Rurik Ivnev /Mikhail Aleksandrovich Kovalev/ (1891–1981) is a Russian poet, prose writer, playwright and memoirist who gained fame even before the October Revolution. In 1917, together with A. Blok and V. Mayakovsky, he came to Smolny and became the secretary of A.V. Lunacharsky. In 1920 he headed the All-Russian Union of Poets. Later he retired from active political activity and was engaged in creativity and journalism. This book presents R. Ivnev's memories of famous contemporaries: V. Mayakovsky, A. Mariengof, V. Shershenevich and others.