Mother and father are always proud of their children's talents. This can be said about Pushkin’s parents. The poet's biography deserves careful study, because he is considered an unattainable figure in Russian culture. Relationships with loved ones affected the creativity of the genius. He received recognition during his lifetime, and to this day is surrounded by an aura of glory. The family of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is an interesting topic for research.
Early ancestors of genius
If contemporaries remember the summary of the works and the biography of the writer, then few know what family he was born into. Moreover, what was the name of the poet’s grandmother, mother, and father? It is worth starting the study with his earliest ancestor - Hannibal Abram Petrovich, born in 1696. He was of Ethiopian descent. Peter the Great loved him very much. The sovereign taught the Ethiopian to read and write, various sciences and sent him to France to receive military education.
After returning to Russia, Hannibal became the chief translator at court. He also taught mathematics and engineering to officers. When the emperor died, they forgot about Abram Petrovich. Only Elizaveta Petrovna gave him some family estates. Alexander Sergeevich always remembered his ancestor with respect.
The fate of grandmother Maria
It wouldn’t hurt to briefly get acquainted with the fate of Pushkin’s grandmother, Marina Alekseevna, born in 1745. She is a native of Nizhny Novgorod. The woman’s parents were Sarra Yuryevna and Alexey Fedorovich Pushkin. In 1772, Marina Alekseevna became the wife of O. Hannibal. The marriage produced a son, Nikolai, and a daughter, Nadezhda. She became the future mother of the poet.
After 4 years, Hannibal left his wife and married another. Maria Alekseevna and her daughter lived in Moscow. She raised little Alexander Sergeevich. From her lips the poet learned about his great ancestors.
The clouds are gathering
However, publishing business did not move as successfully as Pushkin would have liked. Many poets and writers did not refuse outright, but were in no hurry to cooperate. Household chores, the birth of children, constant affairs related to the management of estates, repayment of debts, work in the archive - all this, piled up, exhausted the poet. By the autumn of 1836 he was in a rather depressed state.
In addition, gossip began to actively spread throughout St. Petersburg about the obvious courtship of the French officer Georges Dantes for Natalya Nikolaevna. They started making fun of Pushkin. And then a libel was sent to all the poet’s friends, in which Pushkin’s wife and he himself were subjected to offensive statements.
Georges Charles Dantes. Fragment of a lithograph from a portrait by an unknown artist, ca. 1830
Alexander Sergeevich challenged Dantes to a duel. Dantes asked for a two-day delay, and then, as a result of the efforts of his friends, the duel was postponed for some time. Meanwhile, Georges Dantes married Natalia Pushkina’s sister, Ekaterina Goncharova, which is why Alexander Sergeevich was forced to cancel the fight. For a while the rumors died down.
But soon Dantes, in front of the whole world, again began to pursue Natalya Nikolaevna, causing new rumors and laughter on the sidelines.
His wife tried to persuade Alexander Sergeevich to leave St. Petersburg for a while, but he decided in his own way: he wrote a letter in the most insulting terms to Dantes, who had no choice but to challenge the author to a duel. Pushkin was counting on this to put an end to his offender once and for all.
Sergei Pushkin
It’s worth figuring out what the names of Pushkin’s parents were. Alexander's father was Sergei Lvovich, born in 1770. He was a sergeant in the Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment. Then he rose to the rank of captain-lieutenant. Sergei Lvovich finished his service with the rank of major. In 1802, he moved to Moscow and began working as a state councilor.
In 1796, the man married Nadezhda Osipovna Hannibal. The family owned two estates - Boldino and Mikhailovskoye. Twice Sergei Lvovich almost became bankrupt. He was not involved in managing the farm; it did not bring him pleasure. The wife was involved in raising the children. My father was a talented man. He took part in various performances, wrote poetry, and communicated with poets . His circle included the following celebrities:
- V.A. Zhukovsky;
- N.M. Karamzin;
- K.N. Batyushkov;
- DI. Fonvizin.
Pushkin's father passed away in 1848; he lived to be 78 years old. He outlived his famous son by 11 years.
