Davydov, A. P. The Poetry of Quran is Above Quran (Alexander Pushkin. His Series of Poems ‘Imitations of Quran’ and Fedyor Dostoevsky’s Comments Thereto)

Abstract: The author of the present research article disproves of Fedyor Dostoevsky’s appraisal of Pushkin’s series of poems ‘Imitations of Quran’ shared by Dostoevsky shared during his ‘speech devoted to Pushkin’ on June 8, 1880 when the writer interpreted the aforesaid series of poems as being written according to Russian populist religious traditions. Dostoevsky spoke of Pushkin as an ideologist of the empire, church, religious nation and Russian roots. From this point of view, his speech devoted to Pushkin was an ‘anti-Pushkin’ speech that actually disguised Pushkin’s system of values. The author of the present article proves that referring to Quran Pushkin pursued only creative goals. The only Pushkin’s goal was to create Russian poetry. Davydov uses the comparative analysis for studying Muhammad’s and Pushkin’s logics of reasoning and gives examples of Dostoevsky’s inadequate comments or appraisals. Muhammad used the concepts of ‘God’ and ‘people’ while Pushkin created poetic meanings in the sphere ‘between’ these two absolutes. For the first time in studies of Dostoevsky the researcher proves the failure of Dostoevsky’s point of view on Pushkin’s series of poems ‘Imitations of Quran’ based on the comparative analysis of personal values used by Pushkin and religious values of Quran. Therefore the conclusion about Dostoevsky’s misinterpretation of the meaning of ‘Imitations of Quran’ can be considered to have been proved. This allows to progress in our understanding of the speech devoted to Pushkin as an objectively anti-Pushkin speech.

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