The Bronze Horseman

What it is

The Bronze Horseman is a narrative poem written by Alexander Pushkin in 1833, inspired by the equestrian statue of Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg and the great flood of 1824. Because of censorship, it was not published in full until after Pushkin's death. This manuscript page shows his handwritten opening lines.

Why it matters

The poem contrasts Peter the Great's grand vision for a new capital with the suffering of an ordinary man, Evgenii, whose life is wrecked by the flood and who is then haunted by the statue itself. It is considered one of the most influential poems in Russian literature and shows Pushkin wrestling with the cost of state power to individual people, a daring subject under strict censorship.

Look closer

• Why might Pushkin have hidden his criticism of state power inside a poem about a statue and a flood?
• What does the fate of Evgenii suggest about ordinary people in the shadow of grand historical projects?
• What can you tell about how Pushkin worked from seeing his crossed-out lines and notes?