Kozma Prutkov

Kozma Petrovich Prutkov (Russian: Козьма́ Петро́вич Прутко́в) is a fictional author invented by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy and his cousins, three Zhemchuzhnikov brothers, Alexei, Vladimir and Alexander, during the later part of the rule of Nicholas I of Russia.

The four distinguished satirical poets used this pseudonym as a collective pen name to publish aphorisms, fables, epigrams, satiric, humorous and nonsense verses in the 1850s–1860s, most notably in the literary magazine "Sovremennik" (The Contemporary).

According to the Biographical data on Kozma Prutkov, Prutkov was born on April 11, 1803 and died on January 13, 1863. He worked for the government of the Russian Empire his entire adult life, and in 1820 entered military service as a Hussar only for the uniform. He worked at the Assay Office (Пробирная Палата) from 1823 until his death, ending up as its director.