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7 décembre 2010
Pushkin’s great-great-grandson is decorated with Russian medal

On December 7, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is now visiting Belgium, awarded the Alexander Pushkin medal to… Alexander Pushkin. The namesake of the great Russian poet is now his only direct agnate descendant. The Pushkin medal was established in 1977 by the International Association of Russian language and Russian literature teachers. It is given for public service in the popularization of the Russian language. There are quite a few people who have merits in this area – in total, 66 people from all over the world have been decorated with this medal.

Alexander Pushkin, the poet’s great-great-grandson, lives in Belgium, but he hasn’t forgotten the Russian language. However, the medal was given to him not for popularizing Russian, but for his charitable activities. Together with his wife Maria, who is also a descendant of the great Russian poet, Mr. Pushkin has founded the International Pushkin Foundation which has already carried out many charity projects.

In an interview for the Voice of Russia, which he gave just half an hour before the award ceremony, Mr. Pushkin said.

“It’s a great honor for me to receive this medal, named after my great ancestor. In fact, being Pushkin’s descendant means a great responsibility, for, as one literary critic has said, “For Russia, Pushkin is everything”. The Pushkin Foundation, which my wife and I started up, is now collecting money to buy medical equipment for a children’s cancer hospital in St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, my wife and I have no children – but we want our deeds to remain after us.”

The story of Alexander and Maria, an elderly couple from Brussels, is a really touching one. Alexander Pushkin tells about this story.

“The great Russian poet had four children – two boys and two girls. One of his sons, Grigory, had no children, while the other, Alexander, had thirteen! One of these thirteen, Nikolay, was my grandfather, while another, Maria, was my wife’s great-grandmother. After the 1917 revolution, the families of both our grandfathers moved to Turkey. Then, my future wife’s family moved to France, and mine – to Belgium, but they kept in correspondence with each other. In 1949, my family visited them in France. There, I first met Masha, who was 6 at the time, and I was 7. I remember quite well how she sat in my lap, embracing me. However, we met the next time only in 1960. From that time, our romance began.”

Alexander and Maria’s romance has lasted for 40 years now. In honor of this jubilee, the couple was decorated by another Russian medal – “For Love and Faithfulness”. Five years ago, in recognition of their charitable help to Russia, the Pushkins couple was granted Russian citizenship.

Mr. Alexander Pushkin is also known as the head of the Union of Russian Noblemen in Belgium and the host of stunning balls, which gather together Russian noblemen from all over the world.

4 septembre 2010
La médaille russe « Pour amour et fidélité » a été remise à un couple des descendants d'Alexandre Pouchkine en Belgique

La médaille russe « Pour amour et fidélité » a été remise à un couple des descendants d'Alexandre Pouchkine résidant en Belgique, par l'ambassadeur de Russie en Belgique Alexandre Romanov lors de la quatrième conférence des compatriotes russes. « Cela fait vraiment plaisir de recevoir la distinction instituée en Russie pour affirmer les valeurs de famille », - a dit Alexandre Pouchkine, descendant et homonyme du grand poète russe qui dirige l'union de la noblesse russe en Belgique. Avec son épouse Maria Pouchkine, il a célébré l'année dernière le 40ème anniversaire de leur vie conjugale.