October 19th is Lyceum Student Day. Archive of the blog "VO! circle of books". Lyceums at present

Probably everyone already knows that October 19 is All-Russian Lyceum Student Day. What kind of holiday is this and why is it celebrated on this day? How is Lyceum Student Day celebrated in modern educational institutions? Let's find out. To do this, we need to take a short excursion into the history of Russian education and culture.

Lyceum student's day. Why October 19?

The short answer is that on this day the famous Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was opened, founded by decree of Emperor Alexander I himself.

This educational institution played an important role in the cultural and even political life of the entire Russian Empire. The influence that the Lyceum had on the lives of its students is still felt in modern society. Why can you say this?

Some historical information

The Imperial Lyceum was founded in 1811, on October 19. World Lyceum Student Day, celebrated on this very day, has become a solemn tradition for all graduates of this educational institution. Despite the years and political and social changes, the holiday custom is an important annual event in modern educational institutions.

For whom was the educational institution opened?

Initially, the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was opened to educate privileged nobles. According to the emperor's plan, his younger brothers, heirs to the Russian throne, were to study there. However, this idea never came to fruition.

And yet, studying at this institution was considered prestigious, since the lyceum did not open its doors to everyone, but only to nobles of the upper classes who were able to pay for their children’s stay within the walls of an elite educational institution.

Lyceum students were taught by the best teachers of that time. The program was designed in such a way as to prepare young people for national positions, in which they had to work in a quality and exemplary manner.

By the way, that’s what happened. Many graduates of the lyceum became famous figures in the Russian Empire. They held honorary positions and high ranks, making a significant contribution to the political, social and cultural life of the empire.

However, more on that later. Now, discussing the question of why International Lyceum Student Day is celebrated on October 19, let's briefly discuss the structure and features of the educational institution itself.

General education program

According to historical information, the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum accepted teenagers from ten to fourteen years old. Admission took place every three years, while training was carried out over a period of six years.

Basically, the educational program had the following directions:

• morality (God's law, logic, ethics, political economy, law);
• literature (rhetoric, calligraphy, as well as teaching languages: Latin, French, German and, of course, Russian);
• history (world and domestic, geography);
• mathematics (including statistics, physics, cosmography);
• grace and physical fitness (dancing, fencing, horse riding and even swimming).

At different times, the curriculum underwent changes, maintaining a humanitarian and legal orientation.

It is noteworthy that when training lyceum students, it was impossible to use corporal punishment, which was unprecedentedly widespread in the educational system of that time.

The first building of the Lyceum

Where was the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum located, which became a symbol of the annual celebration of Lyceum Student Day on October 19? Initially, as the name itself implies, the establishment was located on the territory of Tsarskoe Selo, in a four-story outbuilding at the Catherine Palace. The building was rebuilt especially for the educational institution and adapted for students.

Each of the lyceum students had their own small room, where there was a bed, a filing cabinet, a chest of drawers, a chair, a mirror and a table.

The lyceum also had a library, classrooms, an assembly hall, a physics room, a newspaper room, and rooms for after-school activities.

A little about the leaders

The director's house was located on the territory of the institution. It is noteworthy that this position was initially occupied by famous Russian teachers and educators (Vasily Fedorovich Malinovsky and Yegor Antonovich Engelhardt). Later, the director's post was occupied by military men: Lieutenant General Fyodor Grigorievich Goltgoer and Lieutenant General Dmitry Bogdanovich Bronevsky. It was from this time that the lyceum program approached the course of the law faculty.

Under Bronevsky, the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum moved to St. Petersburg, to the building of the Alexandrinsky Orphanage. After this, the building was rebuilt and extended several times. A four-story outbuilding for educators and teachers was also erected.

Pupils

Young nobles, studying at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, received minor civil ranks after graduation. They could also enter military service, since their education was equivalent to training in the page corps.

As mentioned above, among the graduates of the Lyceum (from the mid-1840s it became known as the Imperial Alexander Lyceum) there were many civil and political figures who had a huge influence on the history of the Russian state. For example, A. P. Bakunin (governor and privy councilor), A. M. Gorchakov (last chancellor of the Russian Empire), A. A. Delvig (poet and publisher), A. D. Illichevsky (poet, state councilor), N. A. Korsakov (poet, composer, diplomat), M. A. Korf (Director of the Imperial Library), S. G. Lomonosov (privy councilor, envoy extraordinary and minister), F. F. Matyushkin (admiral, senator, polar explorer ) and many, many others.

Above is only the first graduation from the Imperial Lyceum. One can only imagine how many important and progressive figures this educational institution has produced.

It was these first graduates who laid the foundation for the celebration of Lyceum Student Day on October 19. On this day, every year they came to the walls of this educational institution to look at each other and remember the old days. Alumni meetings often ended with a rich dinner and fun festivities.

However, there was someone else involved in the October 19 date. A lyceum student’s day without this person was considered ordinary and uninteresting. Who is this?

Pushkin and his Lyceum

Yes, this is the legendary Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, the first and most famous graduate. It was he who immortalized this educational institution in his works. It is to him that we owe such a wonderful and symbolic holiday, held on October 19 - Lyceum Student Day.

Pushkin wrote a lot and very passionately about his beloved lyceum. This was the best time of his life - youth, serenity, male friendship. The poet has the warmest memories of his place of study. And although he calls the six years spent in training “years of confinement” and “solitude,” he still remembers with tenderness and trepidation the “lyceum noise” and “lyceum fun”, the “holy brotherhood” of friendship and the “clear days” spent outside the walls of the educational institution. It is noteworthy that in his poems, the democratic Pushkin several times glorifies the tsar for ... “founding the lyceum,” and calls Tsarskoye Selo his Fatherland.”

Yes, with incredible love and joy the poet remembers life and training at the Lyceum. This is eloquently evidenced by the above words from Pushkin’s poems. Lyceum student's day, October 19, has always been a special day for the poet. On the eve of this date, he each time wrote his wonderful poems, filled with a gentle sound, longing for youth, philosophical and psychological reflections on his school years, adolescent friendship, youthful dreams and hopes.

For him, the Lyceum forever remained in his memory as a place of happiness and youthful enthusiasm, mutual assistance and strong friendships. The poet remained friends with some of his classmates for many years, meeting them informally and dedicating his poems and other works to them.

