25.04.2023
Alexander Pushkin had complex relationships with many of his contemporaries, reflecting his complex personality and the political and cultural realities of his time. Some of his most significant relationships included.
- Nikolai Gogol: Pushkin and Gogol were close friends and collaborators, and they often shared literary ideas and techniques. However, their friendship was strained by Gogol’s conversion to a fanatical form of Orthodox Christianity, which Pushkin found troubling and irrational.
- Ivan Turgenev: Turgenev was a younger writer who greatly admired Pushkin, and the two men corresponded frequently. Pushkin encouraged Turgenev’s literary aspirations and helped him to establish himself as a writer.
- Mikhail Lermontov: Lermontov was a younger poet who was often compared to Pushkin. While the two men never met in person, they exchanged several letters and admired each other’s work. However, their relationship was complicated by their shared status as romantic rebels against the social and political norms of their time.
- Tsar Nicholas I: Pushkin had a complicated relationship with Tsar Nicholas I, who both admired and feared the writer’s talent and influence. The Tsar granted Pushkin several honors and privileges during his lifetime, but also closely monitored and censored his work.
Overall, Pushkin’s relationships with his contemporaries were complex and multifaceted, reflecting the political and cultural realities of his time as well as his own unique personality and creative vision.
