Festival "Pushkin in Britain" ended with the victory of Galina Lazareva from Australia

LONDON. We have a whole world of foreign land. Travel abroad Pushkin in Britain.

From a change of place the soul does not change. Far from her homeland, she is becoming more alert. Rethinking past values is not a synonym for oblivion. Big seen in the distance. Focus becomes sharper, secondary husks disappear.

Pushkin dreamed of seeing the world all his life. But after the words “You, your throne, I hate” and “The Law eternal above you” about travel, you could forget forever. The boomerang for biting epigrams, liberal ideas, friendship with the Decembrists, the reputation of an atheist and a freethinker became censorship obstacles, publication bans, police supervision, and travel abroad status. On requests for permission to travel abroad - a permanent refusal.

The descendants of Alexander Sergeyevich were much luckier. They can be found not only in Russia, but also in France, the USA, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Hawaii, and England. The British branch of the rebel family of the Pushkins is related to the Windsor and Romanovs. Great-great-great-great-grandson of the poet Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor - 7th Duke of Westminster, the youngest billionaire of Misty Albion. His mother, Natalia Grosvenor, is the godfather of Prince William. Hugh himself is the godfather of his son George. Aunt Hugh - Duchess of Abercorn - founder of the Pushkin Prize for schoolchildren. Another aunt - Lady Marita Phillips (Marita Georgina Phillips, first husband - Crawley) - the founder of the London Pantomime Center, the author of test songs, musicals, the book The Dream Dealer. She composed the libretto of the opera PUSHKIN - Poet and Tsar, which premiered at the Moscow Novaya Opera on February 4, 2017.

London became the venue for another great festival associated with the name of the poet - "Pushkin in Britain." This year it was held for the 15th time. His main idea and goals remain unchanged: the popularization of the work of Alexander Sergeyevich, the promotion of Russian culture in Europe, the search for talented poets among representatives of the Russian diaspora in different countries. The author of the project and its permanent organizer is a graduate of the Gorky Literary Institute, poet, prose writer, and collector Oleg Borushko.

The festival is discussions, round tables, poetry jams, poetry reading on Trafalgar Square. The main event is the “Poets Tournament”, during which the king or queen of poets of the Russian diaspora is determined. In one of the three poems in the finale, Pushkin’s line should sound. The theme of this tournament is “We are a whole world of foreign land…”.

The triumph of “Pushkin in Britain” in 2017 was Galina Lazareva from Australia. She was “forced” to move to a distant continent by happy changes in her personal life. A professional translator from Moscow left for her husband, an Australian writer and journalist who does not know Russian. Competitive work of Lazareva - about the temptations and pitfalls of another world, about the barriers to understanding. In 2010, Galina was already becoming the winner of “Pushkin” in the “translator” category. This year, “a little poet”, as she calls herself, won 1st place, a bronze statuette of Pushkin, a spectator prize, special award from the Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom, and a trip to Jaipur. Second place - Anastasia Vinokurova from Nuremberg. The prize in memory of Ekaterina Genieva is given to Tatyana Yufit from Great Britain.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru