Pushkin. Family. Money

Alexander Pushkin wrote that “spirit of literature” depends, at least in part, “on writers’ financial situation.” These words can justly be applied to Pushkin himself. His life largely depended on material conditions on his marital status and financial relations with his relatives. The article studies this side of his life, which until recently has not received due attention. As a young man, Pushkin enjoyed substantial support of his parents. Before Pushkin’s marriage, his father passed 200 peasants over to his son. Pushkin pledged these peasants obtaining 40,000 roubles as a loan. Of this money, he lent 11,000 roubles to Natalia Ivanovna Goncharova, his future mother-in-law, to provide her daughter, Natalia Nikolaevna, with dowry. Later, the Goncharovs granted to Natalia Nikolaevna only minimal financial support. Pushkin never saw his loan returned. A constant source of financial troubles in Pushkin’s family was his brother, Lev. Pushkin was on friendly terms with his sister, Olga, however, her husband, Nikolay Pavlishchev, constantly pestered him with financial demands.

Pushkin endeavored to settle his family’s money problems trying to manage his parents’ estate in Boldino, but without much success. Goncharova’s sisters, Ekaterina and Alexandra, since 1834 lived with Pushkin’s family. They received money from their brother and partially compensated living expenses. Georges Dantès, who married Ekaterina in January 1837, got 10,000 roubles as his marriage portion. Pushkin’s income consisted of his civil servant’s salary, peasant servage and his earnings from literary and publishing activity. The article demonstrates that Pushkin’s living expenses and family spending were approximately 429,000 roubles. Undoubtedly, lion’s share of this money was spent after Pushkin’s marriage. During his last years, Pushkin was constantly under the stress caused by money matters. Astonishing as it may seem, under such difficult conditions he managed to create great pieces of literature.