He began writing poetry only after 1820, when he became blind. He reached the success equal to that of Alexander Pushkin with The Monk (1825), a verse tale in which the darkness of a Byronic hero is sentimentalized and redeemed by ultimate repentance. The Monk produced as large a family of imitations as either of Pushkin's Romantic poems.
Only after 1820 did he begin writing poetry, following his loss of sight. He attained a level of fame equivalent to that of Alexander Pushkin with The Monk (1825), a verse tale in which the darkness of a Byronic hero is emotionally heightened and ultimately redeemed through regret. The Monk produced a significant number of poems that mirrored either of Pushkin's Romantic works.