One of Russia's most celebrated poets of all times, Michael Lermontov was born in Moscow in the family of a nobleman. He spent his childhood and youth in Tarckany, in the province of Penza.
In 1830 Lermontov entered the Moscow University, but very soon he had to leave it. Then he entered St. Petersburg School of Cavalry Cadets. He finished it and served in the Hussar Regiment of the Imperial Guard.
In 1837 the poet was exiled to the Caucasus for his poem "Poets Death". In 1840 Lermontov was exiled to the Caucasus for the second time. He was provoked into personal quarrel with his schoolmate. The quarrel led to a duel. On July 15th, 1841 the poet was killed. He was not even 27 at that time.
Lermontov began writing when he was very young. One of his first writings to be published was his verse tale "Hadji Arbek".

Lermontov was a dark-haired man, with a pale yellow face, eyes as black as coal, whose eyes, as he himself expressed himself about Pechorin, were sometimes heavy. He was not tall, broad-shouldered, he was not handsome, but for some reason everyone's attention, and who did not know who he was, involuntarily stopped at him.