Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin is a poet whom everyone knows. We learn his poems from childhood, we hear his name all the time. But the more people talk about Pushkin, the more mysteries and riddles appear around him.
Let's break down the most famous myths about Pushkin and learn the real truth about Pushkin.
Myth 1: His father took away Pushkin's entire inheritance because of the cards.
The truth is that Pushkin really loved gambling. He played bridge, faro and other card games, sometimes putting even the manuscripts of his works on the line.
After his death, it turned out that he owed about 150,000 rubles. That's like 240 million rubles today. But his father didn't take away his inheritance - it's a fiction.
Their relationship was not easy, but there is no documentary evidence of disinheritance. And the debts after the poet's death were paid not by his father, but by Tsar Nicholas I.
Myth 2: Pushkin's «list of mistresses»
In fact, such a list existed! Starting in 1829, Pushkin wrote down the names of women he liked. In total, there were 37 names on the list.
In 1887, these lists were even published in a special album. Among the women were the wife of the famous historian Karamzin, Anna Kern, the empress's maids of honor, and even the wives of important officials. So the «Don Juan list» is not a myth, but a real historical document.
Myth 3: Pushkin did not die, but went to France and became Dumas
This is one of the most famous myths about Pushkin.
It is said that Pushkin faked his death in a duel and went to live in France. And there he continued to create under the name of Alexander Dumas. Supporters of this version say that Pushkin knew French well and could have done so. But this version can not be true.
Dumas was already a famous writer in the 1830s. His plays were even played in Russian theaters. He participated in the revolution in France in 1830, when Pushkin was preparing to marry Natalia Goncharova.
Myth 4: Pushkin was African.
Pushkin's great-grandfather on his mother's side was really born in Africa. His name was Abram Hannibal.
He was baptized at the court of Peter the Great and became a famous military engineer. But Alexander Sergeyevich himself was only one-eighth African. The rest of his ancestors were Russian and German.
Pushkin was proud of his great-grandfather and even wrote a novel about him, «Arap of Peter the Great».
Myth 5: Hare saved Pushkin from exile to Siberia
According to a beautiful legend, when Pushkin was traveling from the village of Mikhailovskoye to St. Petersburg, a hare ran into his path. In those days it was considered a bad omen. Superstitious Pushkin turned the carriage and stayed at home. And it was this that saved him from arrest for connections with the Decembrists.
But a friend of the poet wrote that the hare crossed the road not on his way to the capital, but when Pushkin went to say goodbye to his neighbors. And it was not the hare that stopped him, but the priest at the gate.
Nevertheless, in 2000 a monument to the hare as «the poet's savior» was erected near Mikhailovsky.
Why deal with myths and facts
Pushkin is the founder of modern Russian literature. If we distort his biography, we lose the understanding of an entire epoch. It is especially important that Pushkin should be a real person for children, not a hero from a textbook.
When we separate fiction from truth, we do not destroy Pushkin's legend. We make it real. And the real facts about Alexander Pushkin are much more interesting than any fiction. His poems are still understandable to everyone today, and his expressions became the basis of modern Russian and gave it a special popularity all over the world.
Alexander Sergeyevich's works are still being actively screened. This means that they do not lose their relevance even after so many years.
