[1] Born in Karachev into a postmaster's family, Karpov graduated from the Institute of Agriculture and Geodesy in Konstantinovsk.

In 1893 his play Early Autumn (Ранняя осень) was staged by the Alexandrinsky Theatre, featuring Maria Savina.

In 1896 Karpov became the head of Alexandrinka where he directed and produced Chekhov's The Seagull (with Vera Komissarzhevskaya as Nina Zarechnaya), which was this play's Russian premiere.

In 1900 Karpov left The Alexandrinsky Theatre and joined the Suvorinsky (which was in 1919 reformed into the Bolshoi Drama Theater) where he staged several plays of his own (The Coalmine 'Georgy', The 1812 Moscow Fire, The Victory Man) as well as a host of classics by Alexander Ostrovsky whose legacy he idolised.

He knew personally and corresponded with numerous grand figures of Russian theatre, including Konstantin Stanislavski, Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Vera Komissarzhevskaya, Maria Savina, Maria Ermolova, Anton Chekhov, many of whom credited him with being one of the most influential men in Russian history of his time.