Overview

• Speaking at the 22nd Valdai plenary in Sochi, Vladimir Putin read a poem by Alexander Pushkin about the Borodino battle.
• In a subsequent exchange with Rossiya 1 journalist Pavel Zarubin, he said he had been fortunate with his teachers and professors.
• He praised a particularly talented and dedicated literature teacher who shaped his appreciation for reading.
• He recalled that the teacher had the class read and discuss The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.
• He said he no longer remembers his school grades for poetry recitation and stressed that the teacher’s passion mattered more.