Natalya Goncharova and Boldino autumn
In August 1826, Nicholas I ascended the throne. Already in September, the emperor summoned Pushkin to his place. In a personal conversation, he frees the poet from captivity, but also reports that from now on, Alexander Sergeevich’s only censor will be himself. Not a single work of Pushkin can be published without the personal permission of the emperor. During these years, Alexander Sergeevich wrote the poem “Poltava”.
In December 1828, at one of the social evenings, Pushkin met Natalya Goncharova, the first St. Petersburg beauty, who was barely 16 years old. The poet himself admitted that he fell in love with Natalya Nikolaevna at first sight. Already in April of the following year, he proposes to the girl. However, her mother does not give a clear answer, citing her daughter’s too young age. Pushkin goes crazy from this uncertainty and decides to leave for the Caucasus, living in Tiflis for some time.
At the end of 1829, he again wooed Goncharova. But again he receives a refusal - Natalya Nikolaevna’s mother is confused by many things about Pushkin: the constant disgrace of the authorities, not very good financial condition, passion for the game.
A. P. Bryullov. Portrait of N. N. Goncharov (Pushkina). Watercolor, 1831—1832
But in 1830, with the third marriage proposal, the Goncharov family still yields to the pressure of Alexander Sergeevich and gives their go-ahead for the wedding.
In the fall, the poet leaves for his Boldino estate to put things in order and prepare for the wedding. He planned to stay there for a short time, but suddenly a cholera epidemic began in those places and Pushkin was “stuck” in the village for three months. So he was able to give world literature wonderful works of the “Boldino autumn”: “Stories of the late Ivan Petrovich Belkin”, “Little tragedies” (including “Mozart and Salieri”), the last chapters of “Eugene Onegin”, “House in Kolomna”, “History of the Village” Goryukhin”, “The Tale of the Priest and His Worker Balda”, several drafts of critical articles and about 30 poems. Many literary scholars believe that this time was the peak of Pushkin’s talent.
V. I. Gau. N. N. Goncharova (Pushkin). 1843
In just three months, the poet created several dozen works in poetry and prose, all of them written in different genres, completely different from each other in form, content, or tone.
Relationship with father
The poet had a rather tense relationship with his father. The parents of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin began to be hostile towards him after being exiled to the village of Mikhailovskoye. Father and son quarreled because Sergei Lvovich allowed officials to strictly monitor Alexander in his own home.
For three years the parents did not communicate with the poet. Later, Zhukovsky reconciled his son and his father. Having become a married man, Alexander Sergeevich became the support not only of his young family, but also of his father and mother.
Ancestors of A. S. Pushkin
The family tree of the Pushkin family is crowned with the name of the great poet. But the roots go back to medieval Rus'. In his poem, which is called “My Genealogy,” A. S. Pushkin mentions his ancestors who served Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible. The most famous is his maternal great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich Hannibal.
The biography of this man was rich. He was an Arab by origin, originally from Byzantium. It was presented to the emperor as some kind of exotic thing. The Arab became the favorite of Peter the Great, he was given a first name and patronymic. Abram Petrovich served at court: he studied engineering and fortification. After the death of the emperor, Hannibal fell into disgrace.
Rice. 1. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Author O. A. Kiprensky For a long time, Abram Petrovich lived in the Baltic states, where he met his second wife, the poet’s great-grandmother, German by birth, Christina-Regina von Schöberg. The marriage was successful. With his second wife, my great-grandfather had 11 children. The third son, Osip Abramovich, is the poet’s grandfather. He was a military man, his career was successful. But family life did not work out. Osip married the rich and well-born Maria Alekseevna Pushkina.
But something didn’t work out, and he left for Mikhailovskoye, where he pulled off a marriage scam: he married Ustinya Tolstoy, declaring his first wife dead. Soon the deception was revealed. Punishment followed - galley work in the Black Sea Fleet. After retiring, Osip Abramovich lived out his life in Mikhailovskoye, developing his estate. His first wife, Maria Alekseevna Hannibal, devoted herself to her daughter Nadezhda and her family, the poet’s mother.
Rice. 2. Sergei Lvovich Pushkin, father of the poet. Engraving by K. Gampeln
Writer's mother
Contemporaries are interested in the name and patronymic of the poet’s mother. Her name was Nadezhda Osipovna. A woman was born in St. Petersburg. When her mother died, she became the mistress of the Mikhailovskoye estate. Soon she and her husband began to use it as a summer house. The family spent summer days there.
