Alexander Kazbegi was born on January 20, 1848, into a wealthy noble family in the historic region of Khevi, located near Mount Kazbek. Inheriting a large estate from his father, Alexander eased the lives of his serfs and later in life became a shepherd in the mountains.
Until the age of twelve, the future writer was educated by tutors, and in 1860, Alexander was brought to Tbilisi and enrolled in a private boarding school. In 1866, his father passed away, having become so impoverished that there was no money left for his funeral. The once wealthy family began to experience acute financial difficulties.
With the help of his mother, Alexander still managed to go to Moscow to continue his studies. Enrolling as an auditor at the Agricultural Academy, he studied diligently and with great enthusiasm, reading many books in Russian and French.
In 1870, Kazbegi returned to his homeland, and from 1879, he lived in Tiflis and worked for the newspaper ‘Droeba’ (დროება), which literally means “The Times.” In his works, Kazbegi depicted the lives of highlanders, with one of his main themes being the conflict between the individual and traditional social norms. All of Kazbegi’s works were written between 1880 and 1886.