Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799 - 1837) was a Russian author of the Romantic era who is considered to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature.
Alexander Pushkin was born in Moscow into a cultured but poor aristocratic family. His first poem was published at the age of fifteen, and was widely recognized by the literary establishment by the time of his graduation from the class of the prestigious Imperial Lyceum near Saint Petersburg. The Russian literary scene recognized his talent widely.
Pushkin's father Sergei Lvovich Pushkin descended from a distinguished family of the Russian nobility which traced its ancestry back to the 12th century. His mother Nadezhda Ossipovna Hannibal descended through her paternal grandmother from German and Scandinavian nobility.
In 1820 he published his first poem, Ruslan and Lyudmila. It was based on Russian folk tales which his grandmother had told him - in French.
The significance of Pushkin for the Russian fairy-tale tradition cannot be overestimated. They also have brilliant characterizations, unusual for traditional fairy tales.
Alexander Pushkin is usually credited with developing Russian literature. His talent set up new records for development of the Russian language and culture.
He wrote his most world famous play, "Boris Godunov", and novel "Eugene Onegin". A genius of poetry, he embodied Russian national consciousness ande became the pride of his country.
Some of his fairy tales are very popular to this day, such as "The Tale of the Priest and of His Workman Balda", "The Tale of Tsar Saltan", "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish", "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel", "The Tale of the Dead Princess", and others.
