The future writer was born on November 15, 1840, in Bolkhov, Oryol Province. He spent his childhood in his father's estate in the village of Pavlodar, Kaluga Province.

The family belonged to the middle nobility and was not wealthy. Aleksey had three brothers: Nikolai, Afanasy, and Vladimir. His father, Nikolai Fyodorovich, was a retired major, and his mother, Maria Andreyevna Zhelyabuzhskaya, was a highly educated woman and the first teacher of her son. She instilled in him a love for poetry.

Despite limited means, his parents were able to provide Aleksey with a good education. In 1852, he was sent to the St. Petersburg School of Law, one of the best in the country. Aleksey became the top student, receiving high marks and participating in the editing of the 'School Herald.'

In 1859, he graduated from the school and began working at the Ministry of Justice. That same year, he lost his mother, which was a significant blow for him. In her memory, he wrote several poems.

Work did not engage him, and together with his friend P.I. Tchaikovsky, he led a carefree life. Soon he met L. Tolstoy and I. Turgenev. During this time, he began writing lyrical poems about St. Petersburg and social inequality. His cycle 'Village Sketches' was published in the magazine 'Sovremennik.'

Although some poems were censored, they were well received by readers. N. Nekrasov and I. Panayev predicted literary fame for him, but fate had other plans.

In the early 1860s, Apukhtin realized that his poetry was too personal and did not meet public demands. He continued to collaborate with magazines that published his poems.

In 1862, his poem 'To Contemporary Rhetoricians' was published, where he expressed his position. Apukhtin preferred to remain aloof from public parties and literary movements, calling himself a 'dilettante.' However, he had clear literary principles and respected Leo Tolstoy and Alexander Pushkin.

In 1862, he moved to his ancestral estate and ceased creative activity for 20 years. From 1863 to 1865, he served under the governor, and then moved to St. Petersburg, working in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He traveled abroad several times on official business.

In the 1870s, Apukhtin published very little, but his poems circulated in manuscript form and were performed in salons. This indicated his popularity.

In the early 1880s, he felt a creative resurgence. In 1885, he wrote the poem 'A Year in the Monastery,' and then published a collection of poems that sold 3,000 copies and was reprinted multiple times. From this time on, he published regularly.

Despite his success, Apukhtin remained aloof from literary life, participating only in charitable anthologies.

Literary fame came to him in the 1880s when his talent was polished, and public sentiment changed, making his early poems perceived as modern.

The poem 'At Noon,' written in 1859, reflects the longing and loneliness caused by the loss of his mother and the realization of the wrong choice of profession.

The poem 'Does the Day Reign...' written in 1880, is dedicated to a close person and is an example of love lyricism. In it, the poet celebrates the power of feeling and vows fidelity.

In 1869, he wrote 'The Soldier's Song about Sevastopol,' dedicated to the Crimean War. This work expresses patriotic feelings and was set to music by P.I. Tchaikovsky.

Two years before his death, he wrote the poem 'The Madman,' which became his calling card. It is a tragic monologue of a person almost devoid of reason.

In his last years, Apukhtin worked actively, creating many works. He also left personal diaries.

In the 70s, he began to suffer from obesity, which progressed, and dropsy, which developed two years before his death. He spent his last years in a chair, reciting Pushkin.

Aleksey Nikolayevich Apukhtin passed away on August 17, 1893, in St. Petersburg. He was buried at the Nikolskoye Cemetery, and in 1956, his remains were transferred to the Volkovskoye Cemetery.