Konstantin Mikhailovich Fofanov was born in St. Petersburg. The poet's father was a poor merchant who traded firewood in the capital, his grandfather was an Olonets peasant. Fofanov was brought up in cheap private boarding schools and did not receive a good education. He began publishing in 1881, the first book of his poems was published in 1887. The dark decades of the 80-90s, a time of political reaction in the country, a time of decline and ideological confusion among the Russian intelligentsia, left their sharp stamp on Fofanov’s work. Fofanov acted as a herald of “pure art”; in his poems he sought to escape from vulgar and crude reality into the world of magical dreams. The son of the “sick generation,” he honored the impulses of fighters for the people’s good, sympathized with the poor and orphans, but in his powerlessness in the face of evil, he only opposed pure, poetic nature to it, composing romantic tales about flowers and plants. Fofanov's poetry is painted in minor tones; it is characterized by a special melodiousness, a generous variety of shades of moods captured in their fleetingness, the unsteadiness and mutedness of lyrical images. Sometimes his verse, impetuous and nervous, is spoiled by banal “beauties.” In the 80s, Fofanov was one of the most popular poets. Leo Tolstoy, Maikov, Chekhov spoke warmly about him, Repin loved him dearly. Fofanov was in many ways close to the Symbolists, who declared him their predecessor. From his youth, the poet’s life path was burdened by constant need, illness, and adversity. Fofanov's fame had already faded by the end of his days. He died, leaving a large family half-destitute.