Abstract: The article analyzes the origins of publicistic heritage of Afanasy Fet. Analysis is conducted on the historical-literary situation, biographical facts of the poet, reminiscences of contemporaries and friends. The author also explores the opinions of literary critics, writers-raznochintsy (of miscellaneous ranks), and representatives of democratic criticism. Detailed description is given to the poet’s views on the aims and goals of the farmers and owners of the land. Based on the results of analysis of egodocuments, the persona of A. A. Fet is presented in contemporaries’ perception in two guises: lyrical poet and landlord-farmer. Image of the latter is being revealed through the essays of A. A. Fet “From the Village”. Similar “duality” of the image of A. A. Fet subsequently becomes the subject of parodic reinterpretation. Most vividly, the parodic personality of A. A. Fet appears in works of the poets of the satirical journal “The Spark” (Iskra). The author describes the history of creation of the essays “From the Village” as an original text for parodic personality of A. A. Fet in the work of the parodist of “The Spark” journal Pavel Medvedev. Analysis of the mechanisms of formation of parodic personality is presented. The source of parodic interpretation, as well as the material for creating parodic image, become not only the poet’s texts, but also egodocuments, comments of his contemporaries and friends, and publically expressed opinions of the readers.