Boris Pasternak, acclaimed as a master who “held an undisputed influence on Russian poetry,” began his long and arduous journey to literary infamy in a very cosmopolitan Moscow family , severely imbued with high-class Russian culture. His father was an eminent Russian painter and his mother a former pianist, there was considerable influence on him from his parents' notable social life. Comprised of a rich cultural environment and significant figures of the time, such as Leo Tolstoy and Rainer Maria Rilke, his parents' social life is what initially inspired Pasternak to pursue a field in the fine arts. Initially he began with music, moved on to philosophy and finally, after suffering rejection from a lover, he devoted himself to literature, mainly poetry. Throughout his life and his literary and poetic career, his influence and impact on Russia grew, which not only increased his popularity but also generated some negative attention from the Soviet government. This later had a prodigious effect on him. His life was extremely restrained at times, but this negative relationship he maintained with the government also sprouted some of the best poetry he ever wrote, and brought a lot of attention to him as a writer. Becoming one of the most eminent poets to live and die in the motherland was both a blessing and a curse. Pasternak's importance to Russian literature led him to influence a multitude of writers and artists of his generation and future generations. Of all those who came under the tutelage and influence of Boris Pasternak, none must have been more affected by him than his mentorship as a close friend and protégé, Andrei Voznesensky. In 1947, Pasternak received a letter and a book of poems from ...... middle of paper ......g together with those repressed by the overbearing Soviet government, and considerably influencing each one's life and writings of poets. .Boris Pasternak, Russian poet and literary marvel, influenced the lives and careers of many. From the biggest names in literature of the time, to the artists of today, he had a huge impact not only on the nature of Russian writing, but on many others who live by the life messages about his corrupt government and pain through his poetry. He is subtly mentioned in many areas, in music, literature and even science, and his veneration prompted Lyudmila Georgievna Karachkina, a Soviet astronomer, to name a planet after him. His poetry, significant enough to survive over the years, has influenced many poets such as Voznesensky, Rilke and Tsvetaeva, with many more to come. His candle still burns, and always will.