Grigorii Blagosvetlov

Born Aug. 1 (13), 1824, in Stavropol’-Kavkazskii; died Nov. 7 (19), 1880, in St. Petersburg. Russian publicist and democratically oriented public figure. Son of a priest. Graduated from the University of St. Petersburg in 1851.

Blagosvetlov lived in Western Europe during 1857–60. He participated in A. I. Herzen’s publishing endeavors and, when he was in London, was the teacher of Herzen’s children. From 1860 he was editor and later publisher of the journal Russkoe Slovo, for which he enlisted the services of D. I. Pisarev, V. A. Zaitsev, and N. V. Shelgunov. Blagosvetlov wrote works on sociopolitical and historical questions and questions of literary criticism. In 1862 he was selected to be on the staff of directors of Zemlia i volia. After Russkoe Slovo was closed down in 1866, Blagosvetlov was under secret surveillance by the police.