Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799- 1837) ranks as one of Russia's greatest writers. He attained fame in 1820 with his first long poem, Ruslan and Lyudmila. That decade also saw him produce his most famous play, Boris Godunov, and Eugene Onegin. 'The Queen of Spades', his most famous prose work, was published in 1834; 'The Bronze Horseman' appeared after his death.