“We will not dwell on what has already been written and said about Aldanov. Why repeat what is known: that in his novels, historical and everyday, he is talented, exquisitely smart and subtle, and with these three qualities he forces himself to be read, even by those who demand only an exciting plot, but, not finding one in Aldanov, are completely satisfied, And How? - magnificent sketches by a great master... What else? It ranks in one of the first places in libraries, in the reports of bookstores and has been translated into nearly twenty languages...”