Nikolay Semenovich Leskov was a Russian writer, dubbed the “most national writer of Russia.” Leskov was born in a village in the Oryol Region of Central Russia. His father was an official of the criminal court chamber who had earned a hereditary nobility title despite the fact he originated from a line of clerics. His mother was a noblewoman. Leskov spent his childhood in Oryol, on his parents’ estates in the region. He also spent several years in the house of his mothers’ rich relatives, as his parents had no money to pay for his home education. The relatives had him tutored by Russian, German and French teachers. He studied together with his cousins, showing much greater capabilities, which resulted in his being sent back home. When he was ten, he entered the Oryol gymnasium, but failed to graduate. When he was sixteen, his father died, and all the family belongings were lost in a fire. Leskov went to work as a clerk in the Oryol criminal court chamber. He later used his experience in the office in many of his works.