This poet, a contemporary of Pushkin and Lermontov, was written about by Belinsky, mentioned by Herzen and Ogaryov, and his verses inspired the creation of romances. According to the poet Apollon Grigoriev, "the wild and impulsive poems of Alexander Polezhaev were passed from mouth to mouth, evoking a certain horror in students, which had something frighteningly attractive about it."

Alexander Polezhaev was the illegitimate son of a landowner and a serf. He studied at the philological department of Moscow University, where he became fascinated with poetry. He gained fame with the parodic work "Sashka," which was a peculiar imitation of "Eugene Onegin." Pushkin had "My uncle is the most honest of men," while Polezhaev had, "My uncle is an angry man." If Belinsky called "Onegin" an encyclopedia of Russian life, then "Sashka" represented a sharp satire on the loves and revelries of a Moscow student. The poem also contained criticism of authority:

"My foolish homeland!
When will it be your time
To awaken from your savagery,
When will you shake off the burden
Of your despicable executioners?"

And this was written in 1825, the year of the Decembrist uprising!

However, the civil lyrics in "Sashka" were often replaced by risqué content: the tireless womanizer Sashka described his escapades in dens with riotous girls. This work, originally intended for students, quickly fell into the hands of Nicholas I. The emperor, reading the manuscript, paused at the paragraph where Polezhaev, using strong expressions, gave him such a characterization: "he is a master at chasing trifles through the ranks." The poet's fate was sealed.

Polezhaev was expelled from the university and sent to the army. He did not like military service, and one day he deserted but was caught and sent to the Caucasus, where he showed bravery in battles in Chechnya and Dagestan. Caucasian motifs became an important part of his lyrics. Two poems were published: "Chir-Yurt" and "Erpeli." Polezhaev died at the age of 34, suffering from tuberculosis until the end of his life.