Modern celebration

Is October 19 (Lyceum Student Day) celebrated now in schools and other educational institutions in our country? Certainly. This date has become a real holiday for modern schoolchildren, especially lyceum students. It is on this day that open lessons and even concerts are held in Russian lyceums, accompanied by competitions, theatrical performances, balls and other useful entertainment.

Event program

There are many scenarios for October 19 (Lyceum Student Day). According to numerous pedagogical plans, these activities can be carried out in several directions:

• educational;
• entertaining;
• educational and entertaining.

Most often you can find the last type of scenario, according to which students are told in an entertaining way about the history of the holiday, touch on the immortal poetry of Pushkin and briefly describe the enormous influence exerted by the Imperial Lyceum on the entire history of the Russian state.

Usually such events are accompanied by theatrical performances telling about the life of lyceum students or Pushkin himself. Slides depicting the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum and its important people can also be shown.

Or the management of modern educational institutions can organize a costume ball for students, their parents and teachers.

Greetings and wishes

Most often at such events words of gratitude and congratulations are heard. Lyceum Student Day (October 19) is a truly joyful event for all students and teachers.

What can you say or what is the best way to diversify the program of such concerts? There are many greetings and wishes, both in poetic and prose form, with which teachers congratulate students and vice versa.

At such festive events, lyceum students are always wished good grades, a lot of knowledge and achievements, victories and... exemplary behavior. And teachers are thanked for their work and diligence, for their patience and kindness, for their experience and knowledge.

You can congratulate you on Lyceum Student Day not only at a festive event, but also with a postcard, SMS message or a small gift. Modern lyceum students are very fond of all sorts of jokes and practical jokes associated with this important celebration for them.

And, of course, parents of students are always present at the festive event in honor of Lyceum Student Day, who can also take part in the event, congratulations, theatrical performances and even a costume ball.

Such a program not only entertains young people, but also broadens their horizons, and also introduces them to that great and beautiful thing that is called national culture.

Slide 1

Slide 2

October 19, 1811 during the reign of AlexanderIThe Lyceum was inaugurated in Tsarskoe Selo near St. Petersburg.

Slide 3

The Lyceum building is adjacent to the Catherine Palace.

Slide 4

The Lyceum was conceived as an educational institution for training future statesmen. The coat of arms of the Lyceum - two wreaths, oak and laurel, personified Strength and Glory; the owl symbolized Wisdom; the lyre, an attribute of Apollo, indicated a love of Poetry. The Lyceum's motto was proudly inscribed at the top: “For the common benefit.”

Slide 5

Lyceum students not only studied and were educated at the Lyceum, but also lived there permanently, each in a separate room. A.S. Pushkin called these rooms cells; he occupied No. 14 and signed “No. 14” in letters to friends. Teachers, educators and the director also lived at the Lyceum.

Slide 6

The curriculum and charter of the Lyceum were developed by more than one person, but the main ideas belonged to the outstanding statesman of that time, Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky, who took part in the education of Alexander I and believed his promises to grant Russia freedom.

It is interesting that foreigners spoke about the opening of the Lyceum in the following way: “Are Russians created for science?”, “Science in Russia is not only useless, but even dangerous for the state.”

Slide 7

The lyceum was equal to Russian universities. Lyceum students, as future statesmen, studied languages ​​- Russian, Latin, French, German; rhetoric (theory of eloquence); literature (literature); Russian and world history; “moral sciences” (ethics, aesthetics); geography; statistics; mathematical and physical sciences; “fine arts and gymnastic exercises”, that is, penmanship, drawing, singing, dancing, fencing, horse riding and swimming; as well as logic; psychology; finance; legal sciences, that is, civil and private law, public law, popular law, Roman law.

We studied in classes for seven hours a day, with long breaks. The lessons were usually double, that is, the same teacher taught the students for two hours in a row.

Slide 8

Daily schedule at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum:

Slide 9

The training was divided into two courses. The first was called initial, the second - final. Each one studied for three years. When moving from course to course, a public exam was held, which was announced in the Petersburg Gazette.

Slide 10

For the first time in Russia, at the Lyceum, the main subjects were taught not by foreign professors, but by Russian teachers.

The first director of the Lyceum, Vasily Fedorovich Malinovsky, and Yegor Antonovich Engelhardt, who replaced him, were liberals, and the spirit of liberalism and freedom reigned in the Lyceum, which was surprising in serf Russia.

Slide 11

Professor Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn, who taught law, morality, and logic, said: “When people enter society, they want freedom and prosperity, not slavery and poverty.” It is not surprising, therefore, that the first graduating class of the Lyceum gave Russia many progressive and liberal statesmen, talented poets, writers, military men, as well as future Decembrists, who in 1825 rebelled against the autocracy in order to introduce a constitutional monarchy, limit the rights of the tsar, and grant freedom of speech and seals, abolish serfdom.

Slide 12

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin - poet, writer, playwright, critic.

Anton Antonovich Delvig - poet, closest friend of A. S. Pushkin.

Slide 13

Alexey Damianovich Illichevsky was the first draftsman and caricaturist at the Lyceum. At first he was Pushkin’s rival in poetic skill, especially distinguished by epigrams, and then he was one of the zealous copyists of Pushkin’s poems for handwritten collections.

Praise be to the Lyceum! Holy vow

They should celebrate this day with a date,

We've been here for exactly nine years now,

But connected by memories.

So what time is it for us? It

He doesn’t dare break the fraternal bonds,

And our friendship is like wine,

The stronger he grows, the older he gets.

Slide 14

Mikhail Lukyanovich Yakovlev is a composer, author of romances based on poems by A. S. Pushkin, as well as the director of the printing house where Pushkin’s “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion” was published.

Slide 15

Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov - Minister of Foreign Affairs, statesman and diplomat.

Fedor Fedorovich Matyushkin - navigator, historiographer of the Russian fleet.

Slide 16

In the case of December 14, 1825, Pushchin Ivan Ivanovich and Kuchelbecker Wilhelm Karlovich, the closest friends of A.S. Pushkin, were exiled to Siberia, and Volkhovsky Vladimir Dmitrievich - to the Caucasus.

Slide 17

The Lyceum was opened shortly before the Patriotic War of 1812. Troops marched through Tsarskoe Selo, transporting the wounded, and a Life Guards Hussar Regiment was stationed in Tsarskoe Selo itself.

