Nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky remains one of the most controversial figures in Russian literature and intellectual life. Chernyshevsky rose to prominence in the period after Russia's defeat in the Crimean War. During the "thaw" that followed decades of "freeze" under the conservative Nicholas I, intellectual life in Russia revived with great vigor. Chernyshevsky was already well educated and well placed to take advantage of the new era of freedom in Russia. However, he was far too visible a public figure when this era ended.

From 1855 to 1862 Chernyshevsky was the leading radical journalist in Russia, working for the "thick journal" Sovremennik (The Contemporary). During this time Chernyshevsky battled many of the ideas held by the older generation of intellectuals and forcefully heralded the coming of a new generation, the so-called Russian nihilists. In contrast to the older generation of Russian intellectuals who were of aristocratic origin, Chernyshevsky was of more...