Nadezhda Osipovna was an educated woman. In secular society, the lady enjoyed great success. Her portrait proves that she was very beautiful . For her unusual appearance, the woman was called a “beautiful Creole.” The lady shone with wit, manners, and ability to conduct a conversation. Nadezhda got married at 21 and gave birth to 8 children. Only three of them lived to old age.
Difficult relationship with mother
Since childhood, the mother gave more warmth and care to her daughter Olga and son Leva. She did not fully understand Alexander’s character, so she did not find a common language with him. Later, my mother rarely took part in the poet’s fate.
The main thing that Nadezhda Osipovna did an excellent job with was housekeeping. She also tried to give her children an education. The family did not always have the means to pay private teachers. All children knew French, which was a “pass” to high society.
When the brilliant son showed his talent, his mother became proud of him and showed special warmth. The exile to Mikhailovskoye made Nadezhda Osipovna miss Alexander. The woman filed petitions everywhere for her freedom-loving son to have his sentence commuted. Pushkin never managed to find out about such a spiritual impulse of his mother.
At the end of her life, the seriously ill Nadezhda Osipovna surrounded her son with attention. She repented and even asked the poet for forgiveness. Alexander’s heart gradually thawed. When his mother died, he took the body for burial to the Svyatogorsk Monastery. After that, he wanted to be buried in the same place. Alexander Sergeevich addressed his lines to many people, but he did not write anything about his parents.
Lyceum teachers and comrades of Alexander Pushkin
Teachers
Of course, the main wealth of the lyceum was its teaching staff. An official from the archives of the College of Foreign Affairs, Vasily Fedorovich Malinovsky, was appointed to the position of director of the Lyceum. The director managed to make the right choice, inviting not only experienced teachers to the lyceum - David de Boudry, N.F. Koshansky, but also young people - Ya.I. Kartsova, A.P. Kunitsyna, I.K. Kaidanov, for whom the Lyceum became the work of their whole lives.
Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn
Until his death, Pushkin remembered the very first speech of the young professor of political science, Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn, who did not read the speech from paper, but loudly, clearly and with dignity addressed the lyceum students themselves, looking them in the eyes. He called them to glory, to serve the fatherland, the people, to honestly fulfill the duty of a citizen and warrior. In his speech, he never mentioned the emperor, which was completely not in the spirit of that time; usually everyone was called to serve first of all the sovereign, and then the people and the fatherland.
Kunitsyn boldly violated this custom, believing that the main service of a statesman is service to the people, service for the benefit of the fatherland, and then directly to the emperor. This speech greatly excited the lyceum students. For all six years of study, Alexander Petrovich became the students’ favorite professor; he instilled in them the spirit of independence, the desire for freedom, hatred of tyranny and slavery. Lyceum students were brought up in these moods.
Comrades of Alexander Pushkin
The first person Sasha Pushkin became friends with was his neighbor Ivan Pushchin - a kind, smart, nice young man who became the poet’s faithful comrade for the rest of his life. At first, the wayward Alexander did not have a good relationship with the rest of the lyceum students. Before the lyceum, he did not study at a boarding school, like other lyceum students, but lived at home. His mother, father and his tutors, who were disgusted with him, did not particularly love the boy, they constantly scolded him, scolded him and punished him, so he always kept his guard, was rather withdrawn and at first it was not easy for him to get along in the team.
I. I. Pushchin, paper, watercolor, private collection, Moscow
At the slightest provocation, Sasha would flare up and attack the alleged offender, which complicated his relationship with his comrades. But over time, Pushkin’s best qualities - his intelligence, kindness, justice, sincerity and devotion to his friends - of course, endeared him to his comrades, and Alexander Sergeevich acquired 29 loyal friends throughout his life. And lyceum students Ivan Pushchin, Anton Delvig, Wilhelm Kuchelbecker became Pushkin’s closest friends.
Arina Rodionovna
The most famous nanny in Russia is considered to be the teacher of Alexander Sergeevich. It is impossible to imagine the Pushkin family without Arina Rodionovna. A great genius found inspiration in her fairy tales. The nanny was a simple peasant woman born in the village of Suyda near St. Petersburg. She grew up in a large family. In 1759, Pushkin’s great-grandfather bought the village.
