He left the village because of poverty and worked as an errand boy, salesman, plumber, laborer, and even as a guide for a blind merchant.

His first story Two Brothers (1887) was praised by Leo Tolstoy, who supported and encouraged Semyonov throughout their long acquaintance.

His debut, 1894 collection Krestyanskiye rasskazy (Peasant Stories) came out with a foreword by Tolstoy, who cited "sincerity, substantiveness, simplicity and seriousness, as well as the expressiveness of language, rich in folklore imagery" as the author's prose major features.

[1] He published poetry, several plays, a book of memoirs called Twenty-Five Years in the Village, and a volume of essays.

Semyonov in six volumes (1909-1913, via Posrednik Publishers) received the Russian Academy of Sciences' Award in 1912.