Alexander Grin, a renowned prose writer, created about 400 works. He was a representative of neoromanticism and believed in the power of good and love. Alexander Stepanovich Grinevsky was born on August 23, 1880, in Slobodskoy, Vyatka province. His father was a Polish nobleman, and his mother was a Russian nurse. The family had four children.

Alexander learned to read at the age of six and was fascinated by books about travel and sailors. In 1889, he entered a local school, where his classmates nicknamed him "Grin." He struggled with his studies, and after writing an insulting poem about his teachers, he was expelled. His father found him another school in Vyatka.

In 1896, after finishing school, Alexander went to Odessa, dreaming of becoming a sailor. Thanks to a friend of his father, he got a job on the steamer "Platon," but soon, unable to endure the routine work and quarreling with the captain, he quit. He then traveled to Baku and the Urals in search of happiness, trying his hand at various professions.

In 1902, Grin became a soldier, which intensified his revolutionary sentiments. He deserted, was caught, but escaped again. Socialist propagandists helped him hide in Simbirsk, where he earned the nickname "Long-Legged" and engaged in propaganda among sailors and soldiers. During this time, he met Ekaterina Bibergal.

In 1903, Grin was arrested and sent to Sevastopol prison. The court sentenced him to 10 years of exile in Siberia, but in 1905 he was released under an amnesty. In 1906, in a fit of jealousy, Grin shot at Ekaterina. She was hospitalized but did not turn him in to the police.

In the winter of 1906, Alexander was arrested again and exiled to Turinsk for four years. He escaped to Vyatka, obtained a passport under a different name, and left for St. Petersburg.

From 1906 to 1917, his creative journey began. He wrote stories "The Merit of Private Panteleev" and "The Elephant and Moth," as well as works "To Italy," "The Case," "One Hundred Versts by the River." In 1910, a collection of stories was published, including "The Island of Reno" and "The Colony of Lanfier."

From 1917 to 1929, Grin wrote notes and feuilletons, condemning cruelty and lawlessness. In 1919, he joined the army, where he served as a signalman and contracted typhus. After recovering, he received housing in the "House of Arts" and an academic stipend. During this period, he wrote the fairy tale novella "Scarlet Sails," dedicated to the lofty dream.

In 1926, Grin completed the novel "Running on the Waves," combining a mystical idea of dream embodiment, poetic psychology, and an interesting plot.

Alexander Grin was married twice. His first wife was Vera Kalitskaya, and his second, Nina Mironova, who founded the writer's museum.

Alexander Grin passed away on July 8, 1932, in Stary Krym from stomach cancer. He was buried in the city cemetery, where a monument "Running on the Waves" was erected.