Slide 18

Lyceum students dreamed of participating in hostilities, followed their development with great attention, and wrote patriotic poems.

Slide 19

The students of the Lyceum also knew how to have fun. It happened that their entertainment involved drinking wine, for which punishment followed. Poems by lyceum students of those years dedicated to wine drinking have been preserved. Punishments also followed for poor performance in subjects. It was typical for the Lyceum to organize an analysis of the pupils’ misdeeds.

Slide 20

Lyceum students published a newspaper with epigrams, poems, and notes dedicated to the life of the Lyceum.

Slide 21

Many students were in love with the sister of one of the lyceum students (Alexander Bakunin) - Ekaterina Bakunina, in whose honor many poems were written.

Slide 22

You can read about the kind of devoted friendship that united the Lyceum students in the notes and poems of the great Russian poet A.S. Pushkin, who studied at the Lyceum from its foundation in 1811 until 1817, that is, this was the first graduating class of the Lyceum.

The students of the first graduating class carried loyalty to this friendship throughout their lives. Every year on October 19, they celebrated the anniversary of the opening of the Lyceum, some gathered together, others sent letters of greeting.

Every year on October 19, A.S. Pushkin wrote poems dedicated to the next anniversary of the opening of the Lyceum. These were either small quatrains or large poems. The first large poem “To Comrades” he wrote in 1817, when they, the first lyceum students, left the Lyceum, having successfully passed their final exams.

To comrades (excerpt)

The years of imprisonment flew by;

Not long, peaceful friends,

We can see shelter of solitude

And Tsarskoye Selo fields.

Separation awaits us at the doorstep,

The distant noise is calling us,

And everyone looks at the road

With the excitement of proud, young thoughts.

Slide 23

In the same year, he wrote the poem “Separation,” where he addressed his closest friends Ivan Pushchin, Wilhelm Kuchelbecker, and Anton Delvig.

"Separation" (excerpt)

...Wherever I am: whether in the fire of mortal battle,

On the peaceful banks of the native stream,

I am faithful to the Holy Brotherhood.

And let (will fate hear my prayers?),

Let everyone be happy, all my friends!

Slide 24

A. S. Pushkin wrote his next great poem in 1825, at which time he was in exile in Mikhailovsky:

I am sad: my friend is not with me...

I drink alone...

But how many of you feast?

Who else are we missing?

Who changed the captivating habit?

How many of you are attracted to the cold light?

Whose voice fell silent at the fraternal roll call?

Who didn't come? Who is missing between you?

Slide 25

In the same poem, A. S. Pushkin says:

My friends, our union is wonderful!

He, like the soul, is indivisible and eternal -

Unshakable, free and carefree,

He grew together under the shadow of friendly muses.

Wherever fate throws us

And happiness wherever it leads,

We are still the same: the whole world is foreign to us;

Fatherland to us Tsarskoe Selo...

…Bless, jubilant muse,

Bless: Long live the Lyceum!

To the mentors who guarded our youth,

To all honor, both dead and alive,

Raising a grateful cup to my lips,

Without remembering evil, we will reward goodness.

Slide 26

10 years after graduating from the Lyceum, A. S. Pushkin wrote the poem “October 19, 1827,” at which time some former lyceum students were in exile, some were no longer alive:

God help you, my friends,

In the worries of life, royal service,

And at feasts of riotous friendship,

And in the sweet sacraments of love!

God help you, my friends,

And in storms and in everyday grief,

In a foreign land, in a deserted sea,

And in the dark abysses of the earth!

Slide 27

In 1829, having visited Tsarskoe Selo, the poet writes:

Confused by memories,

Filled with sweet melancholy

The gardens are beautiful, under the dusk your sacred

I walk in with my head hanging...

...Having finally seen his native monastery

He hung his head and began to sob...

….And in my thoughts I see a family of friends again…

Slide 28

1831 is a doubly significant year for A.S. Pushkin, since it is the year of the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Lyceum and the year of the poet’s first wedding anniversary.

The more often the Lyceum celebrates

Your holy anniversary

The more timid the old circle of friends

The family is embarrassed to be together,

The rarer it is; that's our holiday

In its joy it is darker;

The louder the ringing of health bowls

And our songs are even sadder.

So the breath of the earth's storms

And they accidentally touched us,

And we are among the feasts of the young

The soul was often darkened;

We have matured; rock judged

And we have everyday trials,

And the spirit of death walked among us

And he appointed his slaughter.

Six abolished seats stand

We no longer see six friends,

They sleep scattered -

Who is here, who is there on the battlefield,

Some are at home, some are strangers in the land,

Who is ill, who is sad

Brought into the darkness of the damp earth,

And we cried over everyone.

Come now, dear friends,

Let's form our faithful circle,

I finished the song for the deceased,

Let us congratulate the living with hope,

There is no time for hope again

Find yourself in a lyceum feast,

Hug everyone else too

And there is no need to be afraid of new victims.

Slide 29

The last poem dedicated to the Lyceum was written by A. S. Pushkin on the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Lyceum. The latter, since in January 1837 the poet was mortally wounded in a duel.

It was time: our holiday is young

He shone, made noise and was crowned with roses,

And the clinking of glasses mixed with the songs,

And we sat together in a crowd.

Then, careless ignoramuses at heart,

We all lived easier and bolder,

We drank everything to the health of hope

And youth and all its undertakings.

Now it’s not like that: our riotous holiday

With the arrival of years, like us, I went crazy,

He calmed down, calmed down, calmed down,

The ringing of his health bowls became muffled;

The speech between us does not flow so playfully,

More spacious, sadder we sit,

And less often laughter is heard among the songs,

And more often we sigh and remain silent.

It's time for everything: for the 25th time

We celebrate the Lyceum's cherished day.

The years have passed in unnoticed succession,

And how they changed us!

No wonder - no! – a quarter of a century has flown by!

Do not complain: this is the law of fate;

The whole world revolves around man,

Will he really be the only one who doesn't move?

Remember, O friends, from that time,

When our circle of fate was connected,

What, what were we witnesses to!

Games of the mysterious game,

Confused peoples rushed about;

And kings rose and fell;

And the blood of people is either glory or freedom,

Then pride stained the altars.

Slide 30

The Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was recognized as the best educational institution and even a certain ideal of the school of the future.

