Ruslan and Lyudmila: Poem and Poems

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin 1799–1837 - the greatest Russian poet and prose writer. In national literature, Pushkin stands apart: the sun of our poetry, in the words of the writer V. Odoevsky, was the first to lay the foundations of realism in Russian literature and transformed the language so much that the works of the 19th century are read as contemporary. Alexander Sergeyevich was born in Moscow, in the family of a military advisor, an amateur poet, and a high society lady, the granddaughter of Hannibal the African. Abram Hannibal was a servant and pupil of Peter I and later a general; from an old noble and not wealthy family. He began writing poetry while still in the Lyceum - a privileged educational institution for the children of nobles, and at the age of 15, at an open examination, he made a splash by reading his Memories in Tsarskoye Selo, earning the warm approval of the living classic - Gavrila Derzhavin. Pushkin was not without fame during his lifetime: he was called a genius and the first Russian poet in the press, Emperor Nicholas I favored him, and each of his creations became an event for the reading public, but the work of a civil servant - Pushkin served as a titular advisor - and censorship restrictions constrained his talent. However, the concentration of what was created in 37 years of life is astonishing: these are piercing poems, a great novel in verse, charming fairy tales, brilliant prose, and, of course, wonderful poems. A remarkable quality of Pushkin's work is its vibrant poetic power and precision of images along with brevity. The poem Ruslan and Lyudmila 1820 was written when 21-year-old Pushkin was still quite young, and it was conceived while he was still in the Lyceum, influenced by French knightly poems and Russian epics. In those years, Pushkin became a member of the literary circle Arzamas, uniting innovators who sought to rid themselves of outdated literary canons. The creation of a national heroic poem fully corresponded to their demands. The unconventional mixture of the European high style with colloquial language and folk style, daring grotesque provoked criticism in the press, but the poem instantly glorified the poet. Interestingly, the famous prologue “By the sea there is a green oak…” appeared only in the second edition, in 1828, which undoubtedly enhanced the folkloric color of the fairy tale.