Eldar Ryazanov is known in our country primarily as an outstanding comedian, the creator of a number of unfading Soviet film masterpieces of the lyrical and humorous genre. However, the palette of his talent is much wider: he made several absolutely serious dramatic films, and a number of entertaining television programs, published many books, wrote scripts, stories, poems... Initially a documentarian, then a feature film director, screen and theater playwright, novelist, poet, TV presenter, educator, public figure, Ryazanov was a personality of a decidedly Renaissance type. The author, writer and film historian (known to readers from the biography of Leonid Gaidai) in his narration creates the image of an extraordinary, passionate, brilliant person and director, who lived a long fruitful life and left a huge creative legacy a heritage that is a pleasure to master.