Peter Weil (1949–2009) is a famous writer, journalist, and literary critic. His books “The Genius of the Place”, “Map of the Motherland”, “Poems about Me” (as well as “60s: the world of the Soviet man”, “Americana”, “Russian cuisine in exile”, “Native”, written in co-authorship with A. Genis) speech”, etc.) have gone through more than one edition and continue to be republished, and the best-selling book “Genius Loci” formed the basis of a multi-part television film. The collection “Freedom - the starting point” includes selected essays, articles, reviews, as well as interviews published by Weil in for more than two decades in the Russian and foreign press. Encyclopedic breadth and depth of knowledge combined with masterful use of the pen and subtle humor is an extremely rare phenomenon in journalism. Weil was friends with many talented people, he instantly learned about everything that was happening in the theater, cinema, literature, but most importantly, he wanted and knew how to share his knowledge and was a popularizer of art and literature in the best sense of the word.