▁village ▁Pet rov sko ye ▁in ▁O ry ol ▁Governor ate ▁to ▁a ▁noble ▁family ▁of ▁a ▁retired ▁army ▁officer , ▁and ▁received ▁good ▁home ▁education . ▁In ▁his ▁te ens ▁he ▁was ▁sent ▁to ▁Kh ark ov ▁to ▁be ▁t utor ed ▁for ▁the ▁university ▁ex ams ▁and ▁spent ▁there ▁three ▁years ▁which ▁he ▁later ▁remembered ▁with ▁great ▁affection . ▁In ▁ 1 8 1 8 ▁the ▁ 1 4 - year - old ▁published ▁his ▁first ▁translation , ▁from ▁French ▁( The ▁Com ing ▁of ▁Spring , ▁from ▁Bernard in ▁de ▁Saint - Pierre ), ▁in ▁Ukrain sky ▁V est nik , ▁edited ▁by ▁the ▁Kh ark ov ▁professor ▁Gon or sky , ▁one ▁of ▁his ▁then ▁tut ors . ▁ ▁After ▁having ▁studied ▁for ▁two ▁years ▁at ▁the ▁C ourses ▁for ▁the ▁children ▁of ▁nob ility ▁at ▁the ▁Saint ▁Petersburg ▁Ped agog ical ▁inst itute ▁( where ▁among ▁his ▁tut ors ▁were ▁Wilhelm ▁K uch el be cker ▁and ▁Konst antin ▁Ar sen ye v ), ▁Mel gun ov ▁dropped ▁out ▁due ▁to ▁poor ▁health ▁and ▁accompanied ▁his ▁father ▁to ▁Western ▁Europe ▁in ▁a ▁journey ▁which ▁last ed ▁three ▁years . ▁After ▁returning , ▁the ▁Mel gun ov s ▁settled ▁in ▁Moscow ▁where ▁their ▁house ▁became ▁an ▁important ▁center ▁of ▁the ▁cultural ▁life ▁in ▁the ▁city ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 0 s – 1 8 3 0 s . ▁Having ▁passed ▁the ▁ex ams ▁at ▁the ▁Moscow ▁University ▁en abling ▁him ▁to ▁get ▁the ▁di pl oma , ▁Mel