Leonid Nikolaevich Andreyev, a renowned Russian writer and founder of Russian expressionism, was born on August 9 (21), 1871, in Oryol to a land surveyor's family. From childhood, he attended the local gymnasium and showed an interest in literature. After graduating from the gymnasium, he enrolled in the law faculty at St. Petersburg University but was soon expelled due to financial difficulties. During this time, Andreyev abused alcohol and even began to starve himself. It was then that he started writing his first poems and stories, which, however, were not accepted by editors.

Andreyev moved to Moscow, where, according to him, life was easier thanks to the help of friends and a committee. There, he experienced a suicide attempt due to unrequited love, which led to heart disease and repentance in church. Andreyev's family from Oryol also moved to Moscow. After his father's death, he had to take care of his mother and younger siblings, earning money through odd jobs. In 1902, he began working in journalism under the pseudonym James Lynch. His first story "Bargamot and Garaska" (1898) was published in the newspaper "Courier." Andreyev's talent was noticed by M. Gorky, who invited him to his publishing house "Knowledge."

True success came to Andreyev after the publication of the story "Lived and Were" (1901). In 1902, he married the grandniece of T. Shevchenko and received an offer to become an editor at "Courier." In 1905, Andreyev was arrested for holding a secret meeting and supporting revolutionary ideas. He was released on bail posted by Savva Morozov. A year later, he moved to Germany with his family, where his wife died from puerperal fever, leaving him with a second son, Daniil, who also became a writer and author of the treatise "The Rose of the World." In 1908, Andreyev married again. He passed away on September 12, 1919, from acquired heart disease.