The main character of the novel is an imp, though he lives an almost human life: with its spring recognition, the sweetness of a sultry summer and the piercing note of autumn farewell. “I wanted to be sure that someone on earth was well, and I wrote “The Fox” , says Malyshev. He is attracted by everything unknown, inexplicable. From the vague sensations of the incomprehensible, disturbing closeness of the Mystery, “The Fox” was born... Once on vacation in the village I heard a story about how a girl, dead from fear, ran home - she saw in the winter in a field, among the snowdrifts, a rosehip bush blooming with scarlet flowers. She told the story and fell to the ground - she lost consciousness. And for some reason I remember this rosehip bush... and then the forest, and the ice holes with sucking depth, and the ruined church, and the Fox himself, finally, wove around it.” The rich, fresh language of Malyshev’s prose captivates the reader. Some critics, having read “The Fox,” remember Klychkov, others Gogol... One thing is indisputable: “The Fox” is a book-phenomenon in literature, a book that is worth reading, about which it is worth talking and arguing.