Александр Сергеевич Пушкин Биография
(Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin Biography)
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was a Romantic-era poet, playwright, and novelist considered
by many to be Russia's greatest poet as well as the founder of modern Russian literature.
A. Ancestors
Pushkin was born a Russian nobleman in Moscow. Pushkin's father, Sergei
Lvovich Pushkin (1767-1848), descended from a prominent Russian noble family since
the 12th century. Pushkin's mother, Nadezhda (Nadya) Ossipovna Gannibal (1775-1836),
was descended through the paternal grandmother of the German and Scandinavian
nobility. She was the daughter of Ossip Abramovich Gannibal (1744-1807) and his wife,
Maria Alekseyevna Pushkina (1745-1818).
Ossip Abramovich Gannibal's father, Pushkin's great-grandfather, was named
Abram Petrovich Gannibal (1696-1781), an African errand boy who was abducted to
Constantinople as a gift to the Ottoman Sultan and then transferred to Russia as a gift to
Peter the Great. Abram wrote in a letter to Queen Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the great,
that Gannibal was from the city of "Lagon". Largely on the basis of a mythical biography
by Gannibal's son-in-law, Rotkirkh, some historians conclude from this that Gannibal
was born in part of what was then the Abyssinian Empire, which is now located in
Eritrea. Vladimir Nabokov, when researching Eugene Onegin, strongly doubted this
theory of origin. Later research by scholars Dieudonnes Gnammankou and Hugh Barnes
finally conclusively established that Gannibal was born in Central Africa, in the area
bordering Lake Chad in modern Cameroon. After being educated in France as a military
engineer, Gannibal became governor of Reval and eventually Gennesral en Chef (the
third most senior army rank) responsible for the construction of sea forts and canals in
Russia.
B. Childhood
Born in Moscow, Pushkin was entrusted to French nannies and tutors, and spoke
mostly French until the age of ten. Education at home Alexander Sergeyevich was
excellent. But it was not the French language that exerted a great influence on the world
of the outstanding poet, whom we all know and love with his trembling attitude to
Russian history, folk tales, legends and the Russian people. His grandmother was
responsible for the fact that Pushkin loved everything about Russia. He spent a lot of time
in the village. Maria Alekseyevna (Pushkin's grandmother) spoke and wrote only in
Russian. He hired a nanny named Arina Rodionovna. He became acquainted with the
Russian language through communication with household serfs and his caretakers whom
he loved very much and was more familiar with than his own mother. Thanks to his
stories, stories, melodious speech and sincere love, the little boy got used to the sounds of
, folk speech, its natural beauty and poetry. Subsequently, this made it possible to balance
the typical "French" upbringing and education, which was characteristic of the entire
Russian nobility. Even his first poems, young Pushkin wrote in French. He published his
first poem at the age of 15 entitled “Mon portrait”.
C. School Life
For the first time, twelve-year-old Pushkin came to Petersburg with his uncle to
enter the newly opened Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. The Lyceum was under the patronage of
the imperial family and was located in a building near the Catherine Palace. Alexander
was one of the first thirty students to study at the Lyceum. Education at the Lyceum was
truly revolutionary. Boys from the best families were taught by enthusiastic teachers.
There is a friendly and relaxed atmosphere in the Lyceum. Also, there was no corporal
punishment, which was already an innovation at the time. At the Lyceum, Pushkin
quickly made friends with other students. His classmates are Delvig, Küchelbecker, and
Pushchin. They were his lifelong friends and kept the most pleasant memories during the
Lyceum years. The first students of the Lyceum were very successful. They learn from
famous professors. Members of the Academy of Sciences and teachers of the Pedagogical
Institute tested the students.
The students devoted a lot of time to creativity, published a handwritten journal.
The boys organized a circle of poets and novelists. Its members gather in the evenings
and write poetry. Subsequently, three of Pushkin's friends and classmates became
Decembrists (secret societies aimed at abolishing serfdom, limiting sovereign power or
abolishing the monarchy as a whole, coupled with attempts at deep reforms in Russia).
Two of them were convicted (Pushkin and Küchelbecker). Alexander Sergeyevich
avoided participating in the uprising (thanks to his friends). At that time the talent of
young Pushkin was highly appreciated by his peers, and soon he was noticed by such
outstanding figures as Batyushkov, Zhukovsky, Derzhavin and Karamzin. In 1815,
Alexander, who passed the exams, read the poem "Memorial in Tsarskoe Selo" in front of
Derzhavin. The poet was really impressed. When he finished school, as part of the first
graduating class of the prestigious Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo, near Saint
Petersburg, his talent was already widely known in the Russian literary scene. After
school, Pushkin plunged into the vibrant and boisterous intellectual youth culture of the
capital, Saint Petersburg. In 1820, he published his first full-length poem, Ruslan and
Ludmila, with much controversy about its subject and style.
D. Social Activity
While at the Lyceum, Pushkin was greatly influenced by the Kantian liberal
individualist teachings of Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn, whom Pushkin would later
commemorate in his poem October 19. Pushkin also immersed himself in the thoughts of
the French Enlightenment, to which he would remain forever in debt during his lifetime,
(Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin Biography)
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was a Romantic-era poet, playwright, and novelist considered
by many to be Russia's greatest poet as well as the founder of modern Russian literature.
A. Ancestors
Pushkin was born a Russian nobleman in Moscow. Pushkin's father, Sergei
Lvovich Pushkin (1767-1848), descended from a prominent Russian noble family since
the 12th century. Pushkin's mother, Nadezhda (Nadya) Ossipovna Gannibal (1775-1836),
was descended through the paternal grandmother of the German and Scandinavian
nobility. She was the daughter of Ossip Abramovich Gannibal (1744-1807) and his wife,
Maria Alekseyevna Pushkina (1745-1818).
Ossip Abramovich Gannibal's father, Pushkin's great-grandfather, was named
Abram Petrovich Gannibal (1696-1781), an African errand boy who was abducted to
Constantinople as a gift to the Ottoman Sultan and then transferred to Russia as a gift to
Peter the Great. Abram wrote in a letter to Queen Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the great,
that Gannibal was from the city of "Lagon". Largely on the basis of a mythical biography
by Gannibal's son-in-law, Rotkirkh, some historians conclude from this that Gannibal
was born in part of what was then the Abyssinian Empire, which is now located in
Eritrea. Vladimir Nabokov, when researching Eugene Onegin, strongly doubted this
theory of origin. Later research by scholars Dieudonnes Gnammankou and Hugh Barnes
finally conclusively established that Gannibal was born in Central Africa, in the area
bordering Lake Chad in modern Cameroon. After being educated in France as a military
engineer, Gannibal became governor of Reval and eventually Gennesral en Chef (the
third most senior army rank) responsible for the construction of sea forts and canals in
Russia.
B. Childhood
Born in Moscow, Pushkin was entrusted to French nannies and tutors, and spoke
mostly French until the age of ten. Education at home Alexander Sergeyevich was
excellent. But it was not the French language that exerted a great influence on the world
of the outstanding poet, whom we all know and love with his trembling attitude to
Russian history, folk tales, legends and the Russian people. His grandmother was
responsible for the fact that Pushkin loved everything about Russia. He spent a lot of time
in the village. Maria Alekseyevna (Pushkin's grandmother) spoke and wrote only in
Russian. He hired a nanny named Arina Rodionovna. He became acquainted with the
Russian language through communication with household serfs and his caretakers whom
he loved very much and was more familiar with than his own mother. Thanks to his
stories, stories, melodious speech and sincere love, the little boy got used to the sounds of
, folk speech, its natural beauty and poetry. Subsequently, this made it possible to balance
the typical "French" upbringing and education, which was characteristic of the entire
Russian nobility. Even his first poems, young Pushkin wrote in French. He published his
first poem at the age of 15 entitled “Mon portrait”.
C. School Life
For the first time, twelve-year-old Pushkin came to Petersburg with his uncle to
enter the newly opened Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. The Lyceum was under the patronage of
the imperial family and was located in a building near the Catherine Palace. Alexander
was one of the first thirty students to study at the Lyceum. Education at the Lyceum was
truly revolutionary. Boys from the best families were taught by enthusiastic teachers.
There is a friendly and relaxed atmosphere in the Lyceum. Also, there was no corporal
punishment, which was already an innovation at the time. At the Lyceum, Pushkin
quickly made friends with other students. His classmates are Delvig, Küchelbecker, and
Pushchin. They were his lifelong friends and kept the most pleasant memories during the
Lyceum years. The first students of the Lyceum were very successful. They learn from
famous professors. Members of the Academy of Sciences and teachers of the Pedagogical
Institute tested the students.
The students devoted a lot of time to creativity, published a handwritten journal.
The boys organized a circle of poets and novelists. Its members gather in the evenings
and write poetry. Subsequently, three of Pushkin's friends and classmates became
Decembrists (secret societies aimed at abolishing serfdom, limiting sovereign power or
abolishing the monarchy as a whole, coupled with attempts at deep reforms in Russia).
Two of them were convicted (Pushkin and Küchelbecker). Alexander Sergeyevich
avoided participating in the uprising (thanks to his friends). At that time the talent of
young Pushkin was highly appreciated by his peers, and soon he was noticed by such
outstanding figures as Batyushkov, Zhukovsky, Derzhavin and Karamzin. In 1815,
Alexander, who passed the exams, read the poem "Memorial in Tsarskoe Selo" in front of
Derzhavin. The poet was really impressed. When he finished school, as part of the first
graduating class of the prestigious Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo, near Saint
Petersburg, his talent was already widely known in the Russian literary scene. After
school, Pushkin plunged into the vibrant and boisterous intellectual youth culture of the
capital, Saint Petersburg. In 1820, he published his first full-length poem, Ruslan and
Ludmila, with much controversy about its subject and style.
D. Social Activity
While at the Lyceum, Pushkin was greatly influenced by the Kantian liberal
individualist teachings of Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn, whom Pushkin would later
commemorate in his poem October 19. Pushkin also immersed himself in the thoughts of
the French Enlightenment, to which he would remain forever in debt during his lifetime,
