How did the expression "And who will do it for you? Pushkin?"

A resident of Russia has a question "And who will do this for you? Pushkin? " does not cause the slightest surprise. Everyone considers it normal that the great Russian poet "stands on the safe side" and is ready to perform the lion's share of not the most pleasant work. How did this catch phrase appear in our language and why does Pushkin appear in it, and not, for example, Gogol?

It is customary to mention Alexander Sergeevich not only in life, but also in literature. In the novel by M. A. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita", the chairman of the housing association of the house No. 302-bis on Sadovaya Street, where there was a "bad apartment", turned out to be a lover of this expression.

Perhaps that is why many people believe that this phrase appeared in the bypass with the light hand of the author. But this is not so, because the novel "The Master and Margarita", although it was started in the 20s of the last century, was first published only in 1966. And then, it was not published in full and not in the form of a book, but in the magazine "Moscow". They started mentioning Pushkin much earlier.

There is an opinion that the poet began to be remembered after the pathetic celebration of the centenary of his death, which was celebrated on a grand scale in 1937. Then suddenly there were a lot of Pushkin – his portrait was viewed from every wall not occupied by the face of Stalin, and enthusiastic articles about his work appeared in every periodical.

But the anniversary of 1937 cannot be called the date of birth of the phrase, because back in 1928, a beautiful work" Twelve Chairs "by Ilf and Petrov was published in the magazine" Thirty Days". There was already a mention of Alexander Sergeevich in this form:

So where did the fashion to refer to Pushkin come from? The answer to the question that concerns us is given in her monograph "The Rhetoric of Everyday life: philological essays" by philologist Elena Rabinovich. The scientist believes that everything began in 1880 with the installation in Moscow on Strastnaya Square (later renamed Pushkin Square) monument to A. S. Pushkin.

The construction of a large monument in the center of the capital was an extraordinary event and the poet was remembered on business and without. For the first time, the phrase "Who will peel the potatoes? Pushkin?", " Who will come home sober? Pushkin? " appeared exactly after the monument was installed.

In confirmation of the version with the monument, we can cite the fact that in some cities A. S. Pushkin is replaced by other historical figures immortalized in bronze. For example, in Odessa it is customary to say "And who will do the lessons? Duke?". In the Ukrainian port city, Pushkin's place is occupied by the founder of the city – Duc de Richelieu, whose monument stands on Primorskaya Street.

During his lifetime, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, although he was an incredibly interesting and extraordinary person, never gave himself a reason to entrust himself with all sorts of tasks.