Happy Birthday Pushkin!

Alexander Pushkin's birthday is remembered throughout Russia this time of year.

Thanks to Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac this morning on NPR, we were reminded that today (or some day between the end of May and the beginning of June--sources give different dates) is Alexander Pushkin's birthday. Lest we forget the importance of Pushkin, better mark this day on our calendars for next year. Russians identify with Pushkin; he is an integral element to "Russian-ness" and is inseparable from what is known as the "Russian soul."

To hear some of Pushkin's poetry read aloud, visit this resource page. If you don't know what to listen to first, try To . . . (Kern), a poem of longing to Pushkin's long-time youthful crush, Anna Kern. If you don't understand Russian, English translations appear beside the original text. Enjoy!