Last years of Pushkin’s life represented in the Presidential Library

February 10, 2019 marks 182 years since the death of Alexander Pushkin, whose work and personality never fails to amaze millions of readers in Russia and abroad. The collection of the Presidential Library "Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837)” in its rare editions conveys all the uniqueness of the genius’s nature which the authors of research works focus their attention on. For example, V. Veresaev’s book “Pushkin in Life. Issue 1” which is available on the Presidential Library’s portal.

"Living" Pushkin appears in the rarities of the Presidential Library, dedicated to the period of his life, starting with his marriage to Natalia Goncharova in 1831.

He worked until the very last days of his life, as evidenced by the memoirs of the poet, set out in "Essays on the history of new Russian literature. Vol. 2. (Pushkin period)” and in the unique edition “Pushkin's Conversations”. The latter, edited by S. Hesse, contains an excerpt from the diary of D. Keller:

Pushkin continued to work hard, but the publication of Sovremennik did not bring the expected income, censorship still did not allow many of his writings to be printed, financial problems in the family grew: the poet was in debt at his favorite Voltaire chair at his desk…

Pushkin continued to deal with the powerful. Remarks that Benckendorff expressed to the poet are cited in the book “Extracts from the letters of Count Alexander Khristoforovich Benckendorff to Emperor Nicholas I about Pushkin”

Free genius of Pushkin did not want to recognize any framework and restrictions. The Kammer Junker uniform was decidedly narrow to the poet.

The last days and hours of the poet’s life are described in detail in D. Anuchin’s books “Alexander Pushkin", in the journal "Russian past. G. 32. 1901. Vol. 105”, in the “Pushkin Conversations” mentioned above.

In response to the admonitions of his friends not to do this, Pushkin said: "I belong to the country and want my name to be pure wherever it is known".

On the day of Pushkin’s death, a crowd of many thousands gathered at Moika, 12 and the many things described by A. Kashpurev in his work “The merits of Alexander Pushkin before the Russian people” brought it here.