“Vasily Terkin” is Tvardovsky’s opus magnum, his “calling card”. In Russian poetry, this is one of the most remarkable works, dedicated to the image of a truly “folk” hero - a Russian soldier, fearless, kind-hearted and cheerful. But a completely different intonation is heard in the bitterly ironic “Terkin in the Next World” and in the autobiographical “By the Right of Memory” - poems that brand the nightmare of Stalinism with a hot iron and were banned during the author’s lifetime. The collection also includes poems from different years - mainly late lyrics Tvardovsky, his understanding of life and creative path.