M. Stelmakh’s autobiographical stories “Swan Geese Are Flying” and “Generous Evening” depict the difficult childhood of the boy Misha, who didn’t even have boots to walk outside. But this did not stop him from feeling the joy of life, noticing the beauty of nature, being good and merciful, and respecting peasant labor. With great love the writer remembers his relatives - father, mother, grandfather, grandmother. He also remembers his fellow countrymen - Uncle Sebastian, the girl Maryana, the little girl Lyuba. It was from them that he received the first lessons of humanity, an understanding of beauty, the ability to dream, a love of humor and carried them throughout his life. The works are filled with lyricism, in some places reaching a poetic sound, which is perfectly conveyed to the Russian-speaking reader in the talented translation of Lyubov Ovsyannikova.