After getting married, Arina Rodionovna began working as a wet nurse and nanny. The woman raised her four children at the same time. Each time the serf moved to where the owners followed.
Several generations of Pushkins grew up listening to the lullabies of their nanny Arina. At first she raised her mother Nadezhda Osipovna. For good work, the woman was given a house in Kobrino. It was the nanny who was with Alexander during his exile in Mikhailovskoye. They spent evenings together, and the poet listened to Arina Rodionovna’s tales, songs and fables. The genius immortalized her image in his work. The nanny died at the age of 70 from age-related diseases. The woman was buried in St. Petersburg at the Smolensk cemetery.
Pushkin. Creativity and obstacles
In the period 1831-1833, Pushkin wrote the novel “Dubrovsky,” which, however, he did not finish. And he began to collect information for a great novel about Emelyan Pugachev. Especially for this, in 1833, he undertook a trip around the Volga and the Urals to visit the places of the Pugachev riot himself, take information from the archives, and talk with local residents.
He again spent the autumn of 1833 in Boldino. And although the second “Boldino Autumn” is half as long as the first, its creative legacy is no less.
The manor house of the Boldino estate of the Pushkins
In a month and a half, Pushkin completes work on “The History of Pugachev” and “Songs of the Western Slavs”, begins work on the story “The Queen of Spades”, creates the poems “Angelo” and “The Bronze Horseman”, “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” and “The Tale of the Dead the princess and about the seven heroes", a poem in octaves "Autumn".
The following years were difficult for Pushkin. In order to be able to work in the archives, he was forced to remain in a service that disgusted him. Relations with Nicholas I continue to remain strained. The affairs of his estates are not going very well; money is constantly needed to pay off debts. Relations with the Goncharov family are not going well. And the public begins to gossip about the “grinding of Pushkin’s talent,” not realizing that his best works of those years were not allowed to be published and that the writer’s inner world is full of new ideas and ideas, but to implement them he needs freedom from service and everyday pressing problems.
However, Alexander Sergeevich does not despair, he continues to create and already dreams of his own publication, where he could publish works about “the most important events of Russian life.”
“Pushkin and Gogol” (artist Nikolai Alekseev)
Only by 1836 was he able to obtain permission to create his own magazine, Sovremennik. It published the works of Pushkin himself, as well as N.V. Gogol, A.I. Turgenev, V.A. Zhukovsky, P.A. Vyazemsky. Pushkin hoped to publish an almanac that would suit him in terms of content, and at the same time would improve his unstable financial situation.
Brothers and sisters
Parents were strict with their children. Pushkin had 5 brothers and 2 sisters:
- Olga;
- A lion;
- Nikolai;
- Sophia;
- Paul;
- Michael;
- Plato.
The last five on the list died several months or years after birth. In addition to Arina Rodionovna, uncle Nikita Timofeevich Kozlov was assigned to the children.
Alexander was especially friendly with his sister Olga . They told each other all their secrets. The strong-willed and decisive sister grew up as an educated girl. In 1828, she married Pushkin’s friend, Nikolai Ivanovich Pavlishchev. This marriage did not last long, although a wonderful son was born. Olga met old age alone. Later, her son Leo remembered his famous uncle.
The favorite in the Pushkin family was Alexander’s younger brother, Lev. There was mutual affection between the children. Lev Sergeevich became an officer and took part in military campaigns. Communication with progressive people led him to Senate Square, where the Decembrist uprising took place in 1825. Then Lev helped Alexander, becoming his secretary. When the poet died, his brother almost challenged the culprit of his death, Dantes, to a duel.
Talented uncle
Alexander Sergeevich's uncle, Vasily Lvovich Pushkin, was a famous poet. Moscow writers visited their house. Even at the age of 18, Vasily Lvovich shone in Moscow salons. Then he became a lieutenant in the Izmailovsky regiment. His poems, songs, elegies, and satires were published in the St. Petersburg magazine “Mercury”. My uncle lived in Paris for a whole year, after which he began to write satirical works. The famous nephew also admired them. When his uncle died, Pushkin took on all the troubles and expenses.
Today, contemporaries are grateful to all the people who gave such a great genius to Russian literature or were somehow involved in his upbringing or development of his personality. His works will be admired by more than one generation.
