Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin through the eyes of contemporaries - in the electronic collection of the Presidential Library

June 6, 2017 marks the 218th anniversary of the birth of the Great Russian writer, prose writer, playwright, publicist, creator of the modern Russian literary language Alexander Pushkin. A large-scale electronic collection has been created on the portal of the Presidential Library, which includes digital copies of books, articles, archival documents, abstracts of dissertations, video films, fine and other materials dedicated to the life and work of the poet.

Numerous memories of contemporaries about Alexander Sergeevich are collected in the section "Biographical materials". We can see the writer through the eyes of his relatives, friends, colleagues and even unfamiliar people who only fleetingly met him. Together, these records create the image of a living person, convey his character, mood, sense of humor, outlook on life.

"Up to the age of seven, Pushkin did not foretell anything special; Opposite his sluggishness, his obesity, timidity and disgust for the movement, he brought his mother into despair", - quotes the memories of P. V. Annenkov in his famous work "Pushkin in life" V. V. Veresaev. "Nadezhda Osipovna forced him to run and play with his peers, struggling to overcome his laziness and taciturnity… When the insistent demands to be more than a child's patience exceeded his measure of patience, he ran to his grandmother, Maria Alekseevna Hannibal, climbed into her basket and looked at her work for a long time, we learn about the first years of life of the future poet. Meanwhile, Veresaev also recalls the memoirs of Sergei Lvovich, the father of little Sasha: "In his infancy he showed great respect for writers. Not having six years, he already understood that Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin was not like the others. One evening, Nikolai. Mikhailovich was at me, sat for a long time - all the time Alexander, sitting against him, listened to his conversations and did not take his eyes off him". 

In 1811, 12-year-old Pushkin was given to the Tsarskoe Selo Lyceum, where boys were trained for public service. On the portal of the Presidential Library you can see a digitized copy of the draft Charter of this educational institution, here is also a copy of the "Charter, awarded to the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum by Emperor Alexander I".

Years of schooling in the Lyceum, the first steps of the young poet in the literary field are described in detail by J. K. Grot in the book "Pushkin, his lyceum comrades and mentors" of 1887 edition. In particular, he notes: "Pushkin was not loved by the majority of his comrades: the reason for this was his somewhat perky nature and wit, which was sometimes played out at the expense of others". It is also interesting to recall the opinion of one of the educators in the book: "He has more intelligence than memory, more taste for elegance than diligence to thorough, why a small difficulty can stop him, but not hold on: for he, driven by competition and a sense of his own good, desires Compare with the first pupils".

"Pushkin was very handsome; his mouth was very charming with thin and beautifully delineated lips and wonderful blue eyes. His hair was shiny, thick and curly… He walked in a black frock coat. He paid much attention to the toilet", - this is how Yekaterina Evgrafovna Sinitsyna saw famous Alexander Sergeevich in 1827 while he was in Tver Province. Her memoirs are given by Vladimir Kolosov in his article published in the magazine "Russian Antiquity" in October 1888: "Up to this time I did not know Pushkin and I did not hear anything about him and I did not understand his meaning, but he directly struck me. He seemed to me a foreigner, dancing, walking somehow in a special way, somehow especially easily, as if flying; all sort of airy".

Vladimir Kolosov notes that in the village Pushkin was changed: "Full of consciousness of the balance of mental forces, he and in relation to others was always humane, affectionate, kind and preventive. There was not a shadow of that irritability and that savage, merciless wit that he brought upon himself a lot of trouble living in big cities. It is not surprising, therefore, that Alexander Sergeyevich seemed so handsome to our old woman, - this was what he usually looked like when he was in a clear and calm state of mind, as his contemporaries testify to it". 

In the May issue of the magazine "Russian Antiquity" for 1880 in an article dedicated to the poet, the words of Sergei Goncharov, brother of Natalia Nikolaevna are quoted: "Alexander Sergeevich had the happiest character for family life: neither foreclosures nor whims. One could anger him in earnest. He demanded that no one enter his office from an hour to three: this time he spent at his desk or, walking around the room, pondering his creations and met far from hospitable someone who knocked at his door". 

Friends noted that even on his deathbed Alexander Sergeevich showed steadfastness: "The patient was experiencing terrible agony. But even here the extraordinary firmness of his soul unfolded to the full. Ready to cry out, he only groaned, afraid, as he said, that his wife did not hear, so as not to be frightened", - leads the testimony of I. T. S Spassky unique edition of “Pushkin's Talks”, which includes both the poet's numerous quotes and memories of relative about him.

Another testimony of the strength of Pushkin's character and his love for the family is found in the September issue of the magazine "Russian Antiquity" for 1875. One of the eyewitnesses of the last days of the writer's life writes: "The first word to his wife, when they brought him into the wounded man's room and laid on the couch, was this:" How happy I am! I'm still alive and you're near me! Be calm: you are innocent, I know that you are innocent". Meanwhile, he concealed from her the danger of his wound, which the doctor, at his request, openly declared deadly", the letter says. The eyewitness continues: "We have not heard a single complaint, a reproach, a single cold, stale word. If he asked the doctors not to care about the continuation of his life, let him die sooner, then only from what he knew about the imminence of his death and suffered the most cruel tortures. <...> Saying goodbye to the children, he crossed them. With his wife he said goodbye several times and always spoke to her with tenderness and love. He said goodbye to us in the midst of terrible torments and convulsive movements, but with a spirit of vigor and tenderness". 

The electronic collection dedicated to the brilliant Russian writer includes the section "Images of Alexander Pushkin and the people of his circle", where we can see Alexander Sergeevich at various stages of his life, as well as those who were close to him, took care of him, saw him off In the last way.