Кто такой Пушкин?
Who is Pushkin?
Why 'Pushkin is our everything': the poet who created the modern Russian literary language, his African great-grandfather, the revolution of 'Eugene Onegin', and the fatal duel.
You will practice: Participial constructions (живший, воспитанный, защищая), perfective past for biography (совершил, соединил, вызвал), and abstract noun phrases (создатель языка, эталон гармонии).
Words to know
Skim these before you read — they carry the story. Tap the star to add one to your saved words.
- поговоркаsaying, proverb
- поэтpoet
- стихиverse, poems
- классикclassic author
- создательcreator
- дворянскийnoble, of the gentry
- прадедgreat-grandfather
- происхождениеorigin, descent
- няняnanny, nurse
- литератураliterature
- лексикаvocabulary, lexicon
- шедеврmasterpiece
- ссылкаexile, banishment
- дуэльduel
- ранитьto wound
- наследиеlegacy, heritage
- эталонbenchmark, standard
Did you get it?
5 quick questions — no grades, just a comprehension check.
1. What does the saying 'Pushkin is our everything' express?
2. Who was Pushkin's great-grandfather on his mother's side?
3. What revolution did Pushkin bring to Russian literature?
4. What did critics call 'Eugene Onegin'?
5. How did Pushkin die?
Too hard? Pick an easier text in the reading library. Understanding most of a text without translations is the goal — struggling through is not.