The book is a documentary chronicle novel, the basic principles of which were first developed by V.V. Veresaev in the biographical narratives “Pushkin in Life” and “Gogol in Life.” The special appeal of this genre is that it retains the exciting power of testimony, the authority of the eyewitness’s word. The main goal of the book is to create a comprehensive, three-dimensional image of Lermontov without bashful silences or smoothing over. It is intended for a wide range of readers interested in the history of literature in general and the life of the great Russian poet in particular.