Pushkin

Александр Пушкин (Aleksandr Pushkin) is a famous Russian poet and considered by many to be the founder of modern Russian literature. He was born in Moscow in 1799 and pioneered the use of vernacular speech in his poems and plays, creating a style of storytelling that mixed drama, romance, and satire.

In the early 1820s he clashed with the government who sent him into exile in north Russia. While under the strict surveillance of government censors and unable to publish at will, he wrote his most famous play, the drama "Boris Godunov".

In the mid-1830s, Pushkin and his wife Natalya Goncharova became regulars of court society. When the Tsar gave Pushkin the lowest court title, the poet became enraged. He believed the title was an underhand ploy by the Tsar to enable Pushkin's wife, who had many admirers (including the Tsar himself), to attend court balls.

In 1837, falling into greater and greater debt amidst rumours that his wife was having a scandalous affair, Pushkin challenged her alleged lover, Georges d'Anthès, to a duel which left both men injured, Pushkin mortally. He died two days later, only 37 years old.

In Russia there are many streets, buildings and amenities that have borrowed Pushkin's name. In Moscow you can take a walk down Pushkin Street, catch a train from the Pushkin metro station, and visit the monument to Pushkin and his beautiful wife on the famous Arbat Street.