After the first graduation, the Lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo existed for another 27 years as an educational institution. In 1844, the Lyceum was transferred from Tsarskoe Selo to St. Petersburg and named the Alexander Lyceum. In 1918, the Lyceum was liquidated. Over 100 years, the Lyceum has graduated 1,818 students.

Now Tsarskoe Selo is the city of Pushkin, and in the building of the Lyceum there is a museum.

Lyceum Student Day is celebrated on October 19, and this is one of the oldest holidays dedicated to knowledge. But its celebration is different from more than two hundred years ago: find out how this holiday is celebrated today.

There are many holidays dedicated to knowledge and science: the famous first of September, when dressed-up schoolchildren stand in a row at the ceremonial line; professional holiday of teachers in October; finally, Tatyana’s day, which is already “assigned” to the students. It is not surprising, in general, that lyceum students also have a special day: lyceum students celebrate their holiday on October 19.

history of the holiday

It was no coincidence that the All-Russian Day of Lyceum Students was timed to coincide with October 19: it was on this day that the famous Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum opened: among its students was the well-known poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

At the Lyceum, the offspring of nobles studied a variety of sciences that could be useful later. For six years (that’s how long the training lasted), the future nobleman was offered to master the moral sciences (from ethics and politics to economics), verbal sciences, which would now be called “humanities,” exact sciences, and of course, not without history and physical exercises: in a word, the range of knowledge was more than impressive. Fortunately, the teachers did not see what was happening after the lyceum was closed: all sorts of pseudosciences, which we have already talked about earlier, could certainly drive perfectly educated people crazy.

Immediately after graduation, the lyceum students, among whom was the famous poet, came up with the idea of ​​organizing something like friendly gatherings. They didn’t think long about choosing the day: the choice fell on October 19, since this day was essentially the “birthday”, or the opening day of the native Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum.

At that time, the celebration of this day was somewhat similar to modern meetings of classmates: on October 19, people who had already finished studying at the lyceum quite a long time ago gathered for a meeting, which a little later became known as the “lyceum lunch”. As you might guess, the celebration was not particularly sophisticated and farcical: former lyceum students gathered, rested, ate and talked with each other.

Despite the fact that this holiday was founded quite a long time ago (the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was opened in 1811), it became widely known relatively recently. The fact is that over time, such a form of educational institution as the lyceum was simply abolished and returned to use only at the end of the “dashing” nineties.

How to celebrate?

Today, All-Russian Lyceum Student Day is celebrated, in principle, by anyone: since the holiday is relatively young, established traditions of celebration have not yet been formed. The holiday program can be either standard (for example, include several ceremonial speeches and awards for particularly outstanding students), or with a twist: some educational institutions organize costume balls and concerts, creating an atmosphere corresponding to the beginning of the eighteenth century.

Nevertheless, one single old tradition, perhaps, can still be traced: the holiday is celebrated, as two hundred years ago, widely and on a grand scale: few people celebrate the day of the lyceum student “for show.”

Tell us how you feel about Lyceum Student Day: did you know about this holiday before? Is it celebrated in your family?

We are waiting and do not forget to click and

Our library, which since 1949 has been named after Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, annually celebrates Pushkin Days, which have become a tradition: the poet’s birthday is June 6; the day of his death - February 10; Lyceum Day - October 19.

On October 19, 1811, by decree of Emperor Alexander I, the Imperial Lyceum was opened in Tsarskoe Selo. The lyceum was created according to the project of Minister M.M. Speransky as a higher educational institution for children of the nobility to prepare for public service. Based on the results of entrance exams, boys aged 10-12 years old were admitted to the lyceum. The training lasted six years. Lyceum education was equivalent to university education.

This day was later celebrated by graduates as “Lyceum Day” - graduates gathered on this day for a “Lyceum lunch”. The traditions of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum and especially the memory of Pushkin and other early students were carefully preserved and passed on from generation to generation by students of subsequent courses. Memorable Lyceum dates were necessarily celebrated, such as October 19 - the opening day of the Lyceum, the birthdays and death of Pushkin. The country's first Pushkin Museum was created at the Alexander Lyceum by his students.

It is not for nothing that the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum and the name of Pushkin are inextricably linked for everyone. Who knows, if not for the Lyceum, Russia would have had such a poet? The Lyceum and Tsarskoe Selo were the poet’s closest homeland, he often remembered them. In one of his best lyric poems, “October 19” (1825), he addresses his friends:

My friends, our union is wonderful!

He, like the soul, is indivisible and eternal -

Unshakable, free and carefree,

He grew together under the shadow of friendly muses.

Wherever fate throws us,

And happiness wherever it leads,

We are still the same: the whole world is foreign to us;

Our Fatherland is Tsarskoye Selo.

In the Great Lyceum Hall, at the exam ceremony, Alexander Pushkin read his poem “Memories in Tsarskoe Selo” in the presence of Derzhavin: “Derzhavin was very old. He was in a uniform and velvet boots. Our exam tired him very much. He sat with his head on his hand. His face was meaningless, his eyes were dull, his lips drooped; his portrait (where he is shown in a cap and robe) is very similar. He dozed off until the exam in Russian literature began. Here he perked up, his eyes sparkled; he was completely transformed. Of course, his poems were read, his poems were analyzed, his poems were constantly praised. He listened with extraordinary liveliness. Finally they called me. I read my “Memoirs in Tsarskoe Selo” while standing two steps from Derzhavin. I am unable to describe the state of my soul; when I reached the verse where I mention Derzhavin’s name, my voice rang like an adolescent, and my heart began to beat with rapturous delight... I don’t remember how I finished my reading, I don’t remember where I ran away to. Derzhavin was delighted; he demanded me, wanted to hug me... They looked for me, but didn’t find me” (A.S. Pushkin “Derzhavin”).

What kind of phenomenon is this - how did it happen that the Lyceum gave so many talented and outstanding people who loved Russia and served for its good?

Vadim Rotenberg in the article “The Lyceum Phenomenon” believes that “the main factors were interest and natural, unfeigned respect for students, respect given as if in advance, nothing else, seemingly not deserved and not supported by their real achievements. Eleven-year-old boys were seen from the very beginning as the hope of Russia, they were treated as individuals, and they acquired the ability, thanks to this, to respect themselves completely regardless of academic success. They learned to take seriously their own and other people’s interests, hobbies and actions, because they saw such a serious attitude towards themselves from their teachers.”

