The Year of Pushkin goes on
On June 6 the world marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of the
great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. The Year of Pushkin continues.
On June 24 the Rumanian National Academy held a session commemorating
Pushkin's anniversary. The session focused on such subjects as Pushkin's
first work translated into Rumanian in 1857, Pushkin in Kishinyov, and
Fyodor Dostoevsky's opinion about Pushkin as founder of Russian literature.
On June 24 the exhibition "Pushkin and Serbian Culture" opened
in Belgrade to cap a series of Pushkin anniversary events in Yugoslavia.
The exhibition is being held by the Serbian People's Library, which holds
all the translations of Pushkin's work into Serbo-Croat, monographs, and
Pushkin studies by Serbian scholars. All these make up the bulk of the
exposition, which also features copies of Pushkin's manuscripts, documents,
paintings and litographs provided by the Pushkin House in St. Petersburg.
One of the central places is given to "The Songs of Southern Slavs",
poems that show the poet's direct links with Serbian culture. Pushkin came
into contact with Serbs during his stay in Bessarabia. His interest in
Serbian history is further revealed by the duplicates of Serbian books
from Pushkin's private library with his signs.
The world's oldest watch company "Breguet", mentioned by
Alexander Pushkin in his novel "Eugene Onegin", has released
a new series of watches to mark the poet's 200th birth anniversary. This
is the first time that the name of the company on the face has been written
in Russian. The number one watch has gone to the prominent Russian film
director Nikita Mikhalkov.
The St. Petersburg famous suburb Tsarskoye Selo, home to the Lyceum
where Pushkin studied, has held a carnival commemorating the great poet.
Delegations from Germany, Italy, Macedonia, Malta, Poland, Japan and other
countries attended the carnival as guests of honor. This year the carnival,
which has taken place for the fifth time, has entered the European Carnival
Association. President of the Association Van der Kroon, who attended the
event, announced that in 2001 the Association would hold its International
Assembly at Tsarskoye Selo.
Pushkinists make a sensational discovery
A group of St. Petersburg's ethnographers and historians have come
back from an expedition to Central African countries with sensational finds.
For one, they confirmed the version of the celebrated Vladimir Nabokov
that the poet's great grandfather had come from the sultanate of Logon,
now the territory of the Republic of Chad and Cameroon. For decades it
was believed that Pushkin's genealogical roots should be looked for in
Ethiopia and that Abram Hannibal, Pushkin's great grandfather on his mother's
side, had come to Russia from there. But Hannibal himself wrote that he
had been born in his father's domain in the city of Logon. Now, nearly
two centuries later, researchers managed to find the geographical coordinates
of Hannibal's birthplace .
The year 1999 declared Pushkin Year by
UNESCO
June 6th, the birthday of Russia's great and most beloved poet Alexander
Pushkin, saw the opening of two memorial houses - the famous "Mikhailovskoye",
the poet's family estate in the Pskov region, and "Zakharovo"
in the Moscow region, the property of his grandmother Maria Hannibal where
he spent summer months from the age of six for five years. The beautiful
scenery of Zakharovo was mentioned in Pushkin's later poems. Structures
surrounding the building were destroyed early this century and the two
trees with poetic lines cut out on them by the boy disappeared quite recently,
in the 80s. Following archaeological research the building's base was restored
by the jubilee. Visitors to the museum which is dedicated to the poet's
childhood can now admire a rebuilt country property dating back to the
end of the 18th century.
An International congress of poets ended in St.Petersburg on June 6th,
Pushkin's 200th birthday. Literary scholar Yefim Etkind living in France
delivered a report about Pushkin as a European poet. Philologists from
9 European countries, Asia and America took part in discussions about the
poet's life and work. The congress brought together more than 150 scholars
and ended with the honouring of new laureats of St.Petersburg's "Palmira
of the North" literary prize.
