A. S. Pushkin in the Lyceum. The story of the poet and statesman – in the Presidential Library collections

Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, founded October 31, 1811, was the first educational institution of the country, which trained professional managers of the highest level. However, the Lyceum became world-famous owing to the poet Alexander Pushkin.

The Presidential Library presented a set of studies related to this institution. A rare book of Jacob Groth of 1887 "Pushkin, his lyceum comrades and mentors" was digitized and made available at the www.prlib.ru. It reveals the system of teaching and education in the Lyceum, which promoted the training of civil servants of the time.

"The establishment of the Lyceum is aimed at educating the youth, who are supposed to fulfill important duties at the state service", reads the first paragraph of the Charter of the Lyceum. In the same edition Jacob Grot underlines that the author of the project of the Lyceum, M. Speransky elaborated in the new school a new system of training of officials: according to the author of the project, they must be distinguished by "the broadest knowledge, the ability to think and desire to work for the benefit of Russia."

The first year, 30 children of the nobility aged from 10 to 12 were taken in. The education lasted six years and was equated with the university education. The most important place in the scope of disciplines was given to a deep study of Russian history. Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum displays “The letter granted to the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum by the Emperor Alexander I” on September 22, 1811 with his own signature, which indicates a high level of "state order" in the training and educating of future statesmen. This document is available in digital form on the Presidential Library website. It has found a "second historical life" thanks to the cooperation of the first national electronic library with the National Pushkin Museum.

The electronic copy of A. Kirpichnikov’s "Essays on the history of modern Russian literature. V. 2. (Pushkin period)" issued in 1903 notes that the Lyceum was for the young Pushkin a real window into his own spiritual world. The researcher writes: "His forwardness as a child, apparently, did not draw Pushkin and his parents together: they continued to correct his character, breaking his will, and he offered vigorous resistance looking forward to the moment when he would have to leave home."

The Lyceum became home to the poet. There he started writing poems through spiritual insight and anguish related to the relationship with other alumni, "Pushkin often spent sleepless nights in his room N 14, sometimes in tears, either accusing himself and others or pondering ways how to improve his position among friends."

Everything fell into place when the young lyceum students took up writing literary works and publishing handwritten journals. In this field the authority of Pushkin was indisputable. "The most striking is the amount of works written by Pushkin in the Lyceum: his poems of that period, numbering about 130, could make a whole book, says Jacob Grot in the "Pushkin, his lyceum comrades and mentors." This kind of productivity, taking into account the merits of the written, already indicates the power of talent.

Bringing together so many young talents in the emerging institution is an extraordinary phenomenon. These young men aged 14 and 15 already communicate with the editors of magazines who are willing to publish their work... Pushkin was sort of a teacher for his comrades. In spite the fact that he was the younger of them they inadvertently recognized him the senior. We can say that entering the Lyceum at the age of twelve, he was already a man of letters by his works and relations."

According to Grot, “Pushkin should be considered the main creator and guardian of the idea of the fellowship, which was taken up with all its affection by the subsequent generations of lyceum students.”

Later in his poem “October 19^th” (1825) Pushkin would write:

My friends, our union is splendid!

It is indivisible and eternal, like soul;

Steadfast, free and careless,

It was formed under care of harmonious muses.

Literary critics would call it concluding, "imbued with a sense of duty of the poet in the performance of his poetic ministry."

Educational institution created for the training of public officials, through a broad program of training, all-round development of students formed the citizens of Russia, who became famous in various fields of public and social life, science and culture. But the most important thing that the students learned within the walls of the school was the belief that they need to live and work "for the common good" – these were the words chosen by the lyceum students of the first year as their motto and implemented by them in full to the glory of the Fatherland.