Dmitry Begichev

Dmitry Nikitich Begichev (; 28 September 1786 - 24 November 1855) was a Russian writer, governor of Voronezh Province, and senator.
Biography.
Begichev was born into a family of the ancient nobility. He had a successful military and civil service career. He was governor of Voronezh Province from 1830 to 1836, and in 1840 he was appointed as a senator.
He published his literary works anonymously. His five-volume novel "The Kholmsky Family" was published in Moscow in 1832. The language of "The Kholmsky Family" is fluent and often colloquial. The novel contains numerous quotes from Russian and French literature, and even quotes of "worldly wisdom" from Benjamin Franklin. "The Kholmsky Family" is an important antecedent of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. Like "War and Peace" it reflects the world-view of the Russian gentry.