Vasily Ivanovich Maikov (1728-1778) entered the history of Russian poetry as a satirist, author of two "ironic-comic poems": "Player of the Lomber" and "Elisha, or Annoyed Bacchus." The second of them gained particular popularity. Funny, "hilarious" (Pushkin's expression) provisions, scenes, juicy folk language and bright everyday colors of the poem still retain their lively influence on the reader. In addition to the "ironic-comic" poems, the collection includes fables, various lyric poems and dramatic works of the poet, which have not been reprinted for about a hundred years.