The Moscow Tretyakov Gallery is hosting an exhibition on the occasion
of Pushkin's 200th birthday. On display are works of fine arts which captured
the poet's interest ever since his Lyceum years. Pushkin called them "miracles
of visual arts". "On view are works by Pushkin's contemporary
painters whom he knew personally and whose paintings aroused his admiration,
- says the head of the Drawings Department Yevgenia Plotnikova. - Many
of his poems, diaries and letters the poet devoted to Kyprensky, Tropinin,
Fyodor Tolsty, the Byullov brothers, engravers Utkin and Wright - an Englishman
who painted portraits of the whole family. Of particular interest are pictures
of Pushkin's friends and people he knew painted not only by famous artists
but by the poet himself. When compared they reveal the accuracy and subtlety
with which Pushkin managed to convey human nature in his drawings. Portraits
of the poet's circle are supplemented with city landscapes of Moscow and
Petersburg, Russian provinces, Crimea, the Caucasus and genre sketches".
Another exhibition devoted to the poet's jubilee was opened on June
4th in the Moscow Historical Museum. Exhibits from the museum's collection
and various archives are telling about the country's history as reflected
in Pushkin's works. The museum's Director Alexandra Shkurko says the exhibition
is designed to show the great poet as a prominent historian. Among Pushkin's
historical works are his tragedy "Boris Godunov", his novel "Captain's
Daughter" and "Istoriya Pugacheva" a historical study of
the Pugachev Rebellion. The epoch he wrote about is reflected in such 16th
century exhibits as Tzar Boris Godunov's psalm-book, a signature of the
False Dmitry, a claimant to the Russian throne, the portrait of Pugachev,
the rebel leader, dressed as emperor and a cell he was kept in before the
execution... Among other exhibits are albums of Pushkin's wife with poems
written by the poet himself, a church register with the date of his birth
written there, personal belongings, clothes, tobacco-pipes, duel pistols
- more than 500, all in all.
The Pushkin jubilee has given an occasion for wide-spread celebrations
in Britain. The first foreign-published collection of the poet's works
in 15 volumes has come out in English. The number of concerts, contests,
exhibitions and other events has exceeded 100. One of the representatives
of the British branch of the poet's ancestors Marita Crowly believes that
the name of Pushkin will now become closer to the people of Albion.
A Pushkin holiday took place in the German city of Dusseldorf on June
6th. One of the city's central squares where the country's only statue
to Pushkin was set up in 1992 saw performances of the poet's poems, Russian
romances and musical pieces after Pushkin's poems and novels. The festivities
were attended by a Russian delegation.
China marked Pushkin's birthday with a gala concert in the capital
Beijing. The participants recited Pushkin's poems in Russian and Chinese
and performed Russian classical music. The chorus of the Central Opera
and Ballet Theatre and the Symphony Orchestra of National Radio performed
an excerpt from the opera "Boris Godunov" by Modest Mussorgsky.
Among those present was President Jiang Zemin who told an ITAR-TASS correspondent
in Russian that he was moved by the wonderful concert.
Another concert on the occasion took place in Prague on June 10th bringing
together soloists of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre, the Prague National Theatre
and other prominent performers from the Czech Republic and Russia. The
jubilee was marked by the publication of a new edition of "Evgeni
Onegin" translated by Milan Dvorzhak.
Achievements in the areas of culture, education, literature and the
arts will now be marked by the newly-introduced Pushkin Medal. Among those
who have received the award are Russian cultural celebrities - Academician
Dmitry Likhachev, Director of the Hermitage Museum in St.Petersburg Mikhail
Piotrovsky, the artistic director of the Moscow Chamber Musical Theatre
Boris Pokrovksy, prominent mezzo soprano and President of the International
Union of Musicians Irina Arkhipova and actor of the Mossovet Theatre in
Moscow Sergei Yursky. The medal has also been granted to the famous American
financier and philanthropist George Soros. Under his major humanitarian
project in Russia called "Pushkin's Library" three and a half
thousand libraries all over Russia will be provided with new domestic editions
of books concerning various spheres of knowledge including books for children
and fiction. The project for which Soros allocated 100 million dollars
provides for automatizing the libraries. New programs to be carried out
within the next few years provide for creating a 100-volume library of
the best examples of Russian literature and supplying 500 libraries in
the Commonwealth of Independent States, Eastern Europe and Mongolia with
books in Russian.
