Saving the Chamberlain Pushkin

The life story of Mikhail Pitunin - the main character of the play - is inextricably linked with the name of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, who, indirectly and starting as early as kindergarten, caused much pain and suffering to an ordinary boy from Leningrad. Told in the first person, this autobiographical tale spans both the Soviet and post-Soviet eras, while also transporting us back to the 19th century, when Pitunin attempts to investigate the mystery of Pushkin’s death - projecting the moment of the duel onto himself. Pushkin, «our everything,» «the poet of the golden age,» gradually transforms from an antagonist into a friend who begins to «save» Mikhail in various unpredictable moments: in his first love, during his service in the Soviet army, in solitude, and in the shifting social and political landscapes of the world around him. At its heart, the play explores themes of spirituality and its absence, eternity and transience, and the meaning of human life. Alexander Sergeyevich becomes Pitunin’s dearest friend - so much so that Pitunin is ready to die in his place in a duel, shielding the poet with his own body.