Ivan Surikov

Russian self-taught peasant poet

Ivan Zakharovich Surikov (Russian: ???´? ????´????? ??´?????, April 6, 1841, Novosyolovo, Uglich, Yaroslavl, Russian Empire– May 6, 1880, Moscow) was a Russian self-taught peasant poet, best known for his folklore-influenced ballads, some of which were put to music by well-known composers (Tchaikovsky, Cui, Rimsky-Korsakov, Gretchaninov among them), while some ("Rowan", "Steppe" and others) became real folk songs.