Pedzisa mutsara unotevera: Pakutanga kwema1860, mukurumbira waMaykov wakanga uri kuwedzera: aiwanzoita pamberi pevanhu uye mabasa ake akabudiswa nemagazini makuru eRussia. Pakati pemakore ekuma1860, akafambazve akananga kumusasa wevaichengeta, ndokugara imomo kwoupenyu hwake hwose. Akashora vechidiki vanopenga, uye akataura kubatana nemashoko aMikhail Katkov ezvematongerwe enyika pamusoro pe
Kumuka kwePoland uye nhevedzano yenyika yeRussia. Mune nhetembo dzakadai se "Minda" (iyo yakashandisa chimiro chaGogol cheRussia sechikwata chevatatu, asi zvakare yakaratidza kutyisa kwehupfumi huri kubuda), "Niva" uye "The Sketch" akarumbidza shanduko dza1861, zvichikonzera kutsoropodzwa kwakasimba kubva kuna Saltykov-Schedrin naNikolay Dobrolyubov. Achigamuchira dzidziso yePochvennichestvo, Maykov akaswedera pedyo naApollon Grigoriev, Nikolai Strakhov, naFyodor Dostoyevsky; ushamwari hwake neyekupedzisira hwakaratidza kuva hwakasimba uye hunogara.