In N. Eidelman’s book “Our Union is Beautiful,” there is an episode in which, after the events on Senate Square, another former lyceum student, Prince Gorchakov, came to the apartment of I. Pushchin, a former lyceum student and active participant in the uprising. They were not close friends, the prince did not sympathize with the rebellion, he greatly valued his successful career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (later he led the entire foreign policy of Russia).

“The next day after the uprising, Gorchakov came to Pushchin, who was waiting for his inevitable arrest. A prince, a dandy, a careerist, but he will not lose his honor, he will not exchange his “free soul”...

“Gorchakov brought the Decembrist a foreign passport and begged him to go abroad immediately, promising to deliver him to a foreign ship ready to sail. Pushchin did not agree to leave: he considered it shameful to escape from the fate that awaited other members of society: by acting with them, he wanted to share their fate" (recorded by Ivan Pushchin).

Gorchakov is worthy of the highest lyceum friendship! If, during his visit to Pushchin’s apartment, gendarmes had appeared there, the diplomat would have had a bad time: arrest, possibly resignation, expulsion from the capitals. But Gorchakov’s ambition, apparently, includes self-respect: if there is nothing to respect yourself for, then there is no need to make a career - and if so, then you need to meet with Pushchin and offer him a foreign passport.”

Or maybe the whole point is that special attention was paid to reading at the Lyceum?

Lyceum students read a lot. “We studied little in class, but a lot in reading and conversation with constant friction of minds,” recalled lyceum student, director of the Imperial Public Library Modest Korf.

Lyceum students knew modern Russian writers not only from their works. From a letter from Alexei Illichevsky (Russian poet, Pushkin’s lyceum friend) to Pavel Fuss: “... until I entered the Lyceum, I did not see a single writer, but at the Lyceum I saw Dmitriev, Derzhavin, Zhukovsky, Batyushkov, Vasily Pushkin and Khvostov; I also forgot: Neledinsky, Kutuzov, Dashkov.” Professor of Russian and Latin literature Nikolai Fedorovich Koshansky considered the ability to write and compose to be the basis of literary education and approved of the poetic experiments of his students. Often in class he asked me to write poems on a given topic.

“From the chronicle of the life and work of A.S. Pushkin: “March 1812. After the lecture, Koshansky turns to the students with a proposal to describe the rose in poetry. Pushkin composes two quatrains that delight everyone (not preserved).” Pushchin recalled (forty years later!): “How I now see that afternoon in Koshansky’s class, when, having finished the lecture a little earlier than the lesson hour, the professor said: “Now, gentlemen, let’s try feathers!” Please describe the rose to me in verse.” Our poems didn’t go well at all, and Pushkin instantly read two quatrains that delighted us all. It’s a pity that I can’t remember... Koshansky took the manuscript to himself...” (D. Shevarov “Quiet Marina”).

One of the favorite activities of lyceum students was meetings at which everyone was obliged to tell something - fictional or read. Gradually, the stock of poems, stories, and epigrams increased and they were written down. Handwritten journals were created, and lyceum poets grew up, friendly competing with each other. And since 1814, their poetic experiments began to appear on the pages of Russian magazines.

Maybe that’s why the poets M.D. came out of the Lyceum. Delarue, A.N. Yakhontov, L.A. May, writers N.N. Tretyakov, N.D. Akhsharumov, V.R. Zotov, artist V.P. Langer, professor of Russian literature Y.K. Grot, Doctor of Geographical Sciences N.V. Khanykov, Master of Botany N.Ya. Danilevsky and others.

In addition to Pushkin, the Lyceum gave, for example, such a powerful personality as Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin; recently, at a meeting in Biblioglobus, Igor Guberman, with sadness, in his characteristic manner, said about Saltykov-Shchedrin "... described everything that is happening now in Russia" and quoted

The Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum had its own rich library, composed of the best books, where students could work independently. “Lyceum students were forced to find the answers themselves to every question that arose in their minds.” The library was the source from which everyone “drew their inspiration”; lists of books to read were compiled by teachers. Replenishing the library was a constant concern of the council of lyceum professors. In a letter to P. Fuss, answering the question whether new books reach the lyceum, A. Illichevsky reflects on the benefits of reading: “Do newly published books reach our solitude? - you ask me. Can you doubt it?.. Never! Reading feeds the soul, shapes the mind, develops abilities...” The director and professors bought the books, and they spared no expense in purchasing them. But there were still not enough books, so director E.A. Engelhardt obtained permission from the Tsar to transfer the library of the Alexander Palace to the Lyceum. The library was transferred at the end of 1818, when the first year had already completed their studies. (In Soviet times, the Library of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was transferred to the Ural State University, established in 1920).

They tried to follow the reading of the lyceum students. Thus, only educational and classical books were released from the library to first-year students. When the students grew up, books were issued according to a note from the professor and at the discretion of the warden. At the Lyceum, students were taught that without reading books a person cannot become a free creative person. It was here that the concept was formed that not reading books, not being interested in books means not being an intelligent person. Relevant? It is interesting that for a long time Russia was an illiterate country, but it was there that the cult of reading arose. And now Russia is very literate, if its citizens read less and less? AND

Returning to October 19, Lyceum Day, let us again remember the poems of its brightest lyceum student.

The more often the Lyceum celebrates

Your holy anniversary

The more timid the old circle of friends

The family is embarrassed to be together,

The rarer it is; that's our holiday

In its joy it is darker;

The muffled is the ringing of health bowls,

And our songs are even sadder.

So the breath of the earth's storms

And they accidentally touched us,

And we are among the feasts of the young

The soul was often darkened;

We have matured; rock judged

And we have everyday trials,

And the spirit of death walked among us

And he appointed his slaughter.

Six places that have been abolished are standing,

We will never see six friends again,

They are sleeping scattered -

Some are at home, some are strangers in the land,

Who is ill, who is sad

Brought into the darkness of the damp earth,

And we cried over everyone.

And it seems like it’s my turn,

My dear Delvig is calling me,

Comrade; living youth

Comrade of sad youth,

Companion of young songs,

Feasts and pure thoughts,

There, in the crowd of shadows of relatives

A genius that has escaped us forever.

Come now, dear friends,

Let's form our faithful circle,

I finished the song for the deceased,

Let us congratulate the living with hope,

There is no time for hope again

Find yourself in a lyceum feast,

Still hug everyone else

And there is no need to be afraid of new victims.

