Goncharova Defending his wife’s honour in a duel he was wounded fatally and died on January 29, 1837.

Works 1811-1817, he began writing his first major work, Ruslan and Ludmila (1820), a kind of fairy story in verse. Pushkin's Evgenii Onegin written in 1833, a novel in verse, is the greatest masterpiece of Russian literature. The libretto for Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin (1879) was adapted from Pushkin's novel. 'The Queen of Spades' (1834), his most famous short story, was also made into an opera by Tchaikovsky. Pushkin's great historical tragedy, Boris Godunov, was published in 1831. He wrote a group of plays, among them The Avaricious Knight, Mozart and Salieri, The Stone Guest, and The Feast During the Plague.

Works After 1830 he wrote less poetry and began to focus on the short story. When he visted Boldino, he was stranded by cholera for three months. This was a very productive literary period. In his last years Pushkin started to write a historical work on Peter the Great, which was left unfinished. A Little Bird In alien lands I keep the body Of ancient native rites and things: I gladly free a little birdie At celebration of the spring.  I'm now free for consolation, And thankful to almighty Lord: At least, to one of his creations I've given freedom in this world!

Influence Perhaps because of his political influence on generations of Russian rebels, Pushkin remained one of only a few Russian pre-Revolutionary writers who escaped condamnation. Pushkin's works also provided fertile ground for Russian composers Pushkin's work shows the influence, among others, of the satire of Voltaire, of the poetry of Lord Byron and of the tragedies of Shakespeare. There are Pushkin streets, squares and parks in almost every major city. There are museums and monuments, and even an entire city named after him.