The poetic heritage of A.N. Apukhtin is presented in this edition with the greatest completeness. The publication has been updated with 35 unknown poems by Apukhtin. The book is structured from the following sections: poems, poems, dramatic scene, humorous poems, translations and imitations, appendix (which includes French and poems attributed to the poet).

Born on November 15 (27 NS) in the city of Volkhov, Oryol province, in a poor noble family. He spent his childhood in the village of Pavlodar, on his father’s family estate. In 1852 he entered the St. Petersburg School of Law, which he graduated in 1859. At the school he began writing poetry, the first of which was published in 1854, when he was 14 years old. The young author was noticed, and he was predicted to have a great poetic future. In 1859, the Sovremennik magazine published a series of short lyrical poems, “Village Sketches,” which reflected Apukhtin’s civic mood, which partly arose under the influence of Nekrasov’s poetry. After 1862, he withdrew from literary activity, citing the desire to remain outside the political struggle, aloof from any literary or political parties. He went to the province, served in the Oryol province as an official on special assignments under the governor. In 1865 he gave two public lectures on the life and work of A. Pushkin, which was an event in the cultural life of the city. In the same year he returned to St. Petersburg. The poet works more and more hard, finding his own path in poetry. Romances brought him the greatest fame. Using all the traditions of love, gypsy romance, he introduced a lot of his own artistic temperament into this genre. Many romances were set to music by P. Tchaikovsky and other famous composers (“Forget So Soon,” “Does the Day Reign,” “Crazy Nights,” etc.). In 1886, after the release of the collection "Poems", his poetic fame was finally strengthened. In 1890, prose works were written - "The Unfinished Tale", "The Archive of Countess D.", "The Diary of Pavlik Dolsky", published posthumously. Apukhtin's prose was highly appreciated by M.A. Bulgakov. Already in the 1870s, he began to develop morbid obesity, which in the last ten years of his life assumed colossal proportions. He spent the end of his life practically at home, with difficulty moving. Apukhtin died on August 17 (29 n.s.) in St. Petersburg.