The novel, written in the Soviet Union and first published in New York in 1989, takes place in the editorial office of one of the central Soviet newspapers. Turning to the era of “thaw” and “stagnation”, the author reveals the behind-the-scenes secrets of journalism of those years and the “mafia” nature of the ruling elite. This is a novel about the intelligentsia and power, love and betrayal. Currently, Yu. Druzhnikov is the president of the International PEN Club. And for your information, “the number of angels equal to the square root of two can fit on the tip of a needle.”