An International scientific conference is underway in Vienna on the
occasion of Pushkin's 200th birthday. It has brought together about 150
Pushkin scholars from Russia, Austria, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands,
Croatia and other countries. The opening ceremony took place on June 6th,
the poet's birthday, in the conference hall of the Austrian National Library.
In his congratulatory message to the participants in the forum President
Thomas Klestil said that works by the great Russian poet played a significant
role in Europe's spiritual life and still rang true. The venue for the
forum wasn't chosen by accident. Austria is the homeland of Mozart, Pushkin's
most beloved composer. The event is the culmination of a "Pushkin
marathon" which started last March in Portugal where the first symposium
took place. The marathon was picked up by Germany, Italy, China, Japan
and other nations.
Another event to commemorate the great Russian poet is the film "A
Lullaby for Cricket", a joint production of the Russian film director
Andrei Khrzhanovsky and the Italian playwright, artist and poet Tonino
Guerra. Cricket was Pushkin's nickname in the Lyceum. The idea of a film
came to Tonino Guerra after he visited the Lyceum and other places connected
with the life of the poet in St.Petersburg. The new film features a series
of poems written by Guerra and translated into Russian and read by Russia's
famous poetess Bella Akhmadulina. Guerra himself plays the part of a guide
of sorts who accompanies the audience and shares his opinion on the importance
of Pushkin's legacy to the world.
"Pushkin ball in Hermitage Garden"
A Pushkin ball will take place in Hermitage Garden on the 5th of next
month. Artistic director Viktor Yavich has described the event as about
Pushkin, for Pushkin, around Pushkin but without Pushkin. The organizers,
he says, have decided to bring together what seems to be incompatible,
such as orchestra performances and fortune-telling, French operetta and
Russian folk music, a puppet show and an exhibition of cats. According
to Mr.Yavich, the purpose of the event is for everyone to have a good time
since this is what the poet himself liked most: he enjoyed having fun,
dancing and spending time in the company of his friends. Hence there will
be no solemn speeches. The ball, Mr.Yavich says, should be the one Pushkin
himself would have liked. The event will make it possible for three thousand
guests to visit it simultaneously. Among those invited are 33 people whose
names coincide with Pushkin's either partially or fully. They all live
in Moscow and the Moscow region. One of them, like Pushkin himself, is
married to Natalya Goncharova, supposedly a beauty too. The amazing couple
will be present at the ball on June 5th.
A festival of children's art opens in
Moscow
The international festival of children's art commemorating Pushkin's
anniversary is opening in Moscow on June 1. 45 groups from Russia, Ukraine,
Kazakhstan, Estonia and Yugoslavia will appear on the capital's many stages.
Preparations are underway to open an exhibition-competition of drawings,
"Pushkin Through Children's Eyes", and launch tours of Moscow's
Pushkin-related sites. The children's festival will be capped by an 8-hour
concert marathon on the poet's birthday, June 6. In the Alexander Gardens
near the Kremlin young performers will read Pushkin's verses and tales
.
Moscow marks Pushkin's anniversary
The Moscow government has allocated some 60 million rubles from the
city's budget to hold celebrations of the 200th birth anniversary of Alexander
Pushkin. According to Moscow's Mayor Yury Luzhkov, the celebrations will
take place on June 4-6. The anniversary will be the most important event
for Moscow at the end of the second millennium. During the three years
of preparations for the anniversary, the city authorities have reconstructed
the Pushkin State Museum and Pushkin's memorial house in the Arbat street,
where the poet lived after his wedding with Natalia Goncharova in 1831.
The Pushkin celebrations project also includes such major events as the
musical show "A Gift to the Poet", an opera festival, the televised
show "Russia's First Love" and the festival "The Slavic
Crown". Currently Moscow is establishing Pushkin's busts in Santiago,
Duesseldorf, Vienna, Paris, Minsk, and Bishkek at the request of these
cities. Moscow has already held the international conferences "Pushkin
and World Culture" and "Pushkin and Nowadays", exhibitions
"Pushkin and Balzac" and "Pushkin and Mickiewicz" and
the festival "Pushkin and Goethe". Everything is ready for the
main celebrations due to start in Moscow on June 4 .
The Week of "All Pushkin
on Screen" is launched in Moscow
One of the highlights of the Week commemorating the 200th anniversary
of the poet's birth is expected to be the premiere of "One Love of
My Soul" produced by the prominent actress and film director Natalia
Bondarchuk on the basis of the notes made by Princess Maria Volkonskaya,
a woman Pushkin secretly loved all his life. The film is built as Maria's
reminiscences shared with her children.
Days of Alexander Pushkin in
Crimea
The summer season on the South Coast of Crimea, where Pushkin visited
in the summer of 1820, started with a festival of arts, "Alexander
Pushkin's Days in Crimea". On June 1, International Children Protection
Day, Simferopol held a competition of young artists who drew pictures to
Pushkin's tales on the asphalt. Crimea's museums and exhibition halls have
mounted the expositions "The Crimea of Pushkin" and "Travels
through the Pushkin Sites in Ukraine". On June 6, the poet's birthday,
Gurzuf is holding a festival of poetry and music to be capped in Yalta
late at night with a gala-concert of Russian and Ukrainian artists. On
the same day the ceremony of unveiling a Pushkin statue will take place
in Bakhchisarai, extolled by Pushkin in the poem "The Fountain of
Bachchisarai".
Georgia celebrates Pushkin's
anniversary
On May 31 the ceremony of laying flowers to the Pushkin monument and
memorial plaque in Tbilisi opened the final stage of the celebrations commemorating
the poet's 200th birth anniversary. Pushkin's stay in the Caucasus in 1820
had a profound impact on his work. Today Georgia is paying tribute to the
memory of the great Russian poet. On June 3 the National Gallery mounted
the "Pushkin and Georgia" exposition, and the Paliashvili Opera
and Ballet Theater held a commemorating event. 22 Pushkinists from Europe,
America and Asia and 25 from the C.I.S. countries are contributing to the
celebrations. After Tbilisi their cultural mission will continue in Moscow.
A British version of "Eugene
Onegin" goes on the Russian screen
On June 3 Moscow's central movie theater "Pushkinsky" premiered
a British version of Pushkin's novel in verse "Eugene Onegin"
by director Reif Fines who also plays the title role. Fines' first contact
with the novel 10 years ago impressed him so much that he decided to make
a movie. The shooting started in St.Petersburg last year and was completed
in London. Tatiana is played by Leave Tyler The characters speak in English
and in prose. All the costumes correspondent to the style of the early
19th century.
"The Slavic Crown"
festival starts in Moscow
The 3rd International Festival of Chamber Theaters, "The Slavic
Crown", started in Moscow on June 1. This year it is dedicated to
Alexander Pushkin, featuring productions based on the poet's work. The
artistic leader of the the Theater on Perovskaya, which is lending its
stage to the festival, says the festival owes its name to two facts: that
it brings together Slavic countries and that it features Slavic literature.
Theaters of Yugoslavia, Rumania and Moldavia have already contributed to
the festival. Three Moscow-based theaters as well as Belorussian and Ukrainian
companies will present their stage adaptations of Pushkin's works. Of particular
interest is a new version of the tragedy "Mozart and Salieri".
Pushkin's famous "Gavriliada" will make its first appearance
on the stage.
China celebrates Pushkin's
anniversary
The Chinese publiń has launched large-scale celebrations of Pushkin's
anniversary. Chinese Pushkinists have held several conferences, television
has started running Russian films based on Pushkin's work, and publishing
houses have issued new Pushkin editions. On June 5-8 Beijing will hold
a musical-poetic festival.
A Pushkin statue is to be
erected in Paris
The bronze bust made by the prominent Russian sculptor Yuri Orekhov
has arrived in Paris to be shortly erected in the famous boulevard of poets.
These days the residence of the Russian ambassador has mounted the exhibition
"The Moscow of Pushkin". Hundreds of unique exhibits restore
the pictures of the city's life in the early years of the 19th century.
Among these books, prints, china sets, pieces of furniture and sculptures
Pushkin spent his days as a child.
