Oryol Governorate
Mikhail Prishvin was born in the family mansion of Krutschevo in Oryol Governorate (now in Stanovlyansky District, Lipetsk Oblast) into the family of a merchant. In 1893-1897, he studied at a polytechnic school in Riga and was once arrested for his involvement with Marxist circles. In 1902, Prishvin graduated from the University of Leipzig with a degree in agronomics. During World War I, he worked as a military journalist. After the war, Prishvin was employed as a publicist and then a rural teacher.