In the book of the famous director, playwright, theater theorist N. N. Evreinov (1879-1953), dedicated to the history of the famous St. Petersburg theater " Crooked mirror " a gallery of portraits appears - from the founders of the theater A. R. Kugel and Z. V. Kholmskaya to actors, directors, theater workers of the early 20th century. The author restores forgotten pages from the theatrical life of pre-revolutionary Russia, talks about parody performances that had a great public resonance. The manuscript of Evreinov's memoirs was brought in 1966 by A. I. Deutsch, who prepared it for publication. Published for the first time. The book is equipped with an introductory article by Les Tanyuk, notes and an album of illustrations.