The Decembrist Revolt of 1825 turned Kondratii Ryleev, a minor poet, into a major figure of his age. An officer in the Napoleonic Wars and a patriot, Ryleev later became disillusioned with the political stagnation of his native land and joined the secret Severnoe obshchestvo (Northern Society). He then evolved into one of the major leaders of the Decembrist Revolt. All the while he maintained his interest in literature, both as a writer and as one of the editors of Poliarnaia zvezda (The Polar Star). Ryleev's dumy (meditations) all have historical, patriotic themes. He looked back at the Russian past to find for his contemporaries examples of civic virtue in historical figures who sacrificed themselves for Russia. Ryleev's motives followed the models of his dumy. He was perhaps the most honorable of the Decembrists, and he earned a reputation as a martyr for Russia when he was executed as...