Articles by the famous publicist, poet, prose writer Dmitry Bykov invariably cause criticism both on the right and on the left - and make circulation to the publications in which it is published. Regardless of the political and aesthetic conjuncture, he, being a carrier of common sense, calls white white, and black - black, no matter what other instances of taste say about this. The collected in this book is the best that Bykov wrote about Russian literature, cinema, politics, media, public disputes of the 20th century. Before us is the author's encyclopedia of Russian life, written by a brilliantly talented person.