Vsevolod Garshin

Biography

Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin (1855–1888) was a Russian short story writer whose intense, psychologically penetrating fiction made him one of the most admired writers of his generation. Born in Yekaterinoslav Province, he volunteered for the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, an experience that profoundly shaped his writing. Garshin’s stories are distinguished by their emotional intensity, moral seriousness, and vivid psychological portraiture. He struggled with severe depression throughout his life and died by suicide at age thirty-three. Despite his small output—fewer than twenty stories—his work influenced Chekhov and remains highly regarded in Russian literature.