[1] Kushelev-Bezborodko started out in the early 1850s as a writer who contributed short stories and sketches to Otechestvennye Zapiski, Pantheon, Molva and Russkoye Slovo.

In 1856 he started to edit the latter, then four years later passed all the publishing rights to Grigory Blagosvetlov, along with all the printing facilities as a free gift, to concentrate on entrepreneurial work and literary philanthropy.

In 1861 he visited Alexander Hertsen in London and two years later donated a large sum of money to the Common Fund (Общий фонд) which had been set to help the Russians abroad.

Among the several major publications that he financed back in Russia were the 1858 poetry collection by Apollon Maykov, the first edition of The Works by Alexander Ostrovsky (1859), as well as The Complete Lev Mey (1862–1863) in three volumes.

[1] Famous Polish pianist and composer Anton de Kontski piece La dolce rimembranza, Op.