The collection of N. S. Leskov (1831–1895), an original writer and creator of a unique fairy tale style, includes stories and short stories, the heroes of which form a kind of “gallery” of Russian righteous people. Turning to the genre of Christmas stories (“The Pearl Necklace,” “The Unchangeable Ruble,” etc.) or the history of the first centuries of Christianity (“The Lion of Elder Gerasim”), the author leads his characters along the path of true love. In the words of the hero of the story “The Sealed Angel”: “An angel lives in the soul, but is sealed, and love will free him.” Leskov's works reveal to the reader how, by overcoming difficult trials, people gain the true meaning of life.