The unfortunate circumstances of the birth of Afanasy Fet, the son of a Darmstadt tradesman, largely predetermined his abandonment of a university career, separation from his beloved, and military service. The struggle with the blows of fate shaped his “inconvenient” character and special position in literature. Young poets considered the author of lyrical masterpieces their idol, and the liberal public considered him a “pathetic poet.” He translated the works of ancient Roman classics and read the works of modern philosophers, introduced advanced land management, served as a magistrate, spoke in the press about the education system, community, and zemstvo self-government. What is the reason for Fet’s obsessive desire to become a Russian nobleman? Why did Alexander II give the “king of poets” a ruby ring, and why did Alexander III make him a chamberlain? How did a lyric poet become a successful businessman? Why was the leading landowner called a serf owner and a misanthrope? What brought him closer to Turgenev and Leo Tolstoy and quarreled with Nekrasov and Chernyshevsky? The book by Doctor of Philology Mikhail Makeev answers these questions - the first detailed biography of the great poet, pessimistic thinker and fierce publicist.