Aleksey Koltsov

His poems, frequently placed in the mouth of women, stylize peasant-life songs and idealize agricultural labour.

Koltsov earnestly collected Russian folklore which strongly influenced his poetry.

Having studied for less than two years at a local school (1818–1820), Aleksey quit at the insistence of his father who wanted his help with his business.

Koltsov moved, bought and sold cattle; and in the meantime, wrote poems secretly from his father.

Koltsov often traveled on business to St. Petersburg and Moscow, where he met Belinsky, who became his mentor, as well as Vasily Zhukovsky, Pyotr Vyazemsky, Vladimir Odoevsky, and Aleksandr Pushkin, who published one of Koltsov's poems in his journal "Sovremennik".