This is the fourth book by Maxim Osipov in the Corpus publishing house, it includes eight works. All of them are written in the genre of “long short stories” (small stories, big stories) based on the material of Russian reality, observed from different sides: from the provinces, from the capital or from the outside, from America. Osipov's heroes are our contemporaries, but they are occupied with timeless questions, to which, as a rule, they do not find definitive answers. And, perhaps, it is precisely this author’s position that makes it possible to illuminate reality much brighter than any complete, balanced worldview. Maxim Osipov is a laureate and finalist of many literary prizes awarded for short prose, his works have been translated into French and English, and his plays are performed in several theaters countries.