Pushkin

Just think about it! He wandered
Where am I wandering now?
And he repeated poetry to himself,
What am I saying now?

He hurried his heart,
And he was delirious
And I also waited for her in the garden,
How I'm waiting today.

And the same pain, and the same fear
He felt in his soul -
I know: he’s talking about it in poetry
Already told me.

...The leaves are burning. Blue smoke melts
October day...

He was the same age as me
And he understood me!

Day of the Tsarsko-Selo Lyceum.

Music is playing. A portrait of Pushkin appears on the screen, the building of the Lyceum...

I.V.: Russia’s path was glorious and thorny

With advanced thought and pen,

He was praised by the great lyceum student,

And we decided to remember the past.

Dasha Bez:

Past centuries willingly share with us their writings, letters, documents - the most sincere, close ones. And, rushing into the past, we seem to connect ours today with a long chain and theirs far away. We connect...And we are already in the company of those guys, and they are with us.

Julia D.:

Today we invite you to travel very close – one and a half to two centuries ago – to the first decades of the 19th century.

Galya:

Tsarskoye Selo. "The city of Lyceum at 59 degrees latitude."

And now we see palaces, galleries, gloomy “ghosts of heroes” -

Angela:

And a decrepit bunch of trees, and a bright valley,

And a familiar picture of the lush shores,

And in a quiet lake, among the shining swells,

A proud village of calm swans.

19 On October 1811, the quiet, measured life of Tsarskoye Selo was disrupted; its streets were filled with some special revival.

TO carriages were assembled in the arch of the four-story wing of the Catherine Palace, fromwhich important people of St. Petersburg landed, here same as palace there were young men dressed inelegant blue uniforms withgilded buttons.

IN this day a new page opened inhistory of Tsarskoye Selo andthe whole country. A fundamentally new educational institution- Imperial Lyceum- took under its arches 30 boys, on whom the emperor had special hopes for.

"You will have an impact onthe benefit of the whole society, love for glory and The Fatherland should be your leaders,"- in these words they, twelve years old, were met in this day in strict solemn atmosphere in Great hall.

Having passed serious entrance tests, theywith bated breath they accepted parting words and prepared for a new life and an environment in which they had to spend the next 6 years.

The training lasted six years and was equivalent to university education. The first three years - the so-called initial course - studied subjects in the upper grades of the gymnasium. The next three years - the final course - contained the main subjects of the three faculties of the university: verbal, moral and political and physics and mathematics.

At the beginning of my life I remember school;

There were a lot of us, careless children;

An uneven and playful family... A. S. Pushkin 1830

Once upon a time, on the outskirts of Athens, near the temple of Apollo Lyceum, there was a school founded by the great philosopher of the past, Aristotle. It was called the Lyceum or Lyceum.

And, probably, its creators hoped that the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum would in some way become the successor to the famous school of antiquity, of which the beautiful park architecture here in Tsarskoe Selo was reminiscent.

However, she spoke not only about the world of eternal art.

The parks preserved the memory of the glorious pages of Russian history - the battles of Peter the Great, the victory of Russian weapons at Kagul, Chesma, Morea.

The extensive program harmoniously combined the humanities and exact sciences and provided encyclopedic knowledge. A large place was given to the “moral” sciences,

I.V.

Pushkin issue. Pushkin Lyceum. "People of October 19." This is the class we will be talking about again today. Their deeds, their friendship, their joy, their sadness, their thoughts, perhaps, will become ours. So let's talk about them “in the language of the lyceum.”

There was no corporal punishment or official drill at the lyceum.

Each pupil had a separate room.

In the first years of study, grades were not given at the lyceum. Instead, professors regularly compiled characteristics in which they analyzed the student’s natural inclinations, his behavior, diligence, and success. It was believed that a detailed description helped work with the student better than an unambiguous assessment.

Sociable and able to appreciate people, Pushkin had many friends. Friendship for him was the force that unites people in a strong union for life. The poet made friends at the Lyceum.

Among the lyceum students there were, of course, petty envious people, upstarts and suck-ups, whom no one loved or respected - their names have long been forgotten. But the names of those who, together with Pushkin, formed a freedom-loving “lyceum republic” in Tsarskoe Selo, next to the imperial palace, live on.

Ivan Ivanovich PUSHCHIN, Anton Antonovich DELVIG become friends of Pushkin, Wilhelm Karlovich KÜCHELBECKER.

Lyceum students had nicknames. Pushkin has “Frenchman”, Pushchin has “Zhanno”, Delvig has “Tosya”, Kuchelbecker has “Kuchel”, “Kuchlya”.

The "house rules" read:

“All pupils are equal, like children of one father and families, and therefore no one may despise others or be proud of others no matter what was. If anyone is seen inseven vices, he occupies the lowest place in terms ofbehavior untilwill correct itself. Pupils should live peacefully among themselves andfriendly. Nonemust offend another no matter what was an image, a word or a deed.”

The most famous student of the Lyceum was A. S. Pushkin. Only during his studies did he wrote about 130 herepoems. Aafter the Lyceum exam 1815the year when G. heard the poems of the young poet. R. Derzhavin , The greatest poets of that time became interested in Pushkin. We came toThe Lyceum is specifically designed to get acquainted withyoung genius, V. A. Zhukovsky and K. N. Batyushkov, P. A. Vyazemsky and N. M. Karamzin.

Rivalry in no success between themit was, on the contrary, friends in every possible way welcomed the development of each other’s talents. A passion for literature in general was characteristic of the lyceum environment. Lyceum students themselvesIn their free time, they published handwritten magazines, where they posted poems, fables, epigrams, and caricatures. Some ofthey then appeared and in the press.

There was little free time, the daily routine of lyceum students was clearly scheduled according to hours: from six in the morning until ten pm. Classes lasted the whole day, study hours were necessarily interspersed with walks, and there was no homework. was, in They were allowed to go up to their rooms only after evening prayer.

Idle pastime was excluded, but for 6 years of study was comprehended andschool curriculum, andfull university course. This approach ineducational circles are often notfound understanding, it was believed that 6 years - too short a period for deep knowledge. However, the first director of the Lyceum had a different opinion- V.F. Malinovsky. Being a man of progressive views, widely educated, hebelieved that rigor anddiscipline will bring the expected results. WITHhis pupilsspent a lot of time, personally arranged readings for them, walks, received yourself in the house. A. Illichevsky proudly and wrote with gratitude: “Thanks to God, us by at least reigns sinceon the one hand freedom... on the other handwe deal with our bosses without fear, we joke with them, we laugh."

