The book by a famous publicist, literary critic, and critic is dedicated to the biography of A. I. Odoevsky, A. A. Bestuzhev, K. F. Ryleev. The history of our literary development will preserve their names on its pages. The people whom the author wanted to remind the reader of had two sacred things in their lives: a humane ideal, clarified by the political thought for which they suffered, and an artistic soil that delighted them in the days of freedom and consoled them in the days of misfortune. The essays dedicated to their memory give equal attention to their political thoughts and their poetic dreams. The author sought to achieve the greatest completeness in the selection of facts related to the biography of these thinkers, and in the selection of information about their political activities. The volume includes two books: “Decembrists A. I. Odoevsky and A. A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky. Their life and literary activity" (1907) and "Ryleev" (1908).