This book began as a movie script when I was a film student in 1989. The wish to bring Pushkin’s story to light in a way that had not been told before was a project of love. Being able to visit Pushkin’s home in Saint Petersburg, Russia brought me back to a time when Russia was rich with promise and possibilities. Pushkin’s poem entitled “Ode to Liberty” reveals that richness, yet over the years the mysteries surrounding his death have not been woven together in a way to share that richness, until now.

Pushkin’s fascination with dueling, his contribution to the Russian language and education, his accomplishments during his seven years in exile, his moral issues with religion, and his tribute to his comrades during the Decembrist Uprising are all revealed on the pages of this book. These pages also hold an insight into the vastness of the country, its history, its people and its struggle with its neighboring countries. For many years the identification of the author of the anonymous letter that led to Pushkin’s death was unknown until the proof finally surfaced decades after his death.

Of all the people who supported me during the writing of this book the one person who deserves the most thanks is Pushkin. He was a writer’s writer and a big influence on the golden age of Russian literature. He taught me that writing is a process, a process rich with discovery.
M.A. DuVernet