Joseph Kessel (1898–1979) is an outstanding French writer of the 20th century. Born in Argentina, spent his childhood in Russia, lived in France. He participated in both world wars, traveling to all the hot spots on earth as a reporter. Author of the famous novels “Beauty of the Day”, “Lion”, “Crew”, etc., on which films were made with theater and film stars. World literary fame and election to the French Academy. “Riders” is a real epic about the burden of human passions, the power of which the author, a bright, talented and contradictory nature, fully experienced and generously shared with the heroes of his novel. The action takes place in Afghanistan , which at that moment had not yet become an arena of military action. The novel was made into a film starring Omar Sharif.