Such the same atmosphere of warmth, friendliness and friendship reigned in relations with mentors. Communication with many of they were especially appreciated by lyceum students. Favorite teachers were professor of moral and political sciences A. Kunitsin,

teachers of Russian literature N. F. Koshansky, A. I. Galich, music teacher Tepper de Fergusson et al.

Particularly close communication between pupils andbecomes teachers in period of the War of 1812. In February in The campaign is carried out by the Life Guards Hussar Regiment, stationed inTsarskoe Selo. Then all spring andsummer almost every day past the Lyceum Sadovaya street to western border of the empire inguards andarmy regiments, militias. Lyceum students directly fromclasses run out tostreet to say goodbye them.

IN professor's newspaper roomstudents discuss published inmagazine articles andnotes. “...everything was vividly sympathized withus: fears gave way to delight at the slightest glimpse ofto the best. Professors came to us and taught us to watch progress and events, explaining something else that is inaccessible to us,”- wrote I. Pushchin.

AND Years later, Pushkin would remember this time with the lines:

You remember, flowed behind army army,
With the elders we brothers said goodbye
AND in the shadow of sciences returned in annoyance,
Jealous of the one who dies
Walked past us...

Returned to classroom, where the silence was broken by heated discussions of events andthe ringing of church bells windows. And then - science again, books, study tables.

leading:

The lyceum, like a drop in the Russian sea, was strongly salted with national emotions. Memories of 1812 are among the most important in the lives of the first lyceum students.

leading:

15-year-old Kuchelbecker is planning to flee to the army, but he is being held back. The feat of General Raevsky, who took his two sons, 16 and 11 years old, with him into the attack is hotly discussed, and the tragedy of Moscow, occupied by the enemy, is deeply felt.

Against the background of an excerpt from the film 1812, music plays, against the background of music:

Kuchelbecker:

And they rushed with a fast stream

Enemies on Russian fields.

Before them the gloomy steppe lies in a deep sleep,

The earth is smoking with blood.

Do you remember: the army followed the army,

We said goodbye to our older brothers

And they returned to the shadow of science with annoyance,

Jealous of the one who dies

He walked past us.

On the screen slide "Moscow"

Pushkin:

The edges of Moscow, the native lands,

Where at the dawn of blooming years

I spent carefree golden hours,

Not knowing sorrow and troubles,

And you saw them, the enemies of my fatherland!

And your blood turned purple and the flames devoured you!

And I did not sacrifice vengeance on you or my life;

In vain only the spirit burned with anger!

Where are you, the hundred-domed beauty of Moscow,

Dearest charm of the party?

Where before the majestic city appeared before our eyes,

The ruins are now alone.

Everything is dead, everything is silent.

Pause.

Waltz.

Love scene

Leading:

“All three” are Pushkin, Pushchin and Malinovsky. They have been writing, talking, and bragging about love for a long time.

(all lyceum students play ball)

Pushkin into the microphone:

In those days, in those days when for the first time

I noticed living features

Pretty maiden and love

The younger one was excited by the blood... (gets into the game)

(continue to play ball)

Pushkin:

Meat (Pushchin catches the ball)

Pushchin

Pie (catches by Kuchelbecker)

Pushchin:

Gotcha

Kühlya:

Yeah I didn't get caught

Pushkin:

Also tell me you caught it on purpose

Kühlya:

At least on purpose.

Malinovsky:

Since we agreed that we only catch inedible things. Küchel, I lost forfeit

All

Lost, lost...

(a girl passes by with her mother... everyone looks at the girl)

Mother:

And you, young people, should think about studying... And as far as I know, they catch edible things, but push away inedible things.

Kühlya:

And at our lyceum, that’s exactly the thing: not to touch the food...

Pushchin:

Princess, if you were fed from the lyceum table, you would be blown away by the wind.

(the princess leaves with her daughter)

Pushkin:

Katerina. How sweet she is! How the black dress stuck to dear Bakunina. But I didn’t see her for 18 hours - what a situation, what agony! But I was happy for 5 minutes!

Presenter:

Thirteen years later, in the friendly Ushakov family, Pushkin will be asked to list his hobbies. The album contains the well-known semi-encrypted (only names) “Don Juan list” of 37 people.

Ekaterina Bakunina is listed in it as Katerina the First.

IN class, pupils were seated according toacademic performance: the lower it is, the further away the careless student was imprisoned. It is known that Pushkin did not was successful in exact sciences, but on French lessons andRussian literature invariably took first place. The classrooms were equipped with everything necessary for the learning process. Devices for the physical office were ordered fromthe best St. Petersburg masters. Among the benefits were even artificial eyes andear. In addition to the disciplines considered basic (moral, verbal, historical, physical andmathematical), attached great importance toLyceum of Fine Arts andgymnastic exercises. INWithout fail, the graduate had to master horse riding, sword, be skilled in dancing, playing musical instrument, andmust also be able to draw. Spend time inThe lyceum students loved the drawing class. Alexandra Pushkina teacher S. G. Chirikov attributed to“excellent talents”, there were also “great”, “good” and"average". From Pushkin Lyceum drawings beforeonly two of us reached: “The dog with bird" and "Kvass seller."

Much of the time inThe Lyceum focused on reading. TO no books love was just instilled- passion was nurtured. INthe library had publications of almost all Russian authors, a rich collection of European literature, many textbooks onhistory, geography, rhetoric, mathematics, foreign languages. Magazines were subscribed to French and German languages. OnMany books were autographed by lyceum students. Preserved anda volume of Virgil's works, signed by the hand of a lyceum student Pushkin. Onpurchasing books is notthey spared money. Later, to 1918 (at moment of the closure of the Lyceum), its library will have a unique character, and after the revolution - an unenviable fate: it will be determined inUral State University and V further divided between selected fromhim institutions. Now inthe museum library has collected about 700originals used by lyceum students.

