The work of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov (1814–1841) was the highest point in the development of Russian poetry of the post-Pushkin period and opened new paths in the evolution of Russian prose. The name of Lermontov is associated with the concept “30s”—not in a strictly chronological, but in a historical and literary sense—the period from the mid-20s to the early 40s. The defeat of the December uprising gave rise to profound changes in public consciousness; there was a revaluation of educational philosophy and sociology based on rationalistic principles, but the turn of society to the latest trends of idealistic and religious philosophy (Schelling, Hegel) simultaneously brought with it a deepening of social introspection, dialectical thinking, a keen interest in the laws of the historical process and the organic principles of folk life. Lermontov’s work extremely fully reflected the new stage in the evolution of social consciousness, and in an accelerated form: his entire literary life - from student experiences to “Hero of Our Time” - lasted less than thirteen years (1828–1841), during which he wrote more than 400 poems, about 30 poems, 6 dramas and 3 novels.