The Nizhny Novgorod antiquarian discovered a lifetime publication of Pushkin.

      On September 2, 2026, at 12:58, Culture and Leisure: Nizhny Novgorod antiquarian, publisher, and writer Oleg Ryabov discovered at his home a publication from 1820, which contained the first publication of Alexander Pushkin's poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila." He shared this find with IA "Vremya N."

      The book in question is "The Textbook of Russian Literature," compiled by Nikolai Grech. According to Ryabov, the book prints not the canonical text of the poem, but an earlier, unfinished version, which was then called "Lyudmila and Ruslan."

      As the agency's interlocutor recounted, about ten years ago, two volumes of the textbook were brought to his shop out of the four that existed. The seller said that the books were left to him by his grandfather and promised to bring other antique editions.

      Ryabov bought the second and third volumes, hoping to later acquire the first and fourth, but the owner of the rarities never returned.

      "A year later, I took these two volumes home, put them on a shelf, and they lay with me for 10 years. This year, I decided to get rid of them and accidentally opened the third volume to Pushkin's publication," Ryabov said.

      He noted that at that time, the poet had not yet published any book: the third volume was signed by the censor in May 1820, while the separate edition of the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila" appeared only in August of the same year.

      The origin of the copy also sparked additional interest for the owner of the rarity. The title page bore the stamp "KPV," and initially, the antiquarian assumed that the book might have belonged to Pyotr Vyazemsky. However, later, while studying a collection of scientific articles published by the Smolensk Regional Library, he found a study of this ex-libris.

      It turned out that the stamp belonged to Pyotr Volkonsky, who used it for his library in the 1820s-1840s. How the book subsequently ended up in Nizhny Novgorod could not be established.

      While studying the history of the owner, Ryabov also tried to find out if Pushkin and Volkonsky had any relationship. According to him, there were no direct connections between them, but an episode from the poet's youth is associated with the name of the prince.

      The researcher recounted that in 1815, in Tsarskoye Selo, 16-year-old Pushkin mistook one of the court ladies for a maid and began to seek her affection. The woman turned out to be a lady-in-waiting to the empress and the sister of Pyotr Volkonsky. She complained to her brother, who relayed this story to Emperor Alexander I, hoping for punishment. However, the emperor, according to Ryabov, took the incident with humor and ordered the scandal to be hushed up. It was then, the researcher believes, that Alexander I first heard of Pushkin.

      Earlier, the NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" editorial team reported on the literary treasures stored in the NN State University. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has channels on Telegram and MAX. Subscribe to stay updated on major events, exclusive materials, and timely information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod." When reprinting, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is mandatory. This resource may contain materials 18+.