Biography: Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov (Михаил Юрьевич Лермонтов; 1814 – 1841), sometimes referred to as the "Poet of the Caucasus", was a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter considered the most important Russian poet after Alexander Pushkin's death in 1837 and perhaps the greatest figure in Russian Romanticism. His influence on later Russian literature is still felt in modern times, not only through his poetry, but also through his prose, which founded the tradition of the Russian psychological novel.