It's no secret that Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin is the founder and systematizer of the Russian literary language. It is also called the sun of Russian poetry, but few people wonder why.
Patriot poet
This great Russian poet was a true patriot of his homeland. He hated serfdom, considered it the greatest problem of Russian society. In his opinion, this system also did not provide sufficient upbringing and training for the young generation, both serfs and the upper class, because children are the future foundation of society and people.
Pushkin criticized the imitation of everything foreign, the enthusiasm for foreign languages, when his vast country was not yet fully understood and explored. The poet loved Russia sincerely, with all his heart, and this love permeates everything that Pushkin wrote, works known to children and adults.
In fact, most of his works for children were not written specifically for them. For example, fairy tales appeared due to the fact that the poet loved and carefully collected folklore. The first list of Pushkin's works for children came out at the beginning of the 20th century as an attempt to systematize the heritage and pass it on to the younger generation. It was called “Pushkin for Children” and counted more than a hundred various works of the author: poems, novels, tales, essays. This article contains a short but basic list of Pushkin's works for children.
Tales loved since childhood
All Pushkin's fairy tales originate in folklore, which the author carefully collected, systematized, reworked and adapted for the reader, in some cases only heroes or details remained from the original source. Thanks to the fairy tale introduction to the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” “At the Seaside ...” every child knows about the oak tree with a golden chain along which the learned cat walks, as well as about mermaids, knights, a squirrel with golden nuts, a hut on chicken legs and other wondrous things.
The author took the basis of the plot from folk tales, changed some moments, added something, and as a result an amazing story with brave heroes and incredible events turned out that even the smallest readers would like. “The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights” is very similar in meaning to the “Snow White” of the Grimm brothers, similar plots also slip among other peoples. But in Pushkin, the fairy tale is permeated with an original national Russian flavor. Just like “The Tale of the Priest and his Workman Balda”, “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish”, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan and his Glorious and Mighty Knight Prince Gvidon and the Beautiful Princess Swans”, “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” are the most Pushkin's best works for children in this category. The heroes of Pushkin's fairy tales are hardworking, kind and simple-minded, spirituality and honesty are their main features.
A bit about poems
In the list of Pushkin's works for children, it is necessary to add “A Song about the Prophetic Oleg”. In it, the author turns to the history of Ancient Russia. He described in great detail the military life, customs and manners of the people of that time. Old Russian epics also inspired Alexander Sergeyevich to write the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, in which he refers to “the legends of ancient times.”
The evil sorcerer kidnapped the beauty Lyudmila, and the hero Ruslan goes to rescue his beloved. The plot is clearly folkloric. It is noteworthy that all the characters came out real, realistic, there is no absolute good or evil, all the actions of the heroes have strong motivation and meaning, which distinguishes all Pushkin’s works for children.
For older children: poems
In the school curriculum, many works of Pushkin are necessarily studied. He did not write poetry for children separately, but almost all of his lyrics are distinguished by the simplicity and accessibility of perception by the reader of any age. It touches on the most important topics for adolescents and youth: freedom, homeland, first feelings, nature. Pushkin has amazing landscape lyrics, which are permeated with tenderness, warmth and boundless love for Russian nature.
The list of Pushkin’s works for children will be incomplete without such classic poems as “Already the sky breathed in autumn”, “Winter morning”, “Village”, “To the sea”, “Caucasus” and others. His poetry is distinguished by the clarity and simplicity of the language, the emotionality and colorfulness of images, spirituality, all of this is invariably liked by children of all ages.