ABSTRACT
Alexander Pushkin was, naturally, intimidated and hypnotized by the trappings of power. Beyond that, though, his behavior was dictated by a straightforward desire to avoid unnecessary conflicts with the government. Traditionally, Pushkin scholars tended to exaggerate the power wielded by Benckendorff and the sinister role he played in Pushkin’s life-a misconception which can be traced to Pushkin’s own hyperbolic rhetoric. Benckendorff’s shortcomings as a bureaucrat can, perhaps, be interpreted to his credit. He was absent-minded, and, as a result, the organization he ran was often less than smoothly efficient. The events which caused Pushkin such humiliation and deep psychological trauma, events which the poet took as a slap in the face that could not be avenged with a challenge, were, for Benckendorff merely part and parcel of the daily routine. Benckendorff had long since offered the same deal to Pushkin, promising him the freedom to travel abroad in return.
