Maria Dmitrievna Krivopolenova was an outstanding Russian storyteller and writer. She was born in the remote village of Ust-Yezhuga in the Pinega region. At 24, Maria got married, but family life did not bring her happiness: her husband drank, stole, and was sent to a penal battalion. She often had to live alone with her daughter in poverty. In her old age, left a widow, she begged for alms in the villages of Pinega, paying for bread with her tales. In the summer of 1900, she met the folklore collector Alexander Dmitrievich Grigoriev, who recorded epics, historical songs, and ballads from her. These works were published in Grigoriev's three-volume collection "Archangel Epics and Historical Songs." Despite recognition in academic circles, Krivopolenova's life did not change, and she continued to live in poverty.

Fifteen years later, folklorists noticed her again. The Moscow artist and folklore collector Olga Erastovna Ozarovskaya saw in Krivopolenova not only a connoisseur of epics but also an artist. In 1915, she invited Maria to Moscow, where she performed at the Polytechnic Museum and met famous folklorists. Then Krivopolenova and Ozarovskaya traveled to Tver, and later to Petrograd, where concerts were also held.

At the end of 1915, Krivopolenova returned to Pinega, but soon came back to Moscow, where she gave a series of concerts in intellectual homes. Artists E. V. Goldinger and N. Ya. Simonovich-Yefimova painted her portraits, and sculptor S. T. Konenkov created the sculpture "The Prophetic Old Woman." In the spring of 1916, she, along with Ozarovskaya, went on a tour of Russian cities, including Saratov, Kharkov, and Rostov-on-Don, where her artistry was highly appreciated.

In the summer of 1916, Krivopolenova returned home with money and gifts, but soon she was expelled from her son-in-law's house, and she found herself in poverty again. In 1920, after the North was liberated from the White Guards, she was remembered in Moscow. The People's Commissar for Education A. V. Lunacharsky sent a telegram asking about her fate. Krivopolenova was granted an academic pension, and in 1921 she returned to Moscow to perform at the opening of the third congress of the Third International.

Maria Dmitrievna Krivopolenova became one of the most famous folk storytellers. She was written about by B. V. Shergin, I. Brazhnin, V. Lichutin, and K. P. Gemi. She also became the main character in the novels of Oleg Larin and Anatoly Rogov.