The paradoxical combination of the names of the writer Zoshchenko and captain Lebyadkin reflects the very essence of the book offered to the reader by Benedict Sarnov. The author explores the grandiose career that Dostoevsky’s minor character made, stepping after October 1917 from the pages of the novel “Demons” straight into the arena of history in the image of a “new man.” The phenomenon of this hegemonic captain was studied with exhaustive completeness and extraordinary artistic power by M. Zoshchenko. But B. Sarnov’s book is a way to comprehend the laws of our historical life. The form of the book is unusual. Interrupting the author, the voices of politicians, philosophers, historians, writers, and poets burst into the text. However, all this polyphony is skillfully conducted by the author, collecting it into a tense and focused plot. The book is intended for a wide range of readers.

The design of the book uses works by artists N. Radlov, V. Chekrygin, A. Osmerkin, N. Friedlender , N. Kupriyanova, P. Mansurova.