Historical Figure
Alexander Pushkin
d. 1837
Russian poet and playwright (1799–1837)
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Biography
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin 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.
In Their Own Words (5)
A man who's active and incisivecan yet keep nail-care much in mind:why fight what's known to be decisive?custom is despot of mankind.
Ch. 1, st. 25. , 1823
The clock of doom had struck as fated;the poet, without a sound,let fall his pistol on the ground.
Ch. 6, st. 30. , 1823
‘Tis time, my friend, ‘tis time!For rest the heart is aching;Days follow days in flight, and every day is takingFragments of being, while together you and IMake plans to live. Look, all is dust, and we shall die.
'Tis Time, My Friend, l. 1-5 (1834). , 1834
The less we show our love to a woman,Or please her less, and neglect our duty,The more we trap and ruin her surelyIn the flattering toils of philandery.
Ch. 4, st. 1. , 1823
God save us from seeing a Russian revolt, senseless and merciless. Those who plot impossible upheavals among us, are either young and do not know our people, or are hard-hearted men who do not care a straw either about their own lives or those of others.
Found in Pushkin's. The Captain's Daughter and Other Stories. English edition by Random House LLC. 2013. p. 139 , 2013
Timeline
The story of Alexander Pushkin, told in moments.
Exiled from St. Petersburg by Tsar Alexander I for writing political poems. He was 20. The exile lasted six years and sent him to the Caucasus, Crimea, and Odessa.
Completed Eugene Onegin, a verse novel he'd worked on for eight years. Written entirely in a 14-line stanza form he invented. It's still considered the foundation of modern Russian literature.
Died two days after being shot in a duel by Georges d'Anthes, a French officer who'd been pursuing Pushkin's wife. He was 37. Tens of thousands came to mourn. The government moved the funeral in secret, fearing a riot.
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