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Lazhechnikov was born into the family of a rich merchant in Kolomna in 1792. He received a well-rounded education from private tutors at home
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He served in the active army in 1813–15, which inspired his Campaign Notes of a Russian Officer
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His first novel, The Last Novik (1831–33), set in the early 18th century, was very successful
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His novel The House of Ice (1835) dealt with the intrigues and horrors of the court of Empress Anna. The novel was praised by the influential critic Vissarion Belinsky for its authentic portrayal of the details of the period’s social climate.
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The Infidel, a novel set in the time of Ivan III, was translated into English as The Heretic. He also published several historical dramas including Oprichnik (1843, published in 1859), on which the libretto of Tchaikovsky’s opera is based
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May 3, 1869 the fiftieth anniversary of Lazhechnikov literary activity was celebrated (the writer did not participate in celebration himself )
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Lazhechnikov died in Moscow in 1869.
