Dmitry Narkisovich Mamin-Sibiryak was born on October 25, 1852, in the village of Visimo-Shaitansky factory, now called Visim. His father, Narkis Matveevich Mamin, was a factory priest. Dmitry's sister, Elizabeth, was admitted to the third grade of the first women's gymnasium in Yekaterinburg in August 1878. His younger brother, V. N. Mamin, became a deputy in the II State Duma. Dmitry received home education, then studied at a school for workers' children in Visim, later at a theological school and the Perm Theological Seminary, but did not complete the full course.

In 1872, he entered the Imperial Medical and Surgical Academy in the veterinary department. From 1874, he began earning money by writing reports for newspapers about meetings of scientific societies. In 1876, not completing his studies at the academy, he transferred to the law faculty of St. Petersburg University, but a year later had to leave his studies due to financial difficulties and health problems.

In the summer of 1877, Dmitry returned to his parents. The following year, his father died, and the responsibility for the family fell on his shoulders. To provide for the education of his brothers and sister, he moved to Yekaterinburg, where he married Maria Yakimovna Alexeeva, who became his wife, friend, and advisor on literary matters. During this period, he traveled extensively in the Urals, studied literature on the history, economy, and ethnography of the region, and became acquainted with the life of the people.

From the early 1880s, Dmitry engaged in literary activities and often traveled to St. Petersburg.

In 1890, he divorced his first wife and began living in a civil marriage with actress Maria Abramova from the Yekaterinburg Drama Theater. They moved to St. Petersburg. In 1892, Abramova died during childbirth, leaving behind a daughter, Alyonushka, who suffered from chorea. The writer dedicated a series of children's works titled 'Alyonushka's Tales' to his daughter. After much effort, he achieved recognition of paternity, and Elena Dmitrievna Mamina was acknowledged as his legitimate daughter. She, like her mother, lived a short life and died of tuberculosis in 1914.

On August 4, 1911, Dmitry suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, leading to paralysis of his arm and leg. In the summer of 1912, he fell ill with pleurisy again.

Dmitry Narkisovich passed away on November 2, 1912, in St. Petersburg. He was buried at the Nikolsky Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and two years later, his daughter was buried nearby. In 1956, both were reburied at the Literary Bridges of the Volkovo Cemetery.