Ill-wishers, pointing at him, said that nature rests on the children of geniuses. He did not become a poet, but he left a good memory of himself to his descendants.
What would humanity do if everyone suddenly discovered a talent for literature? The first time it would be fun - fresh masterpieces would appear every second. Then, without publishing houses, libraries, museums, they would all disappear, leaving no memory for their descendants. Not everyone is given to be a poet, just as not everyone is gifted with the qualities of an organizer, restorer or museum worker.
Childhood
The baby, born in May 1835, immediately became a celebrity. His father was the great poet and prose writer Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, and his mother was the first beauty of St. Petersburg, Natalia Goncharova. Godfathers for such a newborn were also difficult. They were the tutor of the Tsarevich, the writer Vasily Zhukovsky and the maid of honor Ekaterina Zagryazhskaya. Our hero was named Grigory in honor of a boyar from the Pushkin clan, who was a voivode in Pskov.
2 years after the happy event, everything collapsed - the head of the family was mortally wounded in a duel. The Emperor himself undertook to help the widow of the writer, promising that he would take care of her material well-being and education for her children. There were rumors in the capital about his love affair with Natalie. Fortunately, they did not touch the four little Pushkins. Their appearance confirmed their descent from the descendant of the arap Hannibal. Grisha did not remember papa, but he heard a lot about him from his mother.
Youth
As promised by the tsar, the sons of Alexander Sergeevich were able to enter the best educational institutions of the Russian Empire. The younger graduated from the Page Corps, and then, with the rank of cornet, began service in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment. The military profession was a tribute to the great ancestor, whose name he bore, but not his vocation. He did not emerge as a brilliant commander. Grigory Pushkin's career was helped to build by people in love with the work of his father.
Relatives noted that the young man inherited little from his famous parent. However, the ladies found his appearance very attractive and his manners exquisite. The personal life of the young officer was not replete with love affairs, which made him a mysterious and attractive person.
The escape
In 1865, Lieutenant Colonel Pushkin unexpectedly resigned and left the capital. It was rumored that the reason lies in an affair with some French woman. Gregory fell passionately in love with a foreign woman of simple origin. His mother begged him to leave the girl who could never become his wife and with whom it was indecent to appear in society. An adult son made his choice - he preferred his beloved to a secular society.
The village of Mikhailovskoye became the place of residence of Grigory Pushkin. His father loved this estate very much, but after his death the family could be left without an inheritance. Through the efforts of caring and influential persons, the valuable relic remained in the possession of Natalia Goncharova and her children. When the young master arrived there, the estate and the farm fell into disrepair, serious work was to be done to restore the house and its decoration.
Thorny path
The youngest son of Alexander Pushkin knew the biography of his parent from the words of his mother. A passionate desire to become the sole owner of his beloved estate forced Grigory to begin negotiations with his older brother, who also claimed Mikhailovskoye. In 1870, Pushkin's heirs came to an agreement. If it was possible to avoid a conflict with his relatives, then among the publishers Pushkin made many enemies. The poet's son defended his father's good name and forbade the publication of his personal correspondence.
The tale of the love of an aristocrat and a commoner did not last long. The Frenchwoman gave birth to three daughters, but did not consider this a reason to continue the relationship. Grigory Alexandrovich loved his illegitimate children. When the girls grow up, he will marry them off to Russian nobles, providing each with a dowry.
Like-minded people
Parting with his beloved allowed our hero to visit his mother more often. The reason for scandals disappeared, and Gregory could stay in the capital for a long time. In 1880, at a ball, he met Varvara Melnikova. She was very young, she was married to an unloved person. A few years later, taking the child with her, Varya fled to her parents and filed for divorce. Pushkin, who himself experienced a love drama, did not condemn this woman.
3 years after they met, the couple met in Vilna and got married. Grigory Alexandrovich took his wife to Mikhailovskoye. There, the newlywed became his like-minded person and assistant in all matters. Through their efforts, the estate was turned into a museum of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. In 1899, the Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences became interested in this unusual sight. The Pushkin couple was offered to sell the estate, and they agreed.
last years of life
Gregory and Varvara moved to Markuchai near Vilna - the estate of the Melnikov family. Our hero here did not rest on his laurels - he became a member of the Court of Justice, made a solid contribution to the development of the culture and education of the region. The spouses organized charity evenings, helped the poor, and invited people of art to visit them.
Grigory Alexandrovich passed away in August 1905. His inconsolable widow herself drew a sketch of the monument to her husband and called herself Pushkin's daughter-in-law until the end of her life.
