Hey, America! Think your Obama is so special??
A young charismatic man of African descent becomes a national icon, whose eloquence inspires a generation, whose dashing looks send girls fainting and whose liberal politics threaten to derail the establishment?
That sort of thing might still be hot over here, but it is OLD NEWS in Mother Russia.
199 year old news, to be precise.
That's right, today Russia celebrated the 199th anniversary of the birth of its national poet Alexandr Pushkin, whose life I summarised in the first paragraph.
Pushkin, whose great grandfather was was a freed African slave, was not merely the founding father of indigenous Russian literature. He was Shakespeare, James Dean and Che Guevara rolled into one. (Well, maybe Che Guevara is going a bit far…but he did stand up for liberalism in solidarity with the Decembrists).
He even sported an afro! And died in a duel!!
Go Pushkin!
6 June 1799-10 February 1837
(Thanks to the decidedly cultured Cailtlin Miner LeGrand for reminding me of this splendid occasion!)
PS. Here is an interesting article about Obama, Pushkin and MLK.
