"Pushkin changed the language of the country": the National Centre RUSSIA celebrated the 226th anniversary of the great poet

An event dedicated to the 226th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin took place at the National Centre RUSSIA on June 8 as part of the series "Masterpieces. The Best of Russia." The audience learned fascinating facts from the poet’s biography and explored his invaluable contribution to Russian and world literature, culture, art, and the Russian language itself.

"Pushkin is not only an innovator, but also the creator of a new Russian literary language. He alone changed the language of the Russian Empire, and there is no other person like him. In my lecture, I tried to trace and explain how one person managed to accomplish what no entire nation could achieve, either before or after. Holding such events is extremely important because we speak the Russian language, and we are all citizens of the Russian Federation and heirs of Alexander Sergeyevich," emphasised Denis Lizin, author of the lecture "The Sun of Russian Poetry: Pushkin’s Genius and His Role in Shaping National Culture," news presenter at "Radio 7 on Seven Hills" and participant of the All-Russian Movement "Inspirationists."

The event’s setting transported the audience into the atmosphere of Pushkin’s era: antique books, candles, quills, and dried flowers were arranged on the tables. The lecture was also accompanied by live creative performances. The romance "I Still Recall a Wondrous Moment," set to Pushkin’s verse, was performed by actress of the Moscow Theatre Studio of Vsevolod Shilovsky and singer Yulia Tkach, a graduate of VGIK and the Institute of Contemporary Art.

"For me, Pushkin is undoubtedly an idol, a representative of our rich and vast culture, our legacy. I am deeply grateful for his works, I read and love them, and of course, I always recommend my students and colleagues to read Alexander Sergeyevich, to listen and learn more about him. That’s why I am truly happy to be part of such an important event, where we can educate ourselves and share experiences and knowledge about the treasures of our homeland, about our greatest geniuses and figures of art," said Yulia Tkach.

Actress of the Moscow Theatre Studio of Vsevolod Shilovsky and member of the Union of Theatre Workers of Russia, Yulia Latysheva, recited one of the most famous and touching excerpts from the novel "Eugene Onegin" — "Tatyana’s Letter."

"Pushkin, for me, is one of my favourite poets and, one could say, a teacher of language. He has an astonishing ability to combine elevated style with colloquial expressions. When you read his works, you feel as though everything is happening here and now — and ideally, we should speak exactly like that. With my reading of 'Tatyana’s Letter,' I wanted to remind everyone in the room just how beautiful it is to declare love," said Yulia Latysheva.

Throughout his creative life, love was one of the main sources of inspiration for Alexander Pushkin.

"For me personally, Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin is the embodiment of strong and romantic love. He wrote extensively about love. And I sincerely hope that the younger generation, when reading his works, feels how much he wanted to share this love with us — a love he had in abundance. And love is incredibly important; it must be preserved, nurtured, and passed on — especially when it concerns love for our Russian culture and our Motherland. That is why it is so important that there are many young people present at today’s event," noted Victoria Parkhomenko, actress of the Moscow Theatre Studio of Vsevolod Shilovsky and member of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, who performed Pushkin’s poem dedicated to his nanny, Arina Rodionovna, at the National Centre RUSSIA.

At the interactive workshop "Speech Accents," conducted by Yulia Latysheva, guests of the National Centre RUSSIA practised techniques for placing vocal emphasis. The skills acquired will help make speech more expressive and create vivid, memorable verbal imagery both on stage and in everyday life. The evening concluded with a collective reading of the famous passage from Pushkin’s poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" — "By Lukomorye stands an oak tree green."

The original project "Masterpieces. The Best of Russia" was created by the National Centre RUSSIA to raise the cultural awareness of the population, foster a sense of pride in the country’s achievements, and strengthen family traditions through art. This new cultural space aims to integrate classical works into a contemporary context, to unite various forms of art in order to enhance their accessibility and appeal, and to support the creativity of modern authors.

Educational and cultural events at the National Centre RUSSIA are free to attend with prior registration on the website russia.ru. Current information about upcoming events can be found in the "Events" section.