Lev Mei

Lev Aleksandrovich Mei (Russian: Лев Алекса́ндрович Мей (name sometimes transliterated as Lev Mey); 25 February [O.S. 13 February] 1822 – 28 May [O.S. 16 May] 1862) was a Russian dramatist and poet. He wrote the historical dramas, The Tsar's Bride (1849), Servilia (1854) and The Maid of Pskov (1859), all three of which the composer, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, later used as the basis for operas. In St. Petersburg, Mei contributed leading Russian magazines, including Biblioteka Dlya Chteniya, Otechestvennye Zapiski, Syn Otechestva, Russkoye Slovo, Russkiy Mir, and Svetoch.