IN In 1814 V. died. F. Malinovsky. For two years the Lyceum lived without a director. IN 1816 on The position of director was appointed to E. A. Engelhardt. The second director of the Lyceum tried to maintain the already established customs. Healso arranged for himself creative literary evenings and theatrical performances at home. "INdirector's house opposite the Lyceum itself got used tosomewhat secular treatment and to the company of ladies" - Kuchelbecker recalled. The new director brought in andnew traditions: 9In June 1817, the first graduation of lyceum students took place; after the final exams, the bell was broken, which was used for all six years to convene students for classes, and Lyceum students dismantled its fragments intoas talismans. This was repeated V subsequent years. IN this was born in the same yearanother tradition- in October 1817 The first “lyceum anniversary” was celebrated in the director’s house. Then haveEngelhardt gathered Pushkin, Pushchin, Kuchelbecker, Volkhovsky, Illichevsky and other.

Presenter:

And when gathering in the lyceum hall in the evenings, the lyceum students sang with a guitar and acted out skits.

Pushkin (dialogue with the hussar) Scene:

Yesterday over a bowl of punch

He sat with the hussar,

And silently with a gloomy soul

I was looking at the long way.

“Tell me, are you looking at the road?”

The brave one asked. –

Still on it you, thank God,

I didn’t see my friends off.”

With his head pressed to his chest,

He soon whispered:

"Hussar! She’s no longer with me!...”

He sighed and fell silent.

A tear hung on an eyelash

And sank into the glass.

"Child, you are crying for a girl,

Shame on you!” - he shouted.

“Leave it alone, hussar...oh! My heart hurts.

You know, you didn’t grieve.

Alas! One tear is enough

To poison the glass!...” (falls as if he were dying, the doctor runs up, takes Pushkin’s hand, checks his pulse)

Kuchelbecker:

Here lies a sick student;

His fate is inexorable. (The doctor tries to give medicine) Pushkin jumps up:

Bring the medicine away: the disease of love is incurable.

Chemistry scene

Teacher:

Experiments can be very dangerous (pause) if certain precautions are not followed... and strict proportions... in addition, one must remember that when combined, some chemicals have the property of releasing large amounts of energy and gas. (The teacher turns away at this time into the test tube, 2 lyceum students throw powder, smoke comes out, the test tube explodes...)

Are you all safe, gentlemen? (calmly and confidently, turns around) are there any injuries or wounded?

(one lyceum student sneezes loudly)

Well, that's great!

Mr. Pushki and Mr. Pushchin, please report to the warden, Mr. Peletsky, that you must spend the next day off in the punishment cell! Also a week in the dining room at a black table!

Thank you gentlemen, my lesson is over for today!

The secret of the immense charm of Pushkin's poetry is probably that the poet experienced every moment of his life acutely and sublimely, feeling himself a true contemporary, a witness to everything that was happening in the world: tragic and beautiful. He was great in hopes and delusions, in love for people, for nature, for the Motherland.

….You are your bright genius

He elevated the human soul,

And the world comes towards you

We are tormented by spiritual thirst.

Pushkin makes friends among writers. The famous poet Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky visits him at the Lyceum. “This is the hope of our literature,” he writes to Vyazemsky, “we all need to unite to help this future giant grow, which will outgrow us all.” Friendship arises and strengthens between Pushkin and Zhukovsky.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, author of “Poor Liza” and “History of the Russian State,” came to the Lyceum, called the young poet and admonished him: “Soar like an eagle, but don’t stop in flight!” The Karamzin house remained the closest to Pushkin until the end of his days.

During his lyceum years, Pushkin experienced a strong moral and ideological influence from one of the most original minds in Russia - the author of the famous “Philosophical Letters” Pyotr Yakovlevich Chaadaev. It is to him, Chaadaev, that these wonderful lines are addressed:

Love, hope, quiet glory

Deception did not last long for us,

The youthful fun has disappeared

Like a dream, like morning mist.

Leading:

June 9, 1817 was the last day of the young men's stay at the Lyceum.Director Yegor Antonovich Engelhardt puts cast iron rings on their fingers - a symbol of strong friendship, and they will become “cast iron people.” Farewell lyceum oath: “And the last lyceum student alone will celebrate October 19.”

Lyceum students take turns:

The years of imprisonment flew by;

Not long, peaceful friends,

We can see shelter of solitude

And Tsarskoye Selo fields.


Separation awaits us at the doorstep,

The distant noise is calling us,

And everyone looks at the road

With the excitement of proud, young thoughts.

Stop each other

You look with a farewell tear!

Keep, oh friends, keep

That friendship with the same soul,

Well, there is a strong desire for fame,

That same young blood for glory,

In misfortune - proud patience,

And in happiness - love is the same for everyone!

Farewell, brothers! Hand in hand!

Let's hug one last time!

Fate for eternal separation,

Perhaps she gave birth to us!

Leading:

For us, the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum remains the School of Pushkin and his friends, an amazing example of the Lyceum brotherhood!

Forward! Without fear and doubt

A valiant feat, friends!

Dawn of Holy Redemption

I saw it in the sky!

Be brave! Let's give each other hands

And together we will move forward.

And let under the banner of science

Our union is strengthening and growing.

Proclaim the teachings of love

We will be poor, rich

And we will endure persecution for him,

Forgiving the insane executioners!

Let us be a guiding star

Holy truth is burning

No wonder it will sound in the world!

My friends, our union is wonderful!

He, like the soul, is indivisible and eternal -

Unshakable, free and carefree,

He grew together under the shadow of friendly muses.

Pushkin:

Wherever I am: whether in the fire of mortal battle,

On the peaceful banks of the native stream,

I am faithful to the Holy Brotherhood!

And let (will fate hear my prayers?),

Let everyone be happy, all my friends!

There is some sense of kinship between Pushkin’s lyceum students and us, despite the eras that separate us. Otherwise, the date – October 19 – would not have become something alive, not only for them, the lyceum students, but also for us.

ALEXANDER SERGEEVICH PUSHKIN

« Pushkin is an extraordinary phenomenon and, perhaps, the only manifestation of the Russian spirit: this is Russian man in his development, in which he may appear in two hundred years. In it, Russian nature, Russian soul, Russian spirit, Russian character were reflected in the same purity, in such purified beauty, in which the landscape is reflected on the convex surface of optical glass» (N.V. Gogol)

« He gave the final treatment to our language, which is now recognized even by foreign philologists as almost the first after ancient Greek in its richness, strength, logic and beauty of form; he responded with typical images and immortal sounds to all the trends of Russian life»

(I.S. Turgenev)