Ivan Aksakov was the scion of one of the most prominent families in Russia, and he achieved widespread fame in his lifetime as a poet, essayist, journalist, editor, critic, Slavophile, and Pan-Slavic activist. An erudite writer and fine speaker, he was also uncompromisingly self-righteous, zealous, and extremely hardworking. Early in his career he battled ceaselessly with governmental and social corruption--later with censorship in the publications he edited. Aksakov had a titanic compulsion for self-expression, which found its outlet in poetry, letters, editorials, civil-service reports, and speeches. His most important contribution to Russian thought was the promulgation of Slavophile, Pan-Slavic, and nationalist ideas devised chiefly by others. By far his most important contribution to Russian literature, however, was his poetry, which, though not copious, is of excellent quality.

Aksakov was born Ivan Sergeevich Aksakov on 26 September 1823 in the village of Nadezhino, Belebei district, in Orenburg province. He was the...