Detractors, pointing to him, said that nature rests on the children of geniuses. He did not become a poet, but left a good memory of himself to his descendants.
What would humanity do if everyone suddenly discovered a talent for literature? At first it would be fun - fresh masterpieces would appear every second. Then, without publishing houses, libraries, museums, all of them would disappear, leaving no memory for posterity. Not everyone is allowed to be a poet, just as not everyone is gifted with the qualities of an organizer, restorer or museum worker.
Childhood
The baby, born in May 1835, immediately became a celebrity. His father was the great poet and prose writer Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, and his mother was the first beauty of St. Petersburg, Natalia Goncharova. Godparents for such a newborn were also required difficult. They were the tsarevich’s educator writer Vasily Zhukovsky and maid of honor Ekaterina Zagryazhskaya. They named our hero Gregory in honor of the boyar from the Pushkin clan, who was governor in Pskov.
Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in St. Petersburg, where Grigory Pushkin was baptized
2 years after the happy event, everything collapsed - the head of the family was mortally wounded in a duel. The emperor himself undertook to help the widow of the writer, promising that he would take care of her material well-being and education for her children. There were rumors in the capital about his love affair with Natalie. Fortunately, they did not touch the four little Pushkins. Their appearance confirmed the descent from the descendant of the arap Hannibal. Grisha did not remember daddy, but heard a lot about him from his mother.
Grigory Pushkin (1851)
Youth
As promised by the tsar, the sons of Alexander Sergeyevich were able to enter the best educational institutions of the Russian Empire. The younger graduated from the Page Corps, and then, with the rank of cornet, he began serving in the Life Guards Horse Regiment. The military profession was a tribute to the great ancestor whose name he bore, but not his vocation. The brilliant commander did not work out of him. Career Grigory Pushkin helped build people in love with his father’s work.
Relatives noted that the young man inherited little from his famous parent. However, the ladies found his appearance very attractive, and his manners refined. The personal life of the young officer was not full of amorous adventures, which made him a mysterious and attractive person.
The escape
In 1865, Lieutenant Colonel Pushkin unexpectedly resigned and left the capital. It was gossiped that the reason lies in the affair with some Frenchwoman. Gregory passionately fell in love with a foreigner of simple origin. His mother begged him to leave the girl who could never become his wife and with whom it was indecent to appear in society. The adult son made his choice - he preferred his beloved to secular society.
The place of residence of Grigory Pushkin was the village of Mikhailovskoye. This estate was very fond of his father, but after his death the family could remain without inheritance. Through the efforts of caring and influential people, a valuable relic remained in the possession of Natalia Goncharova and her children. When the young gentleman arrived there, the manor and household became desolate, serious work was ahead to restore the house and its decoration.
Museum-Reserve Mikhailovsky
Thorny path
The youngest son of Alexander Pushkin knew the biography of his parent from the words of his mother. A passionate desire to become the sole owner of his beloved estate made Grigory start negotiations with his older brother, who also claimed Mikhailovsky. In 1870, the heirs of Pushkin agreed. If a conflict with relatives was avoided, then among the publishers Pushkin made many enemies. The poet’s son defended his father’s good name and forbade the publication of his personal correspondence.
The office of A.S. Pushkin in Mikhailovsky. The interior was recreated by Grigory Alexandrovich
The tale about the love of an aristocrat and a commoner did not last long. The Frenchwoman gave birth to three daughters, but did not consider this a reason to continue the relationship. Grigory Alexandrovich loved his illegitimate children. When the girls grow up, he will marry them to Russian nobles, supplying each with dowries.
Like-minded people
Parting with a lover allowed our hero to visit his mother more often. The reason for the scandals disappeared, and Gregory could spend a long time in the capital. In 1880, at the ball, he met with Varvara Melnikova. She was very young and married to an unloved person. A few years later, taking her child with her, Varia ran to her parents and filed for divorce. Pushkin, who himself survived the love drama, did not condemn this woman.
3 years after they met, the couple met in Vilna and married. Grigory Alexandrovich took his wife to Mikhailovsky. There, the newlywed became his soul mate and assistant in all matters. With their works, the estate was turned into a museum of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. In 1899, the Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences became interested in this unusual attraction. The Pushkin couple was offered to sell the estate, and they agreed.
Grigory and Varvara Pushkins
