Lecture 'The Pushkin We Never Knew'

Writer Igor Obolensky, and Galina Sedova, head of the Pushkin apartment museum in St. Petersburg, will discuss the personality and life of the great poet, often called “Our Everything.” Due to the recent release of the film “The Prophet. The Story of Alexander Pushkin” with Yura Borisov in the lead role, Pushkin’s name is once again a subject of public discussion. The film sparked contradictory reactions: from recognition to accusations of insulting the poet’s memory. A TV series, “Natalie and Alexander,” has also hit the screens, covering Pushkin’s life and his wife’s life. To understand how truthful these adaptations are, it is important to examine historical facts about the poet’s life. What kind of person was he? Who did he love and whom did he hate? What were his real relationship(s) with Natalya Nikolaevna? What caused the fatal duel, and how did the fates of its participants and Pushkin’s descendants unfold? These and other questions will be addressed at an event in the “Direct Speech” lecture hall.

Galina Sedova is a specialist in the history and culture of Russia in the first half of the 19th century, while Igor Obolensky is known as the author of many interviews and books about prominent figures in culture, as well as the creator of a documentary film about Pushkin.