Alexander Pushkin

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799-1837) was a great Russian poet, prose writer and playwright. The author of immortal works in verse and prose: novels “Eugene Onegin”, “Dubrovsky”, famous poems “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, “The Prisoner of the Caucasus”, the story “Queen of Spades” and many others, as well as tales for children.

Interestingly, the future classic of Russian literature remembered himself from the age of four. Recalling that time, Pushkin said that when he was walking, he felt the vibrations of the earth. It was just at that time that the last earthquake occurred in Moscow.

Then, in his early childhood, there was Pushkin’s first brief meeting with Alexander I. Walking with his nanny little Sasha nearly got under the Emperor’s horse hoofs. The tragedy was avoided – Alexander held the horse.

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin liked books so much that he gathered more than 3500 copies in his home library.

He was also a polyglot: he knew many foreign languages, among them: French, Greek, Latin, German and some others.

He was also an avid gambler. Because of this, the poet often got into debt. But it was his love for cards and need for money that spurred Pushkin to write his works, the fee for which he sometimes paid his debts.

The poet participated in two dozen duels. In the majority of duels Alexander Sergeyevich’s friends managed to reconcile the duelists. The first duel took place when Pushkin was still a lycee. The last one, the 29th, was fatal for him.