Editing Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin (section)

===Education===
[[File:Pushkinlyceum.jpg|thumb|right|220px|19th century drawing of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, where Saltykov studied]]
Mikhail's early education was desultory, but, being an extraordinarily perceptive boy, by the age of six he spoke French and German fluently. He was taught to read and write Russian by the [[serf]] painter Pavel Sokolov and a local clergyman, and became an avid reader, later citing the [[Gospel]], which he read at the age of eight, as a major influence.<ref name= "kriv" /> Among his childhood friends was Sergey Yuriev, the son of a neighbouring landlord and later a prominent literary figure, editor and publisher of the magazines ''[[Russkaya Mysl]]'' and ''Beseda''.<ref name= "dic_1990" /> In 1834 his elder sister Nadezhda graduated from the Moscow Ekaterininsky college, and Mikhail's education from then on was the prerogative of her friend Avdotya Vasilevskaya, a graduate of the same institute who had been invited to the house as a governess. Mikhail's other tutors included the local clergyman Ivan Vasilievich who taught the boy [[Latin language|Latin]] and the student Matvey Salmin.<ref name= "kriv"/>

At the age of ten Saltykov joined the third class of the Moscow Institute for sons of the nobility (Dvoryansky institute), skipping the first two classes, where he studied until 1838. He then enrolled in the [[Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum]] in [[Saint Petersburg]], spending the next six years there. Prince [[Aleksey Lobanov-Rostovsky]], afterwards the Minister Of Foreign Affairs, was one of his schoolfellows. In the lyceum the quality of education was poor. "The information taught to us was scant, sporadic and all but meaningless…  It was not so much an education as such, but a part of social privilege, the one that draws the line through life: above are you and me, people of leisure and power, beneath – just one single word: [[muzhik]]," Saltykov wrote in his ''Letters to Auntie''.<ref name= "gorychkina">Goryachkina, [http://feb-web.ru/feb/irl/il0/il9/il9-159-.htm?cmd=2 М.S. М.Е.Saltykov-Shchedrin]. The Selected Works. Critical and biographical essay. Khudozhestvennaya Literatura Publishers. Moscow. 1954, pp. 5–24</ref>

While at the lyceum Saltykov started writing poetry and translated works from [[George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron|Lord Byron]] and [[Heinrich Heine]]. He was proclaimed an 'heir to Pushkin' – after the local tradition which demanded that each course should have one. His first poem, "The Lyre", a hymn to the great Russian poet, was published by ''[[Biblioteka Dlya Chteniya]]'' in 1841. Eight more of Saltykov's verses made their way into ''[[Sovremennik]]'' in 1844–45.<ref name="gorychkina"/> At the time he was attending Mikhail Yazykov's literary circle, which was occasionally visited by [[Vissarion Belinsky]].  The latter's articles and essays made a great impression on Mikhail.<ref name= "dic_1990"/>

Upon graduating the Lyceum in 1844, Saltykov, who was one of the best students, was promoted directly to the chancellery of the Ministry of Defense. This success upset Mikhail, as it ended his dream of attending [[Saint Petersburg State University|Saint Petersburg University]]. The same year he became involved with ''[[Otechestvennye zapiski]]'' and ''Sovremennik'', reviewing for both magazines children's literature and textbooks. His criticism was sharp, and Belinsky's influence on it was evident.<ref name="dic_1990"/><ref>The Works of M.E.Saltykov-Shedrin in 20 Volumes. Moscow, 1975. Vol. 17. P.331</ref> At this time Saltykov became a follower of the [[Socialism|Socialist]] ideas coming from France. "Brought up by Belinsky's articles, I naturally drifted towards the [[Westernizers]]' camp, but not to the major trend of it which was dominant in Russian literature at the time, promoting [[German philosophy]], but to this tiny circle that felt instinctively drawn towards France - the country of [[Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon|Saint-Simon]], [[Charles Fourier|Fourier]]... and, in particular, [[George Sand]]... Such sympathies only grew stronger after 1848," he later remembered.<ref>{{cite web | author = Saltykov-Shchedrin| url = http://rvb.ru/saltykov-shchedrin/01text/vol_14/01text/0411.htm|title = Abroad| publisher = rvb.ru /Thw Works. Vol.14| access-date = 2012-03-01}}</ref> Saltykov befriended literary critic [[Valerian Maykov]] and economist and publicist Vladimir Milyutin, and became close to the [[Petrashevsky circle]]. "How easily we lived and what deep faith we had in the future, what single-mindedness and unity of hopes there was, giving us life!" he later remembered, calling [[Mikhail Petrashevsky]] "a dear, unforgettable friend and teacher."<ref>The Works of M.E.Saltykov-Shedrin in 20 Volumes. Moscow, 1975. Vol. 17. P.228</ref>