Alexander Radishchev
Alexander Nikolayevich Radishchev was a Russian author and social critic who was arrested and exiled under Catherine the Great. He brought the tradition of radicalism in Russian literature to prominence with the publication in 1790 of his Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow. His depiction of socioeconomic conditions in Russia earned him exile to Siberia until 1797.
Radishchev was born into a minor noble family on an estate just outside Moscow. His father, Nicholas Afanasevich Radischev, a prominent landowner in Moscow, had a reputation for treating his 3000plus serfs humanely. Until he wasyears old he lived on his fathers estate in Verkhni Oblyazovo , one hundred miles west of the Volga river with a nurse and tutor. He then went to live with a relative in Moscow, where he was allowed to spend time at the newly established Moscow University. In 1765 his family connections provided him with an opportunity to serve as a page in Catherines court, which he nonetheless regarded with suspicion for its contempt for the Orthodox faith, and a desire to deliver the homeland into foreign hands. Because of his exceptional academic promise, Radishchev was chosen as of one of a dozen young students to be sent abroad to acquire Western learning. For several years he studied at the University of Leipzig. His foreign education influenced his approach to Russia
Source: Wikipedia