Book dossier

Byloe i dumy

by Aleksandr Herzen

**My Past and Thoughts** (Russian: *Былое и думы*, romanized: *Byloje i dumy*) is an extensive autobiography by Alexander Herzen, which he started in the early 1850s and continued to expand and revise throughout his later life. Serialized in *Polyarnaya Zvezda*, the book in its full form came out as a separate edition after its author’s death. In Herzen’s lifetime the major parts of the book were translated into English (1855), German (1855) and French (1860-1862). *My Past and Thoughts* gives a panoramic view on the social and political life in Russian Empire as well as the European West of the mid-19th century. It is considered to be the classic of Russian literature. (Source: [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Past_and_Thoughts))