[1][2] Born in Nizhny Novgorod to a millionaire staroobryadtsy merchant, Rukavishnikov studied archeology in Saint Petersburg University.

[3] Rukavishnikov debuted as a published writer in Nizegorodsky Listok in 1896, then left his father's home, severed all ties with his family and, left without a penny, embarked upon the life of a bohemian in the Russian capital, starting to publish his realist stories in the Gorky-backed Znanye almanacs and his symbolist poems in Vesy, the haven of Russian modernism.

Three collections of poetry which came out in 1901–1904 made little impact and in retrospect are regarded as unoriginal, forcefully plodding several routes set by the trailblazers of the time like Konstantin Balmont, Andrey Bely and Vyacheslav Ivanov.

In those years he also proved to be "an ardent translator of Ukrainian poetry"; the 1909 Young Ukraine anthology forms the 6th volume of his Collected Works.

[4] Another novel, Arkadyevka, came out in 1914, alongside short stories collection Distant and Close (Близкое и далекое), written in experimental, ornamental prose.