"The cultural wealth of the University is a living word": lifetime editions of Alexander Pushkin’s works at St Petersburg University

Welcoming the guests at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Marina Karpova, Director of the M Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University, said that many generations of the University staff and students have focused on and been inspired by the poet’s works for many years. 'The study of Alexander Pushkin’s creative evolution is the pride of our country and has exerted an influenced on how the prestige of St Petersburg University has been evolving. Among those who studied the Pushkin’s heritage are Boris Tomashevsky, Vladimir Markovich, Ilia Shliapkin, and Anatoly Koni to name just a few. When preparing for this day, we decided to celebrate it in the truly University way. The library has prepared several exhibitions from its collections. Among them are the following: the exhibition "Pushkin’s St Petersburg", the exhibition «Pushkiniana at St Petersburg University», and an exhibition dedicated to Pyotr Pletnyov,' said Marina Karpova.

The exhibition features 25 unique copies stored in the collections of the M Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University, including the story "The Prisoner of the Caucasus" of 1822, the second edition of "The Robber Brothers" of 1822, the collection "Poems and Stories of Alexander Pushkin" of 1835, and "Poems of Alexander Pushkin" of 1835 to name just a few. The visitors could get acquainted with the original publications, the design of which was preserved in their original form, and rare books published under the authority of censorship committees.

Alexander Pushkin has a special place in Russian national cultural identity. Evgeny Filonov is Associate Professor in the Department of the History of Russian Literature at St Petersburg University, Research Associate in the Manuscript Department at the Russian National Library. He focused on the timeless existence of the great poet and his deep connections with the Russian culture.

Every era, Alexander Pushkin is transformed into a hero of a new time. All his images, his eternal relevance, plasticity are associated with such a unique phenomenon as the Pushkin myth, i.e. an idea that Pushkin is the most Russian person in a way how he had been developing; without Pushkin, Russian culture is simply unthinkable.

Evgeny Filonov, Associate Professor in the Department of the History of Russian Literature at St Petersburg University

Depending on the time of publication of the poet’s works, the image of Alexander Pushkin is developed through many different interpretations, said Evgeny Filonov. Each translator, a literary critic, or a researcher makes their own contribution to the interpretation of the poet’s work, making Pushkin’s literature an inexhaustible source for study and allowing each generation to find new meanings. "Many readers did not know the real Alexander Pushkin. This is a layering of all possible definitions and myths, based on the publications during his lifetime. The universal ambiguity of Pushkin is due to the fact that he always speaks in the words of the time that perceives him. Today, he speaks in the words that are vital to us," said Evgeny Filonov.

The festive events also took place at the site of the branch of the Russian Society "Znanie" on 7 June. There was a festival dedicated to the Russian Language Day and the 225th anniversary of Alexander Pushkin. Philologists from St Petersburg University and Anna Volkova, Director of the branch of the Russian Society "Znanie", spoke about Pushkin’s works and modern issues of Russian studies.

The exhibition at St Petersburg University presents the only surviving copy of Pushkin’s last lifetime collection of works, i.e. "Novels and Stories" published in 1837, which includes "The Queen of Spades", "The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin", and two chapters from the historical novel "The Negro of Peter the Great". Aleksei Savelev, Head of the Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the M Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University, focused on the history of the preparation of publications for release, when many of Pushkin’s works were influenced by censorship and were therefore edited. 

'The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to look at the literary heritage of the great poet through the prism of his own time and the conditions when he had been creating his works. A copy of the last lifetime collection "Novels and Stories" is not only evidence of the poet’s creative genius, but also a reflection of the work of the censorship authorities. This is a valuable artifact that enables us to touch the eternal and feel that connection with the past, which continues to inspire and enrich our culture,' said Aleksei Savelev. 

On the day of the 225th anniversary of Alexander Pushkin, there were open readings of Pushkin’s poems. Students in linguistics at St Petersburg University from China, Italy, Brazil, under the guidance of Alan Tskhovrebov, Associate Professor in the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language and Methods of Its Teaching at St Petersburg University, performed the most famous works of love poetry. Inspired by the immortal lines by Pushkin, students presented their artistic vision of such famous poems as "I loved you", "To ***", "Confession", and some excerpts from the novel "Eugene Onegin".

The event featured the performance of the winners and prize-takers of the International Reading Contest named after Lyudmila Verbitskaya, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University.

Closing the ceremonial part, Marina Karpova, Director of the M Gorky Scientific Library at St Petersburg University, said that such events play an important role in the preservation and popularisation of literary heritage. "The library is a territory of discovery, and the cultural wealth of the University is not only a library and a repository of books. The library is a living word. Come back here and delve into research at this University," said Marina Karpova. At the end of her speech, she invited everyone present to visit other exhibitions at St Petersburg University, get acquainted with historical exhibits and take part in subsequent events dedicated to the life and work of Alexander Pushkin.