n.
born Aug. 31, 1749, Moscow, Russia
died Sept. 24, 1802, St. Petersburg
Russian political writer.
Although from the nobility, he pursued a career as a civil servant, in which he met people from all social classes. Influenced by such writers as Jean-Jacques Rousseau , he wrote A Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow (1790), in which he described examples of social injustice, hoping that his criticism of serfdom, autocracy, and censorship would enlighten Catherine II . Instead, he was arrested and exiled to Siberia. He was pardoned by Alexander I in 1801 but committed suicide a year later. He inspired later revolutionaries, including those who instigated the Decembrist revolt .