"Dostoyevsky's Pushkin Speech" was a speech delivered by
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...
in honour of the
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
n poet
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
on at the unveiling of the Pushkin Monument in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
. The speech (transcript here in translation) is considered a crowning achievement of his final years and elevated him to the rank of a prophet while cementing his stature further as the greatest contemporary Russian writer.
The Pushkin Speech, which Dostoyevsky gave less than a year before his death, was delivered at the
Strastnaya Square after a two-hour religious service at the monastery across the street.
The address praised Pushkin as a beloved poet, a prophet, and the embodiment of Russia's national ideals.
There are some who note that the speech was not really about Pushkin but about Russia, and also Dostoyevsky himself.
References
External links
English translation of the speech
Works by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Cultural depictions of Alexander Pushkin
1880s speeches
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