Saltykov was almost entirely self-taught as a child. He later attended the Moscow Institute and the Lyceum atSt. Petersburg. While at school he undertook translations of Byron, Heine and others andpublished some minor poetry. After graduation he took a position as a clerk at the Ministry of War, beginning an association with the civil service that would last most of his working life. In 1847, he published A Complicated Affair (Zaputennoye Dyek) which led to his banishment to Vyatka for eight years. On his return in 1857, he published Provincial Sketches (Gubernsiskie Otcherki) which built upon his time in exile and the incompetence and habits of Russian officials in the interior. He left the civil service briefly to concentrate on writing, but was compelled to return following financial difficulties. Saltykov held many important government posts, including deputy provincial governor. He finally retired from civil service in 1868 and in 1869, published The History of aTown (Historia odnavo Goroda). In 1872, Saltykov published his masterpiece, The Golovlyov Family, which received much acclaim. His other works include Fables (Skazk) (1880), and The Old Times of Poshekhona (1887). |
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