Berlin is a noted twentieth-century critic of Russian literature. The essay that follows—written in 1968—presents an overview of Herzen 's biography, personality, and political commitment. Berlin stresses in particular Herzen 's talents as a writer and an intellectual.

Acton portrays Herzen 's life as the negotiation of his philosophical, activist, and private selves. In the essay that follows, Acton focuses specifically on how these three aspects interacted to position Herzen in Russian society before his emigration in 1847.

In the following essay, Katz places his synopsis of the novel Who Is to Blame? between a discussion of its literary precedents and a review of the critical evaluations it has received since its publication.

In the excerpt that follows, Miller examines both how Herzen affected the emigrant circles in which he moved in the 1850s and how that context shaped him. Miller concludes with a look at the considerable success of Herzen's newspaper The Bell.

The following chapter, which reviews Herzen's reaction to the failed European uprisings of 1848, culminates in a comparison of Herzen's thought with that of Karl Marx.

Annenkov, a Russian of aristocratic background, was a member of the same intellectual circles as Herzen, and he later proved to be a faithful recorder of his colleagues' thoughts and manners. In the following excerpt, Annenkov sketches Herzen 's multifaceted character.