“My Diamond Crown” - a mystery novel called by fans of V. P. Kataev’s memoirs “My Diamond Crossword”, has caused fierce controversy since its first publication. The controversy continues to this day. This publication includes the first detailed scientific commentary on the “novel with a key.” The authors of the commentary are trying to resolve the controversy surrounding the novel, not limiting themselves to explanations of the “dark” episodes. They carefully recreate the literary and everyday environment of the 1920s-1930s. in the USSR and, unraveling the intricacies of the novel, attract many archival, newspaper and little-known memoir sources. Commentary: Oleg Lekmanov, Maria Reikina, with the participation of Leonid Vidgof.