Born: 6 June 1799 · Died: 10 February 1837 · Age: 37
Russian poet and author of Eugene Onegin and The Bronze Horseman, regarded as the founder of modern Russian literature
Did you know?He died in his late thirties from injuries sustained during a duel over his wife's reputation.
Quick facts
Date of birth6 June 1799
Date of death10 February 1837
Age at death37
Cause of deathGunshot wound
NationalityRussian
BirthplaceMoscow, Russia
Occupationpoet, playwright, literary critic
Editor's Take:
Pushkin is to Russia what Shakespeare is to England, the writer who gave the language its modern literary voice. Before him, much Russian literature was written in a stiff, formal style influenced by French. His poetry and prose used the natural rhythms of everyday Russian, and his verse novel Eugene Onegin remains a national treasure. His works inspired operas by Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky and countless later writers. He also had African ancestry through his great-grandfather, a fact he wrote about with pride.
Key Milestones
1817: Graduates from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum
1820: Exiled to southern Russia
1825: Completes Boris Godunov
1831: Marries Natalia Goncharova
1833: Completes Eugene Onegin and The Bronze Horseman
1837: Dies after a duel
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (6 June 1799 – 10 February 1837) was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era. He is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet, as well as the founder of modern Russian literature.
