Vladimir Nikolaevich Afanasyev - polar explorer, journalist, historian. As they say, a man of interesting destiny. He spent his childhood and youth in the ancient city of Kashira. I was gathering strength and fishing on the Oka River. Then - the Mariupol Naval School: they were given seas and overseas countries... In the name of noble goals, he devoted many years to the mysterious Arctic. The romance of Arctic expeditions and the harsh beauty of the Tundra fascinated me. As a literary employee of the “district”, “for the sake of a few lines in the newspaper,” he traveled around Alazeyskaya, Indigirskaya, Kolyma Velikaya Sendukha (tundra), Mountain Chukotka. Before his eyes, the Bilibino nuclear power plant rose - the Chukotka “Atomka”. Touched the secrets of gold mining. Close business relationships brought us closer to “truck drivers” - drivers of heavy vehicles. He took part in laying winter roads in the Kolyma Territory, sitting at the steering wheel. He was greeted warmly by nomadic reindeer herders, fishermen, hunters, aviators - the entire Great Tundra, where he came with a kind word of truth and attention... Years of fascinating wanderings, research, and study overflowed the treasury of wisdom of the great worker. And now the writer reveals to the savvy reader his secret stash in historical narratives.