Journalist and prose writer Vladimir Petrovich Burnashev (1810-1888) enjoyed wide readership in the early 1870s. In his memoirs, he painted vivid pictures of everyday, military and literary life in the second quarter of the 19th century. His memories cover a wide range of people - famous government and military figures (M. M. Speransky, E. F. Kankrin, A. P. Ermolov, V. G. Bibikov, S. M. Kamensky, etc.), writers (A. . S. Pushkin, M. Yu. Lermontov, N. I. Grech, F. V. Bulgarin, O. I. Senkovsky, A. S. Griboyedov, etc.), also little-known writers and journalists. The memoirs are especially interesting because their author carefully recorded rumors, gossip and anecdotes that circulated in Russian society in the second half of the 19th century. The reputations of the writers of that time, everyday life, balls, entertainment, literary salons, cooking, clothing - all this is vividly and reliably conveyed in Burnashev’s memoirs. The book also includes a previously unpublished article by the outstanding literary critic Yu. G. Oksman about Burnashev.