Vissarion Grigorievich Belinsky, a renowned literary critic, possessed the intuition of an outstanding sociologist. He developed and justified the theory of realism, as well as nurtured a young generation of writers. Belinsky was born on June 11, 1811, in the fortress of Sveaborg. His father was a district doctor, and his mother was the daughter of a skipper.

In his childhood, Vissarion learned to read and write from a teacher, and his father gave him several lessons in Latin. He entered the Chyombar district school, and in 1825 became a student at the provincial gymnasium, but was expelled in his fourth year. Belinsky then enrolled in the Faculty of Philology at Moscow University. Initially, his surname was Belynski, but he changed it to a more euphonious version.

From 1829 to 1832, Belinsky studied at the Faculty of Philosophy at Moscow University. The conditions at the institution were terrible, and Belinsky, weak since childhood, often suffered from chronic pneumonia.

During his studies, he spoke out against serfdom and wrote the tragedy "Dmitry Kalinin," which was never published. Ultimately, he was expelled from the university, citing poor health and limited abilities.

In 1835, Belinsky met Maria Orlova, whom he married in 1843. They had two daughters and a son, but two of the children died at an early age.

Belinsky attended the Stankevich circle, where he met Herzen and Ogarev. The circle was led by Bakunin. The participants studied Hegel's philosophy and the theory of "reconciliation with reality," but soon Belinsky became disillusioned with his beliefs and became a supporter of socialism.

His first critical article "Literary Dreams. Elegy in Prose" was published in the magazine "Telescope" and made a strong impression. After the magazine was closed, Belinsky was left without means and published an unsuccessful "Russian Grammar." That same year, he was diagnosed with syphilis and went to the Caucasus for treatment.

In 1838, Belinsky became the unofficial editor of the magazine "Moscow Observer," and the following year moved to St. Petersburg, where he worked for "Native Notes," making the magazine a leader in literature.

In the 1840s, Belinsky's health deteriorated due to tuberculosis. He was treated by Karl Tilman. In 1846, he went to Odessa to improve his health, and upon returning to St. Petersburg, began working for the magazine "Contemporary," where he published a major article and several notes. In 1847, his illness worsened, and he went to Salzburg, where he was treated by Tsemplin. There, Belinsky wrote his famous letter to Gogol, published only in 1905.

Belinsky struggled with his illness, consulting foreign doctors and being treated in a French boarding house, but the treatment yielded no results, leaving only debts.

Vissarion Belinsky passed away on June 7, 1848, in St. Petersburg and was buried at the Volkovskoe Cemetery. Later, the critic Dobrolyubov was buried next to him, and this part of the cemetery was named "Literary Bridges."