Stepan Grigoryevich Pisakhov was a renowned Russian writer, ethnographer, storyteller, and artist, as well as a painting teacher. He became famous for his stories about the life of the Pomors.

He was born on October 3, 1879, in Arkhangelsk to a craftsman, jeweler, and engraver. He graduated from the city school in Arkhangelsk and then continued his studies at the Baron Stieglitz Art School in St. Petersburg. As an artist, he honed his skills in Paris and in a private workshop in St. Petersburg, where I. E. Repin invited him to collaborate. In 1899, Pisakhov participated in an art exhibition in St. Petersburg, in 1907 his works were presented in Rome, in 1910 in Arkhangelsk, and in 1912 he received a silver medal at an exhibition in St. Petersburg.

He dedicated his free time to painting. After being expelled from the educational institution for criticizing the authorities, Pisakhov continued to travel in search of 'God's truth,' visiting the Arctic, France, Mediterranean countries, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. He always took his easel with him, creating landscapes and drawings in various corners of the world.

After serving in the Finnish militia during World War I, he returned to Arkhangelsk to conduct ethnographic research on the Russian North, continuing to organize exhibitions of his works. In the early 1920s, his first fairy tales were published in Arkhangelsk magazines, and by the mid-1930s, they began to be printed by capital publishers, bringing him fame as a storyteller.

During the war, Pisakhov remained in Arkhangelsk, sharing the hardships of life at the rear with his fellow countrymen. He often visited hospitals with other writers. After the war, he brought a manuscript of one hundred fairy tales to the Arkhangelsk publishing house, from which nine were selected two years later.

A few days before his 70th birthday, Pisakhov received an offer from the Arctic Institute Museum to sell his notes, drafts, and paintings. He perceived this as a harbinger of the end but continued to work, hoping for the best.

In 1957, his first book published in Moscow was released by the Soviet Writer publishing house, bringing him nationwide fame. Pisakhov's 80th birthday was widely celebrated in Arkhangelsk, and central and local publications published articles about him as the 'northern wizard of words.'

Half-jokingly, Pisakhov said he intended to live not only to his centenary but also to the year 2000. He wrote about this in his last fairy tale, which he recounted in letters from 1959. In May 1960, he passed away and was buried at the Ilyinsky Cemetery in Arkhangelsk.