The author (1878 -1942) is a prominent representative of emigrant literature, who in 1922, unwillingly, was among the first group of writers and representatives of the creative intelligentsia expelled from the young Soviet state. His writing talent blossomed in major prose works - the novels Witness to History, Sivtsev Vrazhek, the book of essays Times - dedicated to turning points in the life of Russia and its peoples: the revolutions of 1905 and 1917, the civil war, etc. Until the end of his days, the author remained a patriot of his country and never considered himself among its enemies.