In this book D.S. Likhachev makes “philological walks” through famous works of literature, dwelling on individual details, images, and motifs. What are the similarities between Emperor Nicholas I and Gogol’s Manilov? Why did Dostoevsky, in his novels and stories, always so accurately indicate the St. Petersburg addresses of his heroes and so clearly define the “history of time”? How are the traditions of ancient Russian literature manifested in Tolstoy’s epic novel “War and Peace”? What are the similarities between Akhmatova’s “Poem without a Hero” and the lines of Blok and Gogol? In which poem did Blok use the principle of symmetry to reinforce the theme of life and death? And there are many such intriguing questions discussed in the book, which is why after reading it I really